Money in politics: Group funded by Koch brothers spends big on Barbara Kirkmeyer in Congressional District 8 primary
By Trenton Sperry
In the hotly contested Republican primary for the newly drawn 8th Congressional district in Colorado, spending by the libertarian nonprofit Americans for Prosperity looms large, and the dark-money advocacy group formed by the Koch brothers that turned the Tea Party movement into a political force is betting big on former Weld County Commissioner and current state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer of Brighton.
In the primary election that takes place June 28, Kirkmeyer faces Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann, Weld Commissioner Lori Saine of Dacono and military veteran Tyler Allcorn of Arvada. Allcorn does not live within the district boundaries, although it is legal for him to run for the seat.
AFP to date has spent $207,775 on canvassing, mailers and digital ads in support of Kirkmeyer’s campaign just this year, far surpassing the $66,069 the candidate’s campaign has spent as of March 31, as well as the $118,180 Kirkmeyer has raised from individual donors in the same timeframe.
Publicly available fundraising figures for federal candidates currently offer numbers only through March 31 because of Federal Election Commission reporting requirements. The next reporting deadline for the candidates will be June 16, when the candidates’ committees will file their pre-primary reports.
Here are the GOP candidates’ fundraising and spending numbers as of March 31, in order of most raised by individual donors:
Kulmann has raised $334,105 from individual donors in her run for Congress. PACs, or Political Action Committees, have given her campaign $12,500, and she has given her campaign $45,158. She has not loaned her campaign any money. Her campaign has spent $82,456 and has $309,307 in cash on hand.
Kirkmeyer has raised $237,905 from individual donors in her run for Congress. PACs have given her campaign $8,000, and she has given her campaign $2,094. She has loaned her campaign an additional $40. Her campaign has spent $73,946 and has $174,093 in cash on hand.
Saine has raised $157,290 from individual donors in her run for Congress. PACs have given her campaign $2,000, and she has given her campaign $3,379. She has loaned her campaign an additional $80,000. Her campaign has spent $102,057 and has $140,611 in cash on hand.
Allcorn has raised $136,033 from individual donors in his run for Congress. PACs have given his campaign $3,000, and he has loaned his campaign $161,767. His campaign has spent $98,024 and has $207,775 in cash on hand.
A newly formed Super PAC has recently jumped into the CD8 spending mix, as well, and its funding sources are currently unknown. Colorado Conservatives for Retaking Congress, based in Colorado Springs, was formed in November but hadn’t spent or raised any money until June 2, when it dropped $50,000 on mailers and digital ads opposing Saine and Kulmann. Super PACs are required to disclose their donors, but 8th CD voters won’t get to see those names until at least June 16, just 12 days before the primary election.
On the Democratic side, state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who locked up the Democratic nomination following the state assembly in April, has raised $512,578 from individuals and $48,500 from PACs, as of March 31. Her campaign has spent $234,480 and has $326,597 in cash on hand.
The 2022 general election in CD8 is expected to see large amounts of political spending this year, as the new district is politically competitive and Republicans are aiming to control the House of Representatives for the first time in four years amid President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings. Both the Democrats’ and the Republicans’ national organizations have listed Colorado’s CD8 as a targeted battleground. The Cook Political Report rates the district as a “Republican Toss Up.”