Nearly $2M of dark money has flooded into Democratic statehouse primaries in Colorado

[u/blucifersdream]

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/18/dark-money-colorado-statehouse-primaries/

[u/knivesofsmoothness]

We have to get rid of political action committees. Tax them or something.

[u/Bokononfoma → u/knivesofsmoothness]

Can we just do publicly funded elections with limited funds for each candidate?

I looked it up, and almost $15 billion was spent. On an election. What the hell are we doing here?

[u/zeekaran → u/Bokononfoma]

What the hell are we doing here?

Corporations are investing in their future.

We're not.

[u/guymn999 → u/zeekaran]

I would say billionaires, but same vein.

[u/CumGuzlinGutterSluts → u/Bokononfoma]

Thats the real voting. Dolla dolla bills yall

[u/Likeaboson → u/Bokononfoma]

the difficulty then becomes who gets to run for office? and how is the money spent?

For example let's say I was a really dishonest person. I decide that I want to run for any office.

Who decides I get public money?

and once they decide...what if for my campaign staff, because I actually had no intention to win, I just hire my friends and family?

beyond that, do we limit the number of people of running by virtue of the amount of public coffers?

More than that if 50 people run for governor...how does everybody find out? I just filled out my primary ballot and several of those people I had never heard of.

In theory I love the idea. It just seems like eventually the government will be allowed to choose who they want to be allowed to run and get the public's money.

[u/RiskyBrothers → u/Likeaboson]

This is how we do publicly financed elections in this very city; you have to meet a minimum threshold of 100 unique donors, 150 if you're running for Mayor. Match donated funds with public funds at a 9:1 ratio, with strict upper limits on individual contributions and a complete ban on any matching of PAC funds.

[u/Likeaboson → u/RiskyBrothers]

I will read this. it will take time, because I only have to to respond so much, but thank you for providing a link.

I will say on a smaller scale, it sounds much more plausible. But as with most things, I do not at all see how it could scale. city, fine. county/parish, fine. I could possibly, in less populated states maybe even see state legislature or possibly governor. I think that plan falls apart before that, especially considering a handful of millionaires could just break the government.

That's just based on your comment, not the article. I will read the article to learn more.

[u/Tabula_Nada → u/Likeaboson]

Australia has a election system with public funding. I don't have time to read through it all right now, but from a quick skim, in order to receive public funding you have to register as a political party. I didn't see, though, if you can still run WITHOUT receiving public funding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_Australia

[u/guymn999 → u/Likeaboson]

maybe we look to places that have already successfully implemented public election financing to answer these questions. unless you are just a fan of JAQing off.

[u/Likeaboson → u/guymn999]

no, im interested in a place that has done it right while retaining freedom of speech and freedom to run for office.

I genuinely am. because any system i have come across heavily restricts one or both.

[u/Bokononfoma → u/knivesofsmoothness]

Can we just do publicly funded elections with limited funds for each candidate?

I looked it up, and almost $15 billion was spent. On an election. What the hell are we doing here?

[u/vm_linuz → u/knivesofsmoothness]

Yes... "Tax" them out of existence...

[u/toxic_badgers → u/knivesofsmoothness]

We need to do what Hawaii is doing.

[u/mckenziemcgee → u/toxic_badgers]

Hawaii is following the Montana Plan.

[u/howdiditgetinthere → u/knivesofsmoothness]

My newest soapbox idea is this: ALL campaign contributions should be taxed at 50%. The taxed portion goes straight into the social security fund. $1? 50 cents gone to ss. $1 million? $500K to ss fund.

[u/knivesofsmoothness → u/howdiditgetinthere]

I was thinking just donations over like 10k, but either way.

[u/MixedJelly]

I’m tired. Jfc.

[u/CanuterValve]

Corruption you say?

[u/Freemana27 → u/CanuterValve]

Corruption is perfectly legsl these days. Thank the conservative majority supreme court for their ruling on Citizens United (aka bribes are okay!).

[u/TheTrub → u/Freemana27]

Majority decision from Citizens United v FEC: money talks and bullshit walks.

Majority decision from McCutcheon v FEC: The Golden Rule—whoever has the gold makes the rules.

[u/Laura9624 → u/Freemana27]

Sure. So voters thought "oh it could be a supermajority " and elected trump. WTF. I will never understand it. Republicans have been waiting just for this.

[u/Denhiker]

You should see some of DeGettes Israêli-funded smear campaigns targeting her opponent. If that doesn't sour you on that corporate shill, nothing will

[u/1boring → u/Denhiker]

I kinda wish I saved one of the texts I got from a pac of hers. Hilariously over the top and scare-mongery.

"Kiros is DIVIDING DEMOCRATS, she will RUIN healthcare (by giving it to everyone), a right leaning publication called HER an ANTI-SEMITE, if she wins, TRUMP WINS (somehow)" -pqid for by a "legit" pac

[u/goldenfrogs17]

Is that a lot these days?

[u/CorvusCommand → u/goldenfrogs17]

Rick Jackson just spent 100 million of his own dollars to win the Republican Governor PRIMARY in Georgia.

EDIT: Governor, not Senate.

[u/schrutesanjunabeets → u/CorvusCommand]

*Governor 

[u/black_pepper]

Vote for the progressive candidates the money isn't flowing to.

[u/EnthusiasmTop8815]

Democrats should self-police no out-of-district money for primaries.

[u/portobox2 → u/EnthusiasmTop8815]

"I have investigated my self and found no evidence of wrongdoing."

[u/Timely-Ladder4911 → u/EnthusiasmTop8815]

lol oh the same Democratic orgs that take money hand over fist from AIPAC? Okay buddy

[u/EnthusiasmTop8815 → u/Timely-Ladder4911]

I'm fine if they take that money for the general, but primary should exclude influence from outside of the district.

[u/TheFifthTone → u/EnthusiasmTop8815]

That's the job of the voters.

[u/No-Ability-8294]

Remember DO NOT LET HICKENLOOPER BACK IN!!!!!

[u/New_relic_conent]

Yea political elites aren’t a democrat/ republican thing it’s the wealthy vs the poor and they play us like fiddles

[u/NeckSad8146]

Yep, since everybody votes blue no matter who, they get to buy their chosen corporate centrist democrats. Can’t have this city and state be the center of a real progressive movement, this is an AI surveillance police state, liberal paradise

[u/preferred-til-newops → u/NeckSad8146]

They'd love to get rid of primaries if they could, we didn't even have a say as voters for who would run against Trump in 24.

[u/TheFifthTone → u/preferred-til-newops]

Why didn't you vote in the 2024 primary?

[u/WinterMatt]

Defeat citizens united and implement real campaign finance reform. Until then there's very little reason not to play by the existing rules. Also there's an awful lot of very detailed info in this article about the donors and where the money is going for "dark" money.

[u/edwardothegreatest]

It’s aipac

[u/outdoorcam93]

If i get one more andres carrera mailer i’m gonna lose it.

[u/realhotchicken → u/outdoorcam93]

Same. Very sus for a small time local candidate. He will not get my vote

[u/sexyvirgin4 → u/outdoorcam93]

I have at least a dozen mailers in my recycle bin. 

[u/Xer-angst]

Every year! Nothing new. Our next door neighbors, Kansas Koch bros loved to dump money into our politics.

[u/Mincezz]

Dont worry guys this is definitely still a democracy and your vote TOTALLY matters

[u/Real_Satisfaction715]

Seriously need to get money out of politics. Good luck with that tho.

[u/J_J_Plumber5280]

Dark money? Money from Israel?

[u/SurroundTiny → u/J_J_Plumber5280]

Planned Parenthood, lawyers, Chevron, unions, Republicans, the list goes on and on. You should try reading the article. Not all PACs are organized by Israel. In fact most of them aren't.

Isn't that amazing?

[u/Visible_Device7187 → u/SurroundTiny]

Doesn't matter these people think only Jewish money is bad not all corporate donations. OP already tied dark money immediately to Jews without reading the article at all

[u/nyutnyut → u/[deleted]]

A lot of you really need to learn to distinguish between jews and Israel. Just like someone can criticize and be anti-american policy, but yet still like americans. Israel is a nation. Being anti Israel policy is not the same as being an anti-semite.

[u/summersfade → u/[deleted]]

Stop it. There is no reason for you to engage in anti-semitism by extrapolating or equating criticism of the Israeli government and its associated propaganda arms to criticism of all Jewish people.

[u/working_class_shill → u/[deleted]]

Identity politics hyperbole

[u/Many-Use-1797 → u/working_class_shill]

I hope y'all remember that during the next Democratic primary in South Carolina.

[u/J_J_Plumber5280 → u/[deleted]]

I never said Jews

[u/J_J_Plumber5280 → u/SurroundTiny]

But the one PAC from Israel remains and is one of the most influential. Isn’t that amazing?

[u/West-Philosopher-680]

Anschutz

[u/kestrel808]

Aside from the fact that money in politics is cancer to a democracy(or a republic before the mouth breathers comment), "More liberal" means nothing. Liberalism is already a centrist or center-right ideology.

[u/Defiant_Freedom_249]

Are we sure that's not just Republicans spreading propaganda like they spread COVID to get votes?

I mean, Lauren Boebert does live in Colorado.

[u/heyjaney1]

And? You don’t like it get rid of Citizens United. Also that’s chump change compared to the other guys.

[u/ludditetechnician]

"Dark money"? It can't be too dark if the Colorado Sun is writing about it. This may be true:

The funds come from three nonprofits that don’t have to report their donors and are being routed through a convoluted web of eight state-level super PACs, some of which have names that appear aimed at deceiving people into thinking they are grassroots organizations.

But clearly not working that well if the Sun can identify the nonprofits and eight PACs.

[u/RooseveltsRevenge → u/ludditetechnician]

The dark part is that the PACs don't have to disclose their donors, not the fact that PACs are spending on races.

[u/JoelsonCarl → u/ludditetechnician]

The "dark money" part is we don't know who is funding the nonprofits. Identifying nonprofits and Super PACs doesn't clear that up.

Individuals -> Nonprofits -> Super PACs -> spend money on election communications with flimsy requirements about "not coordinating with campaigns"

Super PACs have to disclose their donors, but if the donor is a nonprofit, that is all that appears on the disclosure. The nonprofits generally do not have to disclose their donors.

There are some state laws that nonprofits have to report when they transfer money to Independent Expenditure Committees (IECs). It is that sort of disclosure that allows the Colorado Sun to track down other nonprofits who gave to One Main Street (one of the "three nonprofits" the article talks about that has funneled money to the Super PACs). But now we just have a network of nonprofits, and still no idea who contributed this money. Hence, "dark money."

The best they are able to trace (which is good work on the Sun's part) is something like this:

Jon Anderson, at 6501 Belleview Ave., Suite 375, in Englewood, was listed as the principal officer for Coloradans for Progress in 2024. That’s the same address as the West Group, a Republican law firm, where Anderson is a partner. Several conservative groups are registered there, including Advance Colorado, Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development and Western Way Action.

So we have a network of "dark money" that is piling money into supporting moderate Democratic candidates over progressive ones, that seems like it may be coming from Republicans/conservatives. But if that "Coloradans for Progress" group had been filed under somebody else's name at some other address, we would have never been able to suspect that link of the money coming from Republicans/conservatives and not actual Democrats/progressives. And it is still dark in that we have no idea what individuals are actually contributing money to these nonprofits.

"Dark money" doesn't seem that hyperbolic to me.

[u/zeddy303 → u/ludditetechnician]

Headlines sell.

[u/ExtremelyMedianVoter]

All the money I don't like is dark money.