Colorado gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx received more than $78,000 in donations from people who’d already contributed the maximum amount to the Republican’s campaign, state election officials allege.
The complaint late last week from the secretary of state’s office accuses Marx, who won the recent GOP primary, of accepting at least 197 donations from 111 people that went beyond the individual limit of $1,450. While Marx’s campaign had told state officials that it refunded the improper donations, the election complaint states that Marx has reported refunding only $58,195.93, “far short” of the $78,613.15 his campaign allegedly received in excess contributions.
Two attorneys working on behalf of the Elections Division wrote in the complaint that “even if (Marx’s campaign staffers) effectively cured their violations, they failed to substantially comply with their legal obligations under Colorado campaign finance law given the extent of their noncompliance and their failure to achieve the underlying purpose of contribution limitations.”
The complaint also accuses the campaign of accepting at least 10 cash donations above the legal limit, which is $100. The complaint requests that a hearing officer levy “authorized penalties” against the Marx campaign.
Under state election rules, each violation can draw a fine of at least $100, plus 10% of each excess donation, said Jack Todd, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office.
Marx’s campaign has a month to formally respond to the complaint. In a Monday statement provided by spokeswoman Rachael Flick, his campaign said it was cooperating fully with state officials “to address the matter through the established process.”
“Because this is an active administrative matter, we don’t believe itap appropriate to litigate the details through the media while that process is ongoing. If any corrections or additional filings are required, we’ll make them through the proper legal and regulatory channels,” the statement says.
The state’s intervention comes after Republican Darcy Schoening lodged dozens of campaign finance complaints against Marx during the primary election campaign. A first-time political candidate, Marx had regularly touted his campaign fundraising success during the race. By the end of June, he’d raised nearly $3 million, far outpacing his two opponents while bringing in more than any other GOP governor primary candidate in recent years.
Marx narrowly won the June 30 primary over state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, with state Rep. Scott Bottoms placing a distant third. Marx will next face Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who won the Democratic nomination, and other candidates in the November general election.
