Washington – Sen. Ken Salazar’s re-election fund raised $339,000 in the first three months of this year and ended the period with $304,000 cash on hand.
Sen. Wayne Allard, who’s retiring at the end of next year, reported $12,000 in donations and $75,000 cash on hand.
Salazar doesn’t run for re-election until 2010, but he’ll need a lot of cash when he does. He spent $10 million to win his seat in 2004.
He took in $248,000 from individuals and $90,000 from political action committees.
Among Salazar’s biggest donors were people who live in Puerto Rico.
He received eight donations of $2,300 each, the maximum allowed for a primary race. They came from community volunteers, an attorney, physicians and a certified public accountant.
Salazar held a fundraising event in Puerto Rico and Miami, Salazar spokesman Cody Wertz said.
Salazar also raised money in California. Frank Marshall, an Academy Award-nominated film producer who lives near Los Angeles, gave $1,000. Salazar knows Marshall through a mutual friend, Wertz said.
In Colorado, big donors included James Leprino, president of Denver-based Leprino Foods; Gordon Arbuckle, a Denver attorney; and Richard Rogel, Avon-based president of PPOM, a health care network, who gave $2,300 for both the primary and general elections.
Salazar also received money from political action committees representing several energy companies, Federal Express, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Raytheon, Denver-based Qwest, Englewood-based CH2M Hill Cos., Anheuser-Busch, health insurers Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc., and Ice Cream, Milk & Cheese.
The campaign spent $91,000 during the three-month period.
Allard took in $11,000 from PACs and one $1,000 contribution from an Arizona man.
Staff writer Anne Mulkern can be reached at 202-662-8907 or amulkern@denverpost.com.
