July 27, 2012 09:19 PM UTC

Another Bleak Fundraising Period for John Odom

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• by: Colorado Pols

Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom still hasn’t gotten the hang of this whole “running for office” thing, if yesterday’s campaign finance reports are any indication.

After raising a paltry $710.00 through June, Odom this month added just $1,200 to his diminutive warchest. In fact, were it not for the $20,000 Odom loaned his campaign, he’d have brought in just under $1,900.

To put that figure into perspective, no-chance HD-24 candidate Edgar Leyendecker has raised $4,500 for his bid. HD-24 contains a population seven times smaller than the entire county and yet Leyendecker — the very definition, mind you, of a sacrificial lamb — has raised two times more than a sitting elected official who’s on the ballot across Jeffco. That’s even more striking when you consider that Odom, unlike Leyendecker, isn’t fettered by campaign contribution limits. Odom could’ve raised literally unlimited amounts of money from scores of donors this period. Instead, he raised less than two grand from three: Robert Blackwell, Fred Clifford, and Jefferson County School Board gadfly Laura Boggs.

Odom’s Democratic opponent Casey Tighe, by comparison, had another decent period, raising over $5,600. Although that simply wouldn’t be enough money to compete with almost any other opponent, it blows Odom’s haul out of the water.

Odom still has the cash-on-hand advantage, leading Tighe $19,943 to $10,417. He’ll no doubt write himself another check if the Democrat comes within striking distance, so it’s unlikely Tighe will ever have more money to play around with than the incumbent.

Still, you’ve got to wonder: if Odom is this terrible at fundraising, how bad will other aspects of his campaign be? He’s got no field effort and his name ID is especially bad because he’s never run for a countywide office before. His personal wealth ensures he’ll be able to afford mailers, sure, but considering that even Rep. Robert “I can’t count” Ramirez has figured out how to raise some money, they’ll likely be horrible.

If Odom wins in November, it probably won’t be because he ran the better campaign. Instead, he’ll cruise to victory because of the thickness of his wallet and the Republican affiliation after his name.

Although at this juncture, it looks as though the commissioner is doing everything he can to pry defeat from the jaws of victory.