Colorado fundraising totals at a glance

Campaign finance reports for the second quarter of 2009 are in, and the numbers offer early clues about candidates’ prospects in the primary and general elections.

Peruse Face The State's live spreadsheet of statewide and congressional campaign finance totals, here.

The race for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat held by appointed freshman Democrat Michael Bennet is the most crowded field with three Republicans vying for the nomination. Even though he was appointed in January, Bennet profits greatly from the advantage of incumbency and a vast network of well-heeled supporters: In Q2 alone he raised $1.2 million, bringing his total take to just over $2.6 million.

Bennet’s Republican challengers need to do their best to keep up, though pundits can't and don't expect parity at this point in the race. Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck raised $330,000 in the three months ending June 30. Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier's receipts totaled $140,000. Other Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls include businessman Cleve Tidwell, whose staff says he has just now begun fundraising, with zero raised in Q2. No campaign finance reports for Tidwell were available through the Federal Elections Commission by press time. Political newcomer Luke Korkowski, a Crested Butte attorney, has said he is very likely to enter the race, but has not officially filed and is not raising money. Possible additional entrants include former state Sen. Tom Wiens and former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez.

Political consultant Katy Atkinson said it is likely many potential GOP donors are waiting to contribute until they see who can raise the most money in the first few quarters of their campaign. Atkinson adds that so long as a candidate was able raise above $100,000 in the last reporting period, he still has a shot at being competitive. “Ken Buck’s $330,000 is pretty good at this point in the campaign,” she said. “It’s harder for Ryan Frazier because he doesn’t have the kind of statewide exposure that a Cory Gardner has.”

State Rep. Cory Gardner, running for Congress in the 4th congressional district, raised a solid $203,000 during the first seven weeks of his campaign. He is challenging U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Fort Collins, who took in just over $242,000. Also gunning for the Republican nomination in CD4 is University of Colorado Regent Tom Lucero, who declared in December and has so far not made fundraising a priority. His Q2 report was not yet available from the FEC, but early reports indicate he brought in less than $50,000 for the quarter. Lucero campaign manager Andrea Rasey told The Colorado Statesman in May: “We know that fundraising is a part of campaigning, but, for us, we think the most important thing right now is to be in touch with the voters — and not raising millions of dollars.”

Atkinson said it is “not wise” to ignore fundraising early on in a campaign. “If you’re out developing relationships with grassroots you should be throwing fundraising in there, too,” she said.

The "Draft Diggs" committee, backing a possible CD 4 run by Fort Collins City Councilman Diggs Brown, currently on active duty with the U.S. Army, raised $23,000.

State treasurer candidate Walker Stapleton raised a record-breaking $138,311 in Q2, the most ever for a non-incumbent seeking that position. His take was more than double that of Democrat Treasurer Cary Kennedy, who raised $65,928.

Totals are lower on both sides of the aisle in the race for secretary of state. Republican challenger Scott Gessler, a Denver attorney, raised $12,859 in Q2, while Democrat SoS Bernie Buescher only raised $100. Gessler has raised a total of $37,384 for the election cycle, compared to Buescher's $11,511. Buescher has a slight edge in cash on hand, however, Gessler having spent much of his money raised on staff leaving him with only $6,337 in the bank.

Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, raised $409,130 for the quarter. The only GOP candidate with a campaign committee active during the reporting period, Dan Maes, ended June with less than $2,000 cash on hand. Ritter's two main Republican challengers, state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and former Congressman Scott McInnis, opened committees in early July and will report for the first time in October.