Within the first Denver election to characteristic taxpayer funding for candidates, the town’s Honest Election Fund matched marketing campaign contributions from 19,243 metropolis voters and now approved greater than $7.1 million in funds to candidates.
The Denver Elections Divison on Tuesday was set to authorize its remaining pre-Election Day disbursement of cash from the town’s $8 million Honest Elections Fund pot. The most recent $1.8 million spherical of funds, masking qualifying marketing campaign contributions made through the month of February, is the biggest whole the fund paid out through the 2023 municipal election cycle.
Participation within the Honest Elections Fund was voluntary for candidates working for metropolis places of work. Those that signed on agreed to abide by decrease contribution limits — $500 in comparison with $1,000 for mayoral candidates, $350 vs. $700 for at-large council seats and $200 vs $400 for district-level council seats — in return for public matches on donations between $5 and $50. The 9-to-1 ratio turned a $50 donation into $500 {dollars} with taxpayer cash.
The ultimate tallies earlier than the April 4 election present an image of native help for candidates with voting already underway.
Here’s a breakdown of how a lot every collaborating mayoral candidate obtained from the fund:
•Kelly Brough bought $750,000, matching contributions from 1,736 individuals.
• Mike Johnston bought $613,539, matching contributions from 1,478 individuals.
• Leslie Herod bought $587,057, matching contributions from 1,612 individuals.
• Chris Hansen bought $375,187, matching contributions from 933 individuals.
• Debbie Ortega bought $249,705, matching contributions from 660 individuals.
• Lisa Calderón bought $195,351, matching contributions from 571 individuals.
• Kwame Spearman bought $188,406, matching contributions from 572 individuals.
• Ean Thomas Tafoya bought $153,713, matching contributions from 515 individuals.
• Trinidad Rodriguez bought $120,243, matching contributions from 365 individuals.
• Thomas Wolf bought $105,329, matching contributions from 316 individuals.
• Terrance Roberts bought $73,908, matching contributions from 308 individuals.
• Jim Walsh bought $51,219, matching contributions from 306 individuals.
• Aurelio Martinez bought $37,259, matching contributions from 263 individuals.
Brough is the one candidate that hit the $750,000 cap set for mayoral campaigns, one thing her marketing campaign views as and endorsement of her in its personal proper.
The one largest month for matching funds was Johnston’s February, wherein he obtained sufficient qualifying donations to set off a $360,504 cost from the fund, greater than half of his whole collections. Johnston bought began a month later than Brough who collected her first FEF cost in November.
These remaining totals could have bearing on the runoff stage of the election assuming no mayoral candidate will get greater than 50% of all votes main as much as April 4 and the race needs to be selected June 6.
Honest Elections Fund candidates get yet one more payout if they’re one of many two candidates who make the runoff. That cost is a lump sum equaling 25% of their whole cost within the first spherical, in response to the elections division. That will imply Brough would get $187,500 on the excessive finish and Martinez would get $9,314 on the low finish ought to both be one of many two candidates that makes it to the subsequent spherical.
The Honest Elections Fund was born of a 2018 poll measure that reformed marketing campaign finance in Denver by banning direct company donations to candidates and setting decrease whole contribution limits. However the reform doesn’t imply exterior cash can not affect the race via unbiased expenditure committees.
These committees can not coordinate with the campaigns they’re supporting however are additionally not topic to donation limits. Johnston has by far the biggest unbiased expenditure committee backing him with greater than $1.4 million in spending so far. The committee backing Brough is second with simply shy of $905,000 in spending. No different candidate’s unbiased expenditure committee has spent greater than $170,000 but, in response to Denver marketing campaign finance information accessible Tuesday afternoon.
The Honest Elections Fund began with an $8 million finances which included the cash wanted to manage this system. It’s anticipated to make it via the 2023 election with out being tapped out.
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