Former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter so far has out-raised Cherry Hills Village millionaire Rutt Bridges in the race for next year’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Ritter, a political veteran, has snagged $164,383 in contributions, compared with the $131,754 raised by Bridges, who has no experience in elected office, according to figures through June that both campaigns released Wednesday.
Republican hopefuls Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez are expected to report significantly more in their campaign coffers by Friday’s state filing deadline.
Ritter, a partner at Denver’s influential Hogan & Hartson law firm, released only total fundraising figures Wednesday, not a list of his donors.
Bridges – a former software entrepreneur and civic activist who has said he wants to avoid bankrolling his campaign – disclosed his full report, including his contributors.
Among them are several members of his family, his wife’s family and relatives of the many employees and consultants who work for his venture-capital companies and think tank, Denver’s Bighorn Center for Public Policy. His personal “household manager” and the woman who curates his American Indian pot collection each have given the maximum $1,000.
“They like me, too,” Bridges said Wednesday.
Other notable Bridges donors include Helen Thorpe, wife of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper; former U.S. Senate candidate Tom Strickland, who hired Ritter as a partner at Hogan & Hartson; and Sen. Ken Salazar and U.S. Rep. John Salazar, both of whose campaigns Bridges backed, and both of whom have hired Bridges’ son, Jeff, as an aide.
Though Bridges lags in total contributions, he noted that he announced his candidacy three weeks later than Bridges.
In the race to replace Beauprez in the 7th Congressional District, Republican Rick O’Donnell reported that he has raised $269,127 – vastly more than either Democrat running statewide for governor. O’Donnell serves as executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.
Former state Sen. Ed Perlmutter, who is seeking the Democratic nomination, reported raising more than $215,000. His top Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Peggy Lamm, has yet to release her figures.
The governor’s race and the contest for the 7th Congressional District are expected to cost the winning campaigns several million dollars.
Staff writer Susan Greene can be reached at 303-820-1589 or sgreene@denverpost.com.
