The backers of Referendums C and D raised more than $1 million during the first two weeks of October – fueled by contributions from homebuilders, mining companies, health care providers and other corporate interests.
The “Vote Yes on C&D” campaign committee has raised $5.38 million so far in its effort to persuade voters to let the state keep more taxpayer money over the next five years.
The “Vote No; It’s Your Dough” campaign committee raised most of its money from out of state. Vote No collected $121,815, including $120,000 from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, based in Washington, D.C. That brings its total for the campaign to $249,999.
Both groups filed their campaign- finance reports with the Colorado secretary of state Monday.
Vote No started off with a bang in the campaign season, but it has been eclipsed by other groups collecting big campaign donations: the Club for Growth Issues Committee and the “If C Wins, You Lose” campaign committee.
Those groups file their reports electronically, so they aren’t due until later this week.
The Vote Yes campaign’s biggest donor during the period was Benson Mineral Group of Denver, a company controlled by Bruce Benson, a prominent Republican fundraiser.
Benson gave $100,000 to the “Vote Yes on C&D” committee, according to records filed Monday.
The report showed that the committee has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of Colorado’s biggest companies and executives: Coors Brewing Co. gave $10,000; homebuilder MDC Holdings Inc. of Denver, $80,000; Henderson Mine of Empire, $25,000; the Colorado Health and Hospital Association, $66,796; Charles Monfort, chairman of the Colorado Rockies baseball club, $10,000; and cable magnate Leo Hindery Jr., $12,000.
Both campaigns spent most of their money on advertising.
Vote Yes spent more than $1 million with Colorado Media and Mail for advertising. Vote No spent $120,000 with G.W. Media Marketing for the same purpose.
Heading into the final weeks of the campaigns, the Vote Yes committee said it has $476,555 on hand, while Vote No says it has $15,041.
Katy Atkinson, spokeswoman for the Vote Yes campaign, said the campaign expects to continue raising money at a blistering pace to keep up with well- funded rivals.
During the final two weeks of September, the Club for Growth Issues Committee reported raising $450,000.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
