Republican Mike Coffman and Democrat Andrew Romanoff. (The Denver Post)
A political-action committee is hitting U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman with a new hard-edged TV ad after Coffman declined its challenge to disavow some types of outside spending in his race for re-election. We that is a political-action committee set up by to pressure candidates in some competitive races — including Colorado’s 6th Congressional District — into discouraging outside “dark money” spending from groups that are able to shield their donors.
The group to agree to its pledge. If outside groups spent money to influence the race that CounterPAC deemed in violation, then the candidate benefiting from that spending would donate a portion of the value from his own campaign coffers to charity.
Romanoff agreed, but only if Coffman would, too. Coffman declined. And on Monday, CounterPAC :
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CounterPAC says the new ad “is part of a six-figure buy that will run for a week across four Denver-area stations.”
Coffman declined CounterPAC’s challenge, his campaign said earlier this month, because “we’re realistic to know that no pledge is going to change” the big-money donors lining up to support Romanoff. “We’re focused on our race, not the demands of outside groups,” campaign manager Tyler Sandberg said.
In the ad, CounterPAC takes a little license, speculating on who might be providing money that’s driving some outside groups’ ads in support of Coffman. In a statement, the group notes that of more than $1 million spent by outside groups on the 6th District race so far, most has been in support of Coffman. That includes recent ads bought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Coffman.
CounterPAC’s ad suggests other outside spending boosting his candidacy might be coming from big tobacco, Russian oil billionaires, Wall Street bankers or “the owner of China’s largest casino.” “We just don’t know,” the narrator says, “and that’s just how Mike Coffman wants it.”
Jim Greer, CounterPAC’s co-founder, said in a statement provided to The Denver Post: “We would prefer to be brokering an agreement between Rep. Coffman and Andrew Romanoff to improve accountability in this election for Colorado voters. Unfortunately, Representative Coffman has chosen to protect secret, dark money campaign spending rather than opt for transparency — and that’s something voters should be aware of.”
The spending of big money on TV ads by a PAC with a mission of discouraging the same types of ads — at least from shadowy groups — is a new dynamic this year in Colorado electoral politics.
