Sen. Udall Raises Another Million Dollars

You’d be smiling, too, if you were outraising your opponents this much.

The campaign for Democratic Sen. Mark Udall won't officially file its fundraising report for another few weeks (end-of-year reports have longer deadlines than quarterly reports), but news about another strong quarter is already leaking out. Udall raised more than $1.1 million in Q4, ending the year with a hefty $4.7 million cash on hand. Udall finished 2013 by raising more than $1.1 million in every single quarter.

For comparison's sake, Republicans Ken Buck and Owen Hill didn't raise $500,000 combined in Q3, and both need to have had a much better Q4. Fundraising numbers from Q4 will also be the first look at the potential strength of state Rep. Amy Stephens, who entered the Senate race in October.

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Walker Stapleton Raises $325k

Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton reported an impressive fundraising total for Q3, bringing in $325,185 for the three months ending in September.

Stapleton has been fairly quiet since first getting elected in 2010, and Democrats Betsy Markey and Pat Quinn have set their sights on unseating the incumbent. Stapleton has done very little fundraising since 2010, but he made up for that in a big way in Q3 — collected three times as much money as Markey.

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Hickenlooper Raises $221k; Warchest at $774k

The Q3 report for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is now available online, showing a three month fundraising effort netting $221,914 for a total cash-on-hand amount of $733,772.

Hickenlooper's Q3 fundraising is fairly modest, in part because of a busy summer schedule impacted by major natural disasters. Hickenlooper remains on a steady fundraising pace, however, and raising money has never been much of a problem for the Governor.

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Markey Raises $100k in Treasurer Race

Democrat Betsy Markey

The campaign for Democrat Betsy Markey announced today that she raised more than $100,000 in Q3 for her bid for State Treasurer. Markey's $100k is a solid first quarter of fundraising, and is three times the amount raised by fellow Democrat Pat Quinn in his bid for Treasurer.

Said Markey in the release (full text after the jump):

“The people of Colorado deserve a full-time Treasurer, and I’m humbled and thrilled that so many Coloradans have already joined our campaign. Colorado families watch their bottom lines and live within their means every day. We deserve a state government, and a State Treasurer, determined to do the same. A smarter, more efficient, more innovative State Treasury will mean a stronger, more prosperous, more confident Colorado economy—that’s what this campaign is all about.”

MARKEY RAISES $100,000 FOR 3rd QUARTER FUNDRAISING PERIOD

Grassroots Momentum Continues to Grow in Opening Quarter of Markey’s Campaign for State Treasurer

FORT COLLINS—Since launching her campaign for Colorado Treasurer in June, Betsy Markey today announced that she has raised more than $100,000 in contributions. Markey received over 500 individual contributions for the quarter, with a median contribution amount of $100.

“The people of Colorado deserve a full-time Treasurer, and I’m humbled and thrilled that so many Coloradans have already joined our campaign,” said Markey. “Colorado families watch their bottom lines and live within their means every day. We deserve a state government, and a State Treasurer, determined to do the same. A smarter, more efficient, more innovative State Treasury will mean a stronger, more prosperous, more confident Colorado economy—that’s what this campaign is all about.”

Markey is supported by grassroots Democrats from all across Colorado, as well as state leaders like former Interior Secretary and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Congressman Jared Polis, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Former Colorado Treasurers Gail Schoettler and Cary Kennedy, Senate President-elect Morgan Carroll, Speaker of the House Mark Farrandino, and former Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff.

“We’ve worked hard for the past three months building the infrastructure for a strong campaign to win the Treasurer's Office next year,” added Markey. “We've received support from all over Colorado and know that our momentum will only continue to build.”

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School Finance Ballot Initiative Raises $1 Million

FOX 31's Eli Stokols:

Lawmakers passed legislation last session, hoping to change the way Colorado funds its schools, directing additional money to full-day kindergarten across the state and distributing more money per pupil to districts with higher percentages of at-risk students.

But none of it will take effect unless voters approve $950 million in new tax revenues to pay for it.

Initiative 22 would set a flat tax rate of 5 percent — up slightly from the current 4.6 percent rate — for all incomes of less than $75,000 a year.

But the proposal those earning more than that would see their income taxed at two different rates:  the 5 percent flat rate for income up to $75,000 annually and then a 5.9 percent rate for all earnings above that threshold.

And the Denver Post reports today:

Colorado Commits to Kids surpassed the $1 million mark in overall contributions with $739,250 taken in during the July reporting period. Combined with more than $260,000 raised in June, the effort moved to $1,081,550 primarily with the help of a few deep-pocketed donors.

The Post reports diverse funding sources for this campaign, ranging from Democrat Pat Stryker and Sam Gary of the Piton Foundation to the right-leaning education reform group Stand for Children. Along with backing from Gov. John Hickenlooper, Initiative 22's hefty war chest should underscore the seriousness of this effort compared to 2011's Proposition 103–which failed after attracting only tepid support. It's worth noting that some of the lack of support for Proposition 103, particularly on the left, can be attributed to concerns that it doesn't raise enough revenue to address the problem. This latest initiative is no "band-aid," but a real attempt to solve the longstanding and growing problem of paying for public education in Colorado.

And unlike two years ago, this campaign will have the resources it needs to succeed.

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