Attorney General Phil Weiser still holds a significant — albeit still early — cash advantage over U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary race for Colorado governor, newly filed campaign finance reports show.
But an independent spending group’s fundraising, including several high-dollar donations, has more than evened the playing field for Bennet.
Weiser, who announced in January that he hoped to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, entered October with nearly $3 million in cash on hand, according to filings due Wednesday night. Bennet, who announced he was running for governor in April, entered the year’s final financial quarter with about $1.6 million in the bank.
The primary election is in June, with an emerging field that also includes a handful of lesser-known Democrats who have raised little to no money. The winner will face off against the Republican nominee and other candidates in the November 2026 general election. The comparatively wide-open GOP race has 20 candidates declared so far.
Weiser’s war chest continues to benefit from his early entrance into the race. He raised nearly $2 million in the first quarter of the year, but his fundraising has been outpaced by Bennet in the two quarters since. But not by enough for Bennet to erase that early deficit.
Colorado law to gubernatorial campaigns at $725 per individual for the primary and then again for the general election, leading to a natural drop-off as donors max out their contributions.
“We’re building a campaign powered by Coloradans, fighting for Coloradans and pushing forward a bold vision for Colorado’s future,” Weiser said in a statement. “Coloradans are ready for leadership that will fight for our democracy, protect our freedoms, take action to address our affordability challenges and show up for local communities.”
Bennet raised nearly $1.8 million during the second fundraising quarter, when he announced his candidacy, and nearly $950,000 in the latest reporting period, which ran from July 1 until Sept. 30. During those same periods, Weiser raised about $1 million and nearly $850,000, respectively.
“We’re honored to have the support of hardworking Coloradans from every corner of the state,” Bennetap campaign manager, Ben Waldon, said in a statement. “Michael has been fighting for Colorado his entire career. … Coloradans know that Michael is the only candidate in this race who has a bold vision to make Colorado more affordable, protect our democracy, and build a brighter future for all of us.”
But Bennet has shown his real fundraising prowess through the money pouring into Rocky Mountain Way, an independent expenditure committee set up to benefit his campaign.
Independent expenditure committees cannot coordinate with a candidate’s campaign but can accept dark-money donations from nonprofits that do not identify their donors.
Rocky Mountain Way has raised more than $2.2 million since its inception just days after Bennet entered the race. Its biggest donor so far: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg, who ran against Bennet in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, donated $500,000 to the committee.
A nonprofit organization named Brighter Future for Colorado contributed $400,000 to the committee.
An independent expenditure committee has been set up to benefit Weiser’s bid, too. That group, called Fighting for Colorado, reported raising almost $215,000 through the end of September.
Republican candidates’ fundraising
On the crowded Republican side of the governor’s race, the fundraising so far pales in comparison to the major Democrats.
Only state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, with $188,595 reported, has raised more than six figures for the race. She announced her campaign in September. State Rep. Scott Bottoms reported the second-highest fundraising, at $73,000 so far this cycle.
After that, no candidate has reported raising more than $50,000. Former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, who briefly represented Colorado’s 4th Congressional District to fill a vacancy while U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was running to switch districts, has totaled just over $47,000. Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell has raised $40,000 and, rounding out the top five GOP fundraisers, state Sen. Mark Baisley has reported raising $35,000.
Other statewide offices
In the race for two of the state’s other three constitutional offices, there are also clear financial leaders.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, has raised double what her nearest competitors have in their bids to be the next attorney general, succeeding Weiser. She’s raised nearly $1.2 million, including $383,000 this last quarter, and is sitting on more than $900,000.
No Republican has raised any money in that race.
Hetal Doshi, Griswold’s next-closest opponent, in terms of money, has raised about $591,000 total, with $453,000 still in the bank. David Seligman has just crested $543,000, with $320,000 remaining in cash. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty has raised about $452,000, with $293,000 remaining.
In the state treasurer’s race, Democratic state Sen. Jeff Bridges has likewise raised double what his competition has, with a total haul of nearly $241,000. Democratic state Rep. Brianna Titone has raised $114,000. The other two Democrats in the race, Jefferson County Treasurer Jerry DiTullio and John Mikos, have raised less than $70,000 apiece, though DiTullio has also loaned his campaign more than $375,000.
The sole Republican in the race, Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham, a former state Senate president, has reported raising just shy of $35,000.
In the two-person race for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez holds an edge over state Sen. Jessie Danielson — though Danielson, a recent entrant to the race, bit significantly into Gonzalez’s fundraising headstart.
Gonzalez has raised $120,000 total, but collected just $14,000 in the third quarter. Danielson, who launched her campaign near the start of the fundraising quarter in July, has raised $95,500. She started the fall with $52,000 on hand, to Gonzalez’s $32,000.
