Rep. John Salazar raised $194,000 in the first quarter of the year, and finished the period with $160,000 on hand.
The congressional seat filled by Salazar, D-Manassa, is considered one of the more competitive in the state. In 2006 Salazar spent the third most of the seven U.S. House members from Colorado, behind Reps. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, and Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden. He exhausted $2 million to win re-election to his seat.
In the three months ending March 31, Salazar took in the largest contributions — of $5,000 each — from political action committees of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Englewood-based CH2M Hill Companies, and the American Association for Justice. The Blue Dog PAC, the fundraising arm of a group of moderate House Democrats, also gave Salazar $5,000.
He also received money from the political action committees of tobacco giant R J Reynolds, Anheuser Busch Companies, Denver-based Qwest, Tyson Foods, the Association of American Railroads, the Committee for Advancement of Cotton, mortgage backer Fannie Mae, the National Chicken Council, and several farming interests.
Salazar received $2,300 contributions from several individuals including Nancy Gooding, manager of Larkspur-based Plum Creek Hollow Farm, a horse sale business; Richard Gooding, president of Paragon Ranch, an energy development company; and Kimberly Jordan, chief executive officer of New Belgium Brewing, a Fort Collins beer maker.
Roger Reisher, a banker with First Holding Company, gave $2,100.
Salazar received $3,000 from lawyers with Brownstein, Hyatt & Farber law firm. Steven Farber, Norman Brownstein and lawyer Steven Demby each gave $1,000.
State representative Bernard Buescher gave $250.
