Some of the biggest opponents of Referendums C and D raised more than $1 million during the past two weeks.
The Colorado Club for Growth Issue Committee raised $813,000 between Oct. 13 and Wednesday, bringing its total to $1.9 million so far this election season, said Greg Gandy, the group’s treasurer.
All the donations came from the Colorado Club for Growth, Gandy said. He said the group will file an official report with the secretary of state’s office this morning.
Vote No; It’s Your Dough raised $12,000 during the same time period, according to a filing with the secretary of state’s office. That brings the group’s total to $288,000.
The biggest donations to the campaign this reporting period were donations of $5,000 each from Jeffrey Coors, president of Graphic Packaging Co., and Ethan Eilon, a consultant with the Independence Institute.
Jon Caldara, chairman of the Vote No campaign, also is the president of the Independence Institute. Caldara has drawn fire for not disclosing which individuals paid for ads the nonprofit think tank ran. Caldara has said that because the ads were educational, he does not have to disclose his donors.
If C Wins, You Lose raised about $250,000, said chairman Joe Stengel. That would bring the campaign’s total to about $680,000. Stengel said the group would file its official report by Wednesday’s deadline.
The Backbone Issue Committee, which has funded several ads against the measures, raised $250, bringing its total to almost $2,400, according to secretary of state’s records. The bulk of the committee’s funding has come from $4,100 in loans from chairman John Andrews’ company, Synthesis Communications.
Spokespeople for the opposition group Americans for Tax Reform and the supporters’ campaign, Vote Yes on C&D, said Monday they did not have fundraising estimates and would file their campaign disclosures Wednesday.
Referendum C asks taxpayers to let the state government keep an estimated $3.7 billion over five years that would otherwise be returned to taxpayers. Its companion measure, Referendum D, asks voters to approve $2.1 billion in bonds largely for school and road improvements.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
