The money war hits Colorado

This is the second installment of a yearlong series on the competitive race for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.

The most prominent donors in national politics are pouring money into the sleepy, sprawling suburbs east of Denver.


Liberal financier George Soros forked over $5,200 — the legal limit — to the Democrat in the race. Both David Koch and hedge fund tycoon Paul Singer gave almost the same amount to the Republican incumbent. And Jeb Bush recently brought together some friends from Florida, asked them to open their checkbooks, and ultimately sent tens of thousands of dollars to the GOP contender.

None of these men are particularly close to the candidates — GOP incumbent Mike Coffman and Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff – battling to win Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.

( Also on POLITICO: Obamacare and House GOP collide)

But their involvement in the race has little to do with Romanoff or Coffman — or hard-fought local issues like the delayed construction of a veterans hospital or immigration reform. Instead, in a year when most of the attention is focused on the battle for the Senate, this is one of the few genuinely competitive races in the House — even catching the attention of President Barack Obama this week. Wealthy donors clearly see the Coffman-Romanoff matchup as an opportunity to sway power in Washington.

The amount of money that’s pouring into this race is staggering. The two candidates have already raised nearly $3 million each. That places Romanoff and Coffman in the top 10 of all House fundraisers this cycle, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Most of that cash — upward of three-quarters — is flowing in from donors outside the district, according to an analysis of campaign finance data compiled by CRP. Some of that money comes from other parts of Colorado, but roughly 10 percent is from bold-faced donors in the wealthy enclaves of New York, San Francisco, Washington and Beverly Hills.

( THE HOT SEAT: Colorado’s 6th District)

For all of his legendary wealth, Koch has given money to only four other House candidates: Lee Zeldin, who is running for a Democratic seat on Long Island; outgoing Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Mike Pompeo of Kansas, who represents the Koch stronghold of Wichita. A Koch spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment on why he’s donating to Coffman.

Soros has his reasons for giving to Romanoff. Although he didn’t support Romanoff in 2010, instead supporting his primary opponent, Soros thought his cash could have an impact in 2014, and help turn a red seat blue in an important state.

In some cases, the money is virtually rolling in on its own.

Coffman never called Bush to ask for cash. The former Florida governor and potential 2016 presidential contender is active on the GOP fundraising circuit and has long had his eye on the Colorado race. On June 19, he and a bunch of his friends cut checks to Coffman. Bush didn’t even organize a swank fundraiser for the Colorado Republican. A bunch of the former governor’s friends — including a citrus and coal executive — sent Coffman money on their own accord.

( PHOTOS: Colorado’s 6th District race)

The maneuvering is playing out as Democrats and Republicans see this as one of the most competitive races in America this fall.

As a Republican, Coffman has an advantage in a state where Obama’s popularity is flagging, the health care law is unpopular and the economy is still relatively stagnant.

But there are a few factors that give Romanoff a legitimate shot at knocking Coffman out of Congress and being one of the few Democrats to defeat a Republican incumbent. Redistricting made this seat more Democratic, which gives Romanoff hope over Coffman, who, in the past, espoused solidly conservative views on things like immigration and abortion. Also, the House GOP’s inability — or unwillingness — to pass immigration reform could hurt Coffman in a district that’s 20 percent Hispanic. And a competitive Senate race between Democratic incumbent Mark Udall and GOP challenger Cory Gardner could excite the base that elected Obama twice.

In a trip to Colorado this week, Obama tried to rally his voters around Romanoff.

“So the one thing I want to urge everybody here is to feel the same urgency about this race — about [Sen. Mark Udall’s] race, about all the Senate races, about the state treasurer’s race, about the Romanoff race — feel that same urgency as you feel about my race back in 2008,” Obama said at a Denver fundraiser this week. “Because, ultimately, this is not about one person, it’s not about a handful of people; it’s about all of us. And we’ve got to be invested in this. And I know all of you are, and I appreciate you very, very much for that.”

The GOP recognizes the threat facing Coffman and has promised to spend $3.3 million on television to defend him — the most it has reserved for any House incumbent. Both campaigns will release new fundraising numbers on July 15.

The constant cash grab that’s required in a competitive race like this has forced both men to travel, get out of their comfort zones and has also provided insight into their personalities.

Coffman has never been comfortable raising money. A veteran of the Marine Corps and the Army, he is quiet and disciplined. He loathes the cocktail circuit and when a Washington fundraising consultant asked him to name the top five lobbyists he is close with, he couldn’t name one.

But Coffman has started bringing in more checks after quizzing some of his House colleagues about their tactics. A part of his strategy is to harness his party’s star power. He spent $1,800 to pay for Karl Rove to come to Colorado and meet with donors. He also bought some of Rove’s books. Speaker John Boehner and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, both came to Denver to headline fundraisers for Coffman, which raised approximately $75,000. Cantor and incoming Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy have both made trips, as has high-profile Rep. Darrell Issa of California.

Romanoff is a far savvier fundraiser. The former speaker of the Colorado House, Romanoff mastered the art of raising cash when he was one of the top members of state government. He attended House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s annual high-dollar donor confab in California, and after the event wrapped up, he made sure to follow up with people he met and ask for donations.

But when it comes to choosing between Colorado and national donors, he chooses to be back home. Last year, Rep. Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, invited him to Washington for an event for top candidates in the country. Romanoff declined because he “had a bunch of house parties to attend in Colorado,” Israel said.

“That’s the kind of candidate he is,” Israel said in an interview. “He may, to some people, look like a polished fundraiser, but actually he’s quite homespun.”

Internal statistics kept by the Romanoff campaign bear that out. He has more than 12,000 donors, 88 percent of them from Colorado and 84 percent of their donors have given less than $100.

But Romanoff’s pledge to eschew donations from corporate political action committees doesn’t stop him from taking money from fellow Democrats, who raise some of their money from those same PACs. At fundraisers, Romanoff is fond of pointing out that he won’t face the “dilemma” of lawmakers who must choose between “doing what’s right for their constituents or what might be profitable for their corporate contributors.”

But Romanoff has taken thousands of dollars from Democratic lawmakers who don’t mind corporate largesse, including Pelosi of California; Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon; Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Frank Pallone of New Jersey; and Xavier Becerra of California.

Romanoff has also taken tens of thousands of dollars from lobbyists in Washington and Denver, including representatives from hospitals, oil companies and the beverage industry.

The Romanoff campaign says his pledge to not take PAC money ensures he is not beholden to massive companies that have business in front of Congress.

Israel had trouble squaring Romanoff’s rejection of corporate money while accepting donations from lobbyists.

“He’s very independent,” Israel said. “He won’t accept PAC money. That’s really good. People love that. I understand why.”

But when pressed about Romanoff taking lobbyist money, Israel was dismissive.

“Yeah, but he won’t accept PAC money,” he said. “He’s got a brand. He’s got a brand!”

In the meantime, Coffman isn’t bound by such restrictions — and he takes full advantage of that. According to the CRP, he took in more than $355,000 from corporate interests.

James Hohmann and Anna Palmer contributed to this report.