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A challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman and Democratic opponent Andrew Romanoff to reject all “secret money” in their race — essentially, some of the millions spent by outside groups to influence the election — isn’t gaining much traction. Coffman has brushed off the suggestion, while Romanoff says he’s in — but only if Coffman agrees.

The request comes from . It’s a political-action committee set up by to publicly discourage candidates in tight, high-profile races from benefiting from the financial arms race that’s taken hold in recent years as the U.S. Supreme Court has loosened some campaign finance rules, most prominently in the .

CounterPAC targeted suburban Denver’s 6th Congressional District race last week by taking out a full-page ad in The Denver Post. It’s also targeted the Alaska and Georgia Senate races and West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District and is looking at Iowa.

“The basis of the organization, really, is not to stop all super PACs but to make sure voters have all the information they need — that they know where that money is coming from and they use that to make decisions,” said Jim Greer, a former video game entrepreneur who co-founded CounterPAC earlier this year. “You have unlimited spending with no disclosure (by some groups). That is something that almost nobody across the political spectrum actually thinks that is is a good thing.”

While so-called “super PACs” that spend independently to support candidates or issues must disclose their big-money donors, other groups are able to shield donors by registering under the tax code as “social welfare organizations.” That is the meat of what CounterPAC is targeting.

Essentially, CounterPAC hopes to reduce spending by outside groups unless that money comes with transparency and can be traced back to individual donors, well-known corporations or large nonprofits.

How could candidates prevent outside groups from spending “secret money”? CounterPAC’s ad suggests that Romanoff and Coffman enter into a simple agreement.

To dissuade outside groups from spending money from shielded donors to boost one candidate, CounterPAC says, each candidate would agree to take a hit whenever he benefits. That would mean matching half of the value of the outside expenditure in a donation to a charity of his opponent’s choice. CounterPAC would monitor outside spending and serve as a referee of sorts.

Sound a little convoluted? Greer doesn’t think so, and CounterPAC points to the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race between Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Scott Brown as encouraging evidence it could work. In that race, both agreed to donate to charity whenever an outside group spent on their behalf. “It worked,” CounterPAC’s website says. “Outside spending was drastically reduced to merely 9% of total spending in contrast to upwards of 60% in other states.”

“Candidates are just trying to win their races. … But the only thing they care about more about than money is votes,” Greer said. “If voters are holding them accountable about where the money comes from, that抖阴ap the first step.” And in Colorado’s 6th CD, he said, “A huge proportion of the money that has gone into that race has been undisclosed.”

So far, Romanoff says he’d accept CounterPAC’s challenge, while Coffman, a Republican seeking a fourth term in Congress, is brushing it off.

“We have every expectation that everyone from to to Mayor Bloomberg are going to spend ungodly sums of money trying to elect Andrew Romanoff,” said Coffman spokesman Tyler Sandberg. “We’re realistic to know that no pledge is going to change that. We’re focused on our race, not the demands of outside groups.”

Romanoff long has touted his refusal to accept donations from political action committees. (Critics say that pledge is inconsistent because he still accepts money from lobbyists and has racked up big sums from the Democratic Party-aligned fundraising PAC , which typically funnels individual online donations to candidates across the country.) Romanoff, who to match his no-PAC pledge, and he says he’d accept CounterPAC’s suggestion of expanding that restriction, but only conditionally.

“I will gladly take this pledge as well, if Congressman Coffman is willing to do the same,” Romanoff said through a spokeswoman. “We have a chance to lead, instead of waiting for Washington to act.”

It’s unclear if CounterPAC will spend more in Colorado to put pressure on the candidates.

“Our goal is to introduce the issue (and) put the pressure on,” Greer said. “If one candidate is on board and the other is not on board or not negotiating in good faith, that is a situation where we will look at ramping it up.”

Lynn Bartels contributed to this blog post.