March 23, 2010 07:11 PM UTC

Colorado Supreme Court Opens Floodgates

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• by: Colorado Pols

As The Denver Post reports:

The Colorado Supreme Court injected a dose of uncertainty into state elections Monday when it followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s lead and eased restrictions on political giving by corporations and unions.

Prompted by a question from Gov. Bill Ritter, the state court said provisions in Amendment 27 barring the two types of entities from directly advocating for a candidate’s election or defeat and barring the purchase of television and print ads in the 60-day run-up to a general election violated free-speech rights.

The decision “provided some clarity about how the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling affects Colorado’s campaign-finance laws,” said Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer. “But it leaves open the question of what it means in practical terms on actual election campaigns.”

While it’s too soon to tell how or how much these spending titans will use their new ad-buying and advocacy rights, previous election cycles show they’ve easily overshadowed other interests in ballot-issue donations and found ways to spend millions directly on down-ticket candidates.

Analysts point out that Colorado’s gubernatorial and statehouse races – where even small amounts can make an impact – could be enticing targets for big-money this year, given that the state will redraw congressional-district and other political boundaries next year.