Friday, November 4, 2022

The Unaffiliated | Heidi Ganahl’s Denver rally, Dave Young’s Facebook ads and have Michael Bennet’s politics changed?

Plus: Polling indicates Colorado voters and TABOR are pals and the death of longtime Colorado government leader Marguerite Salazar

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, gives a book reading and talks to constituents at the Tattered Cover Bookstore on East Colfax Avenue on Friday, Jun 16, 2019. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)

Has Democrat Michael Bennet moved further to the left during his 13 years in the U.S. Senate?

We asked him that question Wednesday as he turned in his ballot at the Washington Park Recreation Center in Denver, pointing to his changing stances on the Keystone XL Pipeline (he voted against the project in 2021 after backing it earlier) and the filibuster, which he didn’t want to change when he got to Washington but now thinks should be totally overhauled.

“I feel like I have come to understand just how problematic the unfairness in our economy is,” he said. “I mean, just the levels of the income inequality that we have and the lack of economic mobility compared to other industrialized countries in the world. We are the richest country in the world but we have the third highest rate of childhood poverty in the industrialized world. And we need to do something about that, I think, in order to hold onto democracy.”

We also asked the senator whether his apparent move to the left is a reflection of changes to Colorado’s electorate, which has turned increasingly blue over the past two election cycles.

“I think Colorado remains a very complicated state politically,” he said. “I think it's a purple state. And I've always believed that people — whether they vote for me or not — they're entitled to my representation. They're entitled to know that I have their views in mind when I'm casting votes on the Senate floor. And I do. And that's why, over the period of time that I've been in the Senate in Colorado, I don't think there's any statewide elected official who has spent more time in red parts of the state than me.”

That’s true, but it’s also true that there are no other people who have held statewide elected office in Colorado for 13 straight years.

MORE: Bennet’s Republican opponent this year, first-time candidate Joe O’Dea, has been highly critical of the senator’s investments, which are made through a trust he doesn't control. O’Dea has specifically attacked how some of Bennet’s moneyis held in a fund that invested in Puerto Rican debt. So we asked Bennet to provide some details about how the trust works.

The trust was formed in 2009 and Bennet says he says he “doesn’t manage it at all” and that he can’t tell the trust’s managers how to spend the money.

“I think of it as a blind trust,” he said, “but because of the requirements of the Senate rules, I have to publicly disclose what’s in there every year. So once a year I know what’s in there.”

He added: “I've set this up in the, I think, most conservative possible way — in a way that's intended to make sure that there are no conflicts or that I'm not making any judgments about my portfolio that have anything to do with my work. Virtually nobody in Congress has set it up the way that I've set it up. I think the way that I've set it up is the way everybody should.”

A few members of Congress — not including Bennet — have put their funds in what’s called a qualified blind trust, which Insider defines as “a formal arrangement, requiring congressional approval, in which a lawmaker officially transfers management of their financial assets to an independent trustee.” As of 2021, just 10 members of Congress had qualified blind trusts, and a 2015 guideline document for the trusts acknowledges they may not be appropriate or the best option for all lawmakers. And lawmakers who have such trusts often don’t put all of their assets in them. (See: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats)

O’Dea has said he would put his investments in a qualified blind trust if he pulls off an upset Tuesday, and contends that’s where Bennet’s money should be now.

It’s complicated, but there are similarities between how Bennet has set up his trust and how a qualified blind trust works. The main difference, outside of the congressional oversight, appears to be around the level of blindness. While Bennet can see once a year when he files his personal financial disclosure where the money in his trust is invested, making his trust not fully blind, members of Congress who have their money in a qualified blind trust are supposed to never get that kind of information.

Regardless, Bennet still appears to be doing far more than he is obligated to in an effort to prevent financial conflicts.

ADDENDUM: O’Dea put another $1 million into his campaign Monday, bringing his total self-funding to $4.2 million.

DO THE MATH
The news in a number

The poll was conducted Oct. 22-24 among 517 likely voters by WPA Intelligence, a Republican pollster, on behalf of AFP Colorado. It had a margin of error or 4.3 percentage points.

Just 4% of those polled said they were undecided on whether they approve or disapprove of TABOR.

Here was the exact wording of the question asked:

“As you may know, Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is intended to limit the growth of government. The law guarantees Coloradans the right to vote on all proposed statewide tax increases. Additionally, if the state collects more revenue than it is allowed to spend under the law, it must return the surplus to the taxpayers. Do you approve or disapprove of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR?”

The crosstabs for the responses to the question were pretty interesting, too.

Among the Republicans surveyed, 91% said they approve of TABOR while 6% said they disapprove. Among the Democrats polled, 63% said they approve of the 1992 constitutional amendment, while 31% said they disapprove. Seventy-nine percent of unaffiliated voters surveyed said they approve of TABOR, while 16% said they disapprove.

The takeaway: You don’t really hear Colorado Democrats talk about trying to get rid of TABOR anymore, and the results of this poll may indicate why. Democrats have instead been working in recent years to try to shape the effects of the constitutional amendment by passing laws —like Proposition GG on this year’s ballot — that nibble around the edges of the far-reaching fiscal policy.

THE NARRATIVE

Heidi Ganahl’s Denver rally focuses on kids — and had some eyebrow-raising moments

Lynne Cottrell of Aurora waves to passing cars Tuesday outside Northgate Event Center in Denver before a rally in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl, speaking at a rally Tuesday in Denver to kick off the final week of her campaign, urged her supporters to leave “no stone unturned” and to “not believe the polls.”

“They are lying,” she said of polls, a day after releasing and celebrating the results of an internal survey showing her 8 points down. “We have six days to save this amazing state.”

About a dozen people spoke at the rally at the Northgate Event Center, which was attended by about 75 people. Conservative talk show host Mandy Connell, of KOA 850 FM radio, emceed the event, sharing her support for Ganahl. “I have never actively campaigned for a candidate before,” she said. “Why am I here? Because this election in Colorado is the best chance we have to stop the slide.”

Several speakers focused on issues surrounding Colorado kids’ mental health and education, including the impacts of COVID-19 shutdowns. One Jefferson County student performed an emotional song about his experience during that period.

John Castillo, whose son Kendrick was killed while defending his classmates in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting in 2019, spoke in support of Ganahl. And Miki Sedivy, whose daughter Hannah died from fentanyl poisoning last year, also shared her story.

“When we found she was going to put her hat in for governor, it was our new hope,” Castillo said of Ganahl. “To get somebody in to change the policies that wrecked our lives.”

Multiple speakers discussed concerns about transgender issues in schools.

• “We are parents who are mad about the transgender-promoting agenda in our schools,” said BJ Jones.
• “Teachers are trained by activist groups that parents are ‘oppressors’ and should be eliminated from the equation,” said his wife, Brecken Jones.
• Erin Lee, a mom and Ganahl supporter, told a story of her child being “encouraged to pursue medical transition.” “Our schools are too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion,” she said. “I’m mad that Polis touts himself as pro-freedom and pro-parent. He’s not.”

The event was titled the “#Madmom rally,” a reference to a recent debate between Ganahl and Polis where the governor called Ganahl a “mad mom” — she had called herself that earlier in the face-off — and labeled himself a “happy dad.”

Connell made a few quips during the event that caught our attention.

“(She’s) not a person looking to run up to be the first gay president,” Connell said. “Although, Heidi, you could swing that way and maybe, you know, in the future we’ll talk about that.”

When Gov. Jared Polis was elected in 2018, he became the first openly gay man to serve as governor in the U.S. (Connell told us this week that she “wasn’t disparaging Jared. I think it’s clear he wants to be the first gay president.” Polis has denied interest in the presidency.)

Connell also joked about the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “This morning I had a temporary house guest, not like, you know, Paul Pelosi. It was actually a welcome guest,” she said as the attendees, including Ganahl, broke into laughter. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell for making that joke.”

(Connell told us this week she doesn’t believe conspiracies about the attack on Pelosi, pointing us to her blog, where she wrote that the alleged assailant “is a drug-addled wacko who CURRENTLY is going after the ruling class.”)

MORE: Republican Erik Aadland, who is running to represent Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, also spoke at the rally. “I’m asking you to exhaust every ounce of your being in the next six days to win more votes,” he said. “We are at war, folks. It’s an ideological war, a spiritual war. … I expect you to get out there and earn this like your life depends on it — because it does.”

THE POLITICAL TICKER
A quick rundown of the latest political news in Colorado

>> 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee asked TV stations to take down an ad from Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer in her 8th Congressional District contest. The ad falsely claims that her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, voted to legalize fentanyl. Kirkmeyer’s campaign said the ad only aired for about 36 hours as part of a small buy. Here’s the 9News truth test on the ad.

>> CAMPAIGN FINANCE: A federal judge Wednesday rejected a request to set aside campaign spending limits for Paul Archer, a Republican running in Arapahoe County’s House District 37, Colorado Politics reported. Archer contends he mistakenly checked the box on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website agreeing to spending limits or that a computer glitch caused the error. But the judge in the case ruled that he didn’t ask for the injunction until ballots were about to go out, when he’d known about the error for months. He faces Democrat Ruby Dickson in the open seat.

>> MARGUERITE SALAZAR: Former Colorado Insurance Commissioner and Department of Regulatory Agencies Director Marguerite Salazar died in Santa Fe after a long illness, The Alamosa Citizen reports. She was 69. Salazar served as president and CEO of Valley-Wide Health Systems in Alamosa, and was appointed regional Health and Human Services director by President Barack Obama in 2010. She served in Colorado’s state government from 2013 to 2019, when she took a job leading the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.

>> ELECTION 2022: Republican Scott Bottoms, who is running to represent House District 15 based in Colorado Springs, removed an endorsement from the Colorado Bankers Association from his website Thursday after the group pointed out on Twitter that it hasn’t actually endorsed him. “We do not endorse any candidate,” the organization said on Twitter when a user pointed out that it was named on Bottoms’ website as one of his supporters. The Colorado Bankers Association State PAC did give Bottoms’ campaign $200 in August, state campaign finance records show.

>> COLORADO DAWN: Colorado Dawn, a relatively new conservative political nonprofit —again, we call these dark-money groups because they don’t have to disclose their donors — donated $800,000 to the Senate Majority Fund, the super PAC supporting Republican state Senate candidates. It’s likely the nonprofit also gave $125,000 a the state-level super PAC with the same name —Colorado Dawn. The nonprofit was registered in 2021 by GOP operative Daniel Cole, who runs the Senate Majority Fund.

STORY: Colorado’s 8th Congressional District kicks 2022 battle for Latino vote into overdrive

STORY: Republican candidate for Colorado House falsely claims Planned Parenthood sells body parts, FBI instigated U.S. Capitol riot

STORY: 6 big takeaways from Jared Polis’ latest Colorado budget proposal, from a rainy day fund to more K-12 money

STORY: We spoke to unaffiliated voters in Lauren Boebert’s district soon after she took office. Here’s how they feel about her now.

STORY: Elections officials, police investigating after 2022 ballot with suspicious substance is found in Adams County

KRCC: Colorado Springs City Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune announces leukemia diagnosis, says she’ll finish term

DENVER POST: Abortions up 33% in Colorado, fueled by out-of-state residents seeking treatment

ELECTION 2022

Treasurer Dave Young’s Facebook ads draw complaint

A Facebook ad being run by Colorado Treasurer Dave Young’s office. The Democrat is running for reelection this year, and the ad spending is drawing criticism from the GOP. (Screenshot)

Republicans are criticizing Colorado Treasurer Dave Young, a Democrat running for reelection, for his office’s decision to run $9,600 worth of Facebook ads for the Department of Treasury and its “Great Colorado Payback” program in recent months.

Some of the ads feature Young’s image, including one that says: “My name is Dave Young, and I’m the Colorado State Treasurer.” That particular ad started running on Sept. 19 and is still active, according to Facebook’s ad library. It has reached between 15,000 and 20,000 people at a cost of less than $300.

Most ads that the office has run are more focused on the Great Colorado Payback.

“Using tax dollars in a not so veiled way to promote themselves ahead of their own elections should infuriate voters already struggling financially under the weight of their policies,” Colorado GOP Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown said in a news release criticizing the ads.

And Defend Colorado, a conservative dark-money political nonprofit, filed a campaign finance complaint against the Treasurer’s Office on Wednesday about the ad featuring Young, saying it is an electioneering communication paid for with state tax money.

“The Treasury does not comment on active complaints,” said Sheena Kadi, spokeswoman for the office.

The Treasurer’s Office earlier this year spent $100,000 on TV ads for the Great Colorado Payback, which helps reunite Coloradans with their unclaimed property, such as abandoned financial assets, unpaid wages and life insurance payouts. The office is also spending $2,500 on LinkedIn ads for the program. Most of the Facebook ads the office has run since the June 28 primary also are about that program.

Such election-year advertising campaigns from Colorado’s statewide elected officials aren’t new.

Four years ago, Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton’s office took heat for spending nearly $168,000 on TV ads during March and April as he competed in a crowded primary for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Also in 2018, then Secretary of State Wayne Williams’ office did extensive promotion of a new law allowing unaffiliated voters to participate in primary elections. Williams, a Republican, was running for reelection that year.

Also this year, Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office spent $1 million on TV ads airing in August featuring her and Williams urging voters to be cautious about election misinformation. Griswold is running for reelection this year.

Finally, don’t forget about Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ letter accompanying Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund checks that arrived in Coloradans’ mailboxes in recent months. The distribution of those checks and letters cost the state millions.

EVEN MORE: The Secretary of State’s Office began running a Spanish-language ad on Facebook on Monday. It doesn’t feature Griswold, but seeks to reassure Spanish-speaking voters that Colorado’s election system is safe and secure.

ADDENDUM: Young loaned his campaign $40,000 on Oct. 14.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
The stories that inform the Colorado headlines

>> What effect did the Oz-Fetterman debate have on the Senate race? Here’s what three new polls show (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

>> Political candidates choke on food, drink issues: Crudités, corn husks, ice in beer (The Washington Post)

>> Midterms to test Democratic voters’ enthusiasm for student loan forgiveness (The Wall Street Journal)

>> “Where is Nancy?”: How threats against women in power are tied to threats against democracy (The 19th)

>> Trump lawyers saw Justice Thomas as “only chance” to stop 2020 election certification (Politico)

>> Reawaken America brings together some of the U.S.’ most prolific conspiracy theorists (NPR)

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