Update: A Federal Election Commission filing shows that For Colorado’s Future is registered to Mike McCauley out of Salt Lake City, a “certified public accounting firm that provides full caging, accounting, treasury and reporting services for a large variety of political reporting entities, including Congressional and Senate campaigns.”
DENVER — While Democrats continue to openly pump millions into the 2022 Republican primary races, there is also a large amount of money being spent by vague organizations and unidentified people — most recently in the Congressional District 7 race — hoping to confuse voters at the ballot box next week.
The goal behind the Democrats and others’ meddling, is the dark money groups hope to influence frustrated GOP primary voters into actually voting for the candidates least likely to win on the November ballot.
Strategists say Democrats are pushing the far-right conservatives in the primary, believing they are too extreme to beat their Democrat opponent in the general election, which is expected to see a complete flip of both the House and the Senate in D.C.
“It is one thing to cross party lines to promote someone you regard as a “less evil” candidate,” says Ari Armstrong in an opinion piece in Complete Colorado. “It is quite another to actively aid the other party’s weaker candidate during the primaries to try to beat that party in the general.”
Armstrong is the author of several books about classical liberalism.
Most recently, however, a group jumped into the Congressional District 7 race with the opposite message, claiming to be from a Republican group encouraging a no vote against one of the three GOP candidates, because “Democrats dream to run against unelectable Tim Reicher.”
Reichert is running for open seat recently opened after current Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter announced his retirement. Republicans believe this is the best opportunity they’ve had to flip the long-held Democrat seat after redistricting made the seat more competitive.
Its origin, however, is complicated and unclear.
The mailers began hitting mailboxes last week, with a disclaimer saying they come from a group called For Colorado’s Future. But a search of the Secretary of State’s website gives no real clarity into who the group is. And current Secretary of State Jena Griswold has a history of ignoring Democrat interference in elections.
The only group registered with “For Colorado’s Future” in the name is “Voters For Colorado’s Future.” That independent expenditure committee (IEC), has raised $140,000 to date since it organized just one month ago on May 9. It isn’t clear if the two are one in the same.
All of that money has come from “Unite America PAC” out of Denver, which has not registered with the Secretary of State. However, the registered agent on the IEC is Pete Walker with the National chapter of Unite America.
Unite America claims to be a “movement of Democrats, Republicans and Independents working to bridge the growing partisan divide.” However, past candidate support has raised suspicion the group is designed to lull voters into believing their candidates are moderates, when most are actually left of center.
The organization is led by far-left progressives such as climate change activist Kathryn Murdoch, and former Pennsylvania 4th Congressional District Rep. Jason Altmire.
The website for the organization putting out the mailers, has almost no information, simply claiming to be based out of Golden, and listing only a P.O. Box. It gives conflicting information that it is organized “for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates,” while at the same time saying “it does not make contributions to candidates.”
The current mailer against Reichert claims “51 percent of Republicans are less likely to vote for Reichert based on anti-women comments.”
The mailer continues by encouraging Republican voters to “nominate Republican candidates who not only support our core values but are electable.”
Reichert, an economist from Golden, is running against West Point graduate Erik Aadland and 2020 election conspiracy candidate Laurel Imer.
Whomever wins the primary will face off against current Colorado Sen. Brittany Pettersen. Reichert is considered to be the favorite to beat Pettersen, listed as an “on the radar” candidate by the National Republican Congressional Committee — the only Colorado Congressional candidate to make the list.
“Republicans are completely united in our goal of taking back the House and firing Nancy Pelosi,” said Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy about the candidates on the list. “I look forward to working with these candidates to promote our policies to get inflation under control, secure our border, and stop the violent crime wave sweeping our nation.”
The mailer, on the other hand, wants Republicans to believe that is not the case.
“Fellow Republicans we cannot afford to miss this golden opportunity to take this seat back from the Democrats,” the mailer reads. “Please inform your friends and neighbors — we can’t vote for unelectable candidates like Tim Reichert.”
