President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Kamala Harris

(R) Donald Trump

80%↑

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) V. Archuleta

98%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Marshall Dawson

95%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd

(D) Adam Frisch

50%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(D) Trisha Calvarese

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank

(D) River Gassen

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) John Fabbricatore

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen

(R) Sergei Matveyuk

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

52%↑

48%↓

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

October 16, 2023 01:20 PM UTC

Revealing Federal Fundraising Reports for Colorado Candidates

1 Comments
by: Colorado Pols

We have been waiting on federal fundraising reports from Q3 (July – September 2023) in hopes that they might provide some fresh insight into several 2024 congressional races in Colorado. Those numbers are now available, and they indeed tell an interesting story.

Let’s break down the reports by Congressional District…

CO-03 (Southern and Western Colorado)

Things aren’t looking great for Lauren Boebert.

We already knew that Democratic challenger Adam Frisch was raising obscene amounts of money in his second bid to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. Frisch raised $3.4 million in the last three months, leaving him with more than $4.3 cash on hand (COH).

Democrat Anna Stout raised just $102k in her first fundraising period, leaving her with a measly $41k COH. Unless the Grand Junction Mayor can quadruple her contributions in Q4, she’s not likely to have a competitive campaign in 2024.

The big numbers we were waiting for, of course, were on the Republican side. Boebert raised $854k in the last three months, leaving her with $1.4 million in the bank. This would be a strong fundraising quarter in a vacuum, but that’s not Boebert’s reality. Not only does she need to do much better in order to keep up with Frisch, but she also faces a strong Republican opponent in 2024.

Grand Junction Attorney Jeff Hurd has been picking up some big endorsements from other Republican elected officials in the district, and his first fundraising period was more than enough to mark him as a serious challenger to Boebert. Hurd raised $412k and finished Q3 with $356k in the bank.

Hurd’s Q3 fundraising is about half of what Boebert raised, but unlike Boebert, Hurd doesn’t have to fight off two opponents (yet). Hurd merely needed to show that he was capable of pulling in real money in order to mark himself as a viable alternative to Boebert in a June 2024 Republican Primary Election. Hurd did just that with his total amount raised and with the names of some notable Republican contributors, such as former Colorado Mesa University President Tim Foster; State Rep. Dan Thurlow; former University of Colorado President and longtime Republican megadonor Bruce Benson; and former U.S. Senator Hank Brown.

CO-04 (Eastern Colorado)

Incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Buck seems likely to retire rather than seek re-election in 2024. Though he hasn’t made any official announcement as of yet, there’s already a long line of Republicans eager to pick over his political corpse.

Buck has clearly been spending more time on the phone with cable television producers than donors in recent months. Buck raised just $44,395 in Q3 and spent $36,589; basically, he just cashed the checks that showed up on their own from lobbyists and PACs. Buck still has a strong COH total of $479,618, but you don’t report such a weak fundraising quarter if you are trying to send a message to other Republicans that you’re not dead yet.

CO-07 (Jefferson County)

After winning her first congressional seat in 2022 by a 15-point margin, Democrat Brittany Pettersen probably won’t have to worry much about a serious Republican challenger. Pettersen raised $315k in Q3 and now has $480k in the bank.

Pettersen’s only notable current opponent is former Democrat-turned-Unaffiliated candidate Ron Tupa, who may want to rethink the idea of running for Congress after his Q3 performance. Tupa raised all of $6,000 — yes, that’s just four figures — and “loaned” himself $13,000. In other words, Tupa will have to more than double his previous fundraising total just to be able to pay himself back. We’d pause and look up a good antonym for “momentum,” but you already get the point.

CO-08 (Northern Colorado)

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo pulled in a solid $454k in Q3, leaving her with more than $910k in the bank. This is a good pace for someone like Caraveo, who is going to be a top target nationally and will have plenty of support from outside spenders.

Caraveo’s two Republican opponents, meanwhile, did not impress in Q3. Weld County Commissioner Scott James claimed the top spot with $109k raised, leaving him with $79k COH. State Rep. Gabe Evans raised $103k for a COH total of $95,853.

Evans’s bank account would be much sadder if not for a $20k loan from himself. James spent more money than Evans in Q3, but didn’t write himself the same check; in terms of fundraising, they’re about equally anemic.

One thought on “Revealing Federal Fundraising Reports for Colorado Candidates”

Gilpin Guy says:

October 16, 2023 at 6:06 pm

The Big Line needs to show Hurd moving up. Bimbobert treading water and Frisch with wind at his back.

7 and 8 are Dems to lose but they don't look threatened.

Great article Pols. Thanks for compiling the numbers.

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Revealing Federal Fundraising Reports for Colorado Candidates

CO-03 (Southern and Western Colorado)

CO-04 (Eastern Colorado)

CO-07 (Jefferson County)

CO-08 (Northern Colorado)

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One thought on “Revealing Federal Fundraising Reports for Colorado Candidates”

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