Donations for, against civil union groups exceeds $300,000

While One Colorado has mostly been propping up candidates, another group of funders has been on the attack.

Fight Back Colorado, an independent expenditure committee, or state-level “super PAC,” was conceived in late spring in response to the actions to stop the civil union bill from reaching the governor by Speaker of the House Frank McNulty and his majority leader Amy Stephens. Both Republicans, McNulty represents Denver suburb Highlands Ranch, Stephens represents Monument and parts of El Paso County.

Neither lawmaker are going anywhere. Stephens even fought off a primary challenge when she was drawn into the same district as fellow El Paso County incumbent Marsha Looper.

So, Fight Back turned its attention to lesser, more vulnerable incumbents to target in a highly negative — and sometimes flip — campaign akin to a successful strategy New Yorkers employed in 2010 to seat a pro-marriage equality legislature.

New York’s state legislature, including a Republican controlled Senate, established same-sex marriage in 2011.

And while Fight Back’s modus operandi has been rooted in the outrage Coloradans voiced across social media platforms as they watched Colorado’s legislature come to a screeching halt because of the civil union bill, its campaign donations have mostly come from outside the Centennial state.

Fight Back Colorado’s war chest topped out at $210,000 last week. About $130,000 or 62 percent came from outside Colorado.

Donations to Fight Back Colorado by state

Red = $0-$9,999 Yellow = $10,000-$14,999 Green = $15,000-$24,999 Blue = $25,000-$49,999 Purple = $50,000 +

Of the some $80,000, or 32 percent, raised for Fight Back Colorado in-state, $50,000 came from two donors — gay-rights activist and philanthropist Tim Gill and One Colorado.

One Colorado raised its $25,000 donation in email campaigns that followed the deaths of the civil union legislation in both the regular and special session. Those donations will remain secret because One Colorado is a nonprofit and is not required to report who donates to its causes.

In-state donations to Fight Back Colorado by city

Red = $0-$4,999 Yellow = $5,000-70,000 Purple=$70,000 +

Incumbents Fight Back Colorado has targeted include Reps. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio, Cindy Acree, R-Aurora, and Robert Ramirez, R-Westminster.

Already, both Brown and Acree’s face uphill battles due to their districts being redrawn to include more Democratic and unaffiliated voters. Ramirez is locked in one of the most competitive races against the One Colorado endorsed Kraft-Tharp.

Both Brown and Acree voted against the Colorado Civil Union Act. Ramirez did not serve on one of the panels that reviewed the bill on its path the full House floor. Ramirez had previously endorsed the bill. But after the General Assembly adjourned its 2012 meeting, he retracted his support citing religious liberties.