The big-dollar contest for Colorado governor came into better focus this week as the latest financial reports revealed a new fundraising record, another super PAC-styled spending group and several candidates willing to pump their own cash into the race.

The financial records also showed that two new Republican competitors — Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and former Congressman Tom Tancredo — had trouble raising money at the start of their campaigns. Tancredo netted $75,000 in donations, and Coffman garnered about $85,000.

Both candidates trailed Republican rival Walker Stapleton, who collected about $750,000 in the last three months of 2017, a record for a single fundraising period in a governor’s race. The state treasurer, who donated another $250,000 from his own pocket, filed his report after the deadline and faces the threat of a minor fine.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis of Boulder gave his campaign more than $750,000 — the most of any candidate in that primary — putting his personal investment at nearly $1.4 million.

2018 candidates for Colorado governor Who is running for governor of Colorado in 2018? (And who is on the fence?)

Cary Kennedy, the former state treasurer, raised the highest total of individual contributions among Democrats at $277,000, but rival Mike Johnston, a former state senator, finished 2017 with the most in his campaign coffer, at $732,000.

The cash influx for Republicans and Democrats put the cost of the contest at more than $13 million through the end of 2017 — a down-payment on a gubernatorial election that’s expected to break state records.

To offset Coffman’s meager haul, a new independent expenditure committee backing her candidacy called Stronger Colorado Ahead collected $158,000 in contributions in just six weeks.

Whiting Petroleum board chairman James Volker gave $100,000, making him the top donor, and Carol Mizel gave $25,000. She is the wife of Larry Mizel, one of Colorado’s top Republican financiers and a supporter of Stapleton.

Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman at the State Supreme Court Chambers at the Colorado State Judicial Building in Denver on Oct. 22, 2015.

Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post Noel Ginsburg

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Cary Kennedy, former Colorado State Treasurer as well as a former Deputy Mayor and Chief Financial Officer of Denver, is a candidate for Governor of Colorado in the 2018 election on Sept. 21, 2017 in Denver.



Andy Cross, Denver Post file Former Colorado state Sen. Mike Johnston announces his bid to run for Colorado governor from the Holly Street Community Center in Denver on Jan. 17, 2017.

Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post Donna Lynne is leaving her job as a top executive of Kaiser Permanente to become Colorado's newest Lieutenant Governor. Lynne was at her Kaiser office where her title was executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and group president responsible for its Colorado, Pacific Northwest and Hawaii regions. in Denver on Friday, April 29, 2016. She is undergoing the confirmation process.

John Leyba, The Denver Post file photo Victor Mitchell, a Republican candidate for governor, poses for a profile photo on April 13, 2017 at The Denver Post.



U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Boulder Democrat. Jared Polis, candid for U.S. House of Representatives 2nd Congressional District Democratic party VOTER GUIDE

Courtesy of Doug Robinson Doug Robinson

Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post Colorado State Treasurer Walker Stapleton poses in the vault at the Unclaimed Property Division of the Colorado State Treasurer's office in Denver on March 10, 2015.



Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post Tom Tancredo.

An independent expenditure committee supporting Stapleton’s candidacy, Better Colorado Now, reported another $33,000, bringing its cash on hand to $738,000.

Two other committees, often referred to as super PACs, reported notable hauls. Build Colorado’s Future, which is supporting Doug Robinson, notched a $25,000 contribution from former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is the candidate’s uncle.

Frontier Fairness, the super PAC supporting Johnston, reported a $100,000 donation from Eric Resnick and his wife. Resnick is the chief executive officer at KSL Capital, a private equity firm that is part-owner of 12 ski resorts.

To boost their campaign numbers, two other Democratic candidates, businessman Noel Ginsburg and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, contributed $190,000 and $60,000, respectively, to their campaigns at the end of the quarter.

Robinson loaned his campaign $243,000 on Christmas Eve after raising just $78,000 on his own.

Earlier this year, Republican Victor Mitchell, a businessman and former state lawmaker, gave his campaign $3 million, and his bank account is the biggest in the race, at $2.2 million.

Asked about the huge war chest, Mitchell adviser David Hill said he is waiting to spend “when voters are ready to tune in” to the race. “That day will come,” Hill wrote in an email.

How much money the candidates carry into 2018 will speak volumes about their ability to gather voter signatures to qualify for the ballot or turn out supporters to the March 6 caucus.

The spending reports from the final weeks of the year show that campaigns are adding staffers to build out field operations and spending big money on polling to gauge their positions in the race.

“As Democrats, we know victory in November begins with building grassroots support early,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Talking with my fellow Democrats, hearing their concerns and sharing my ideas will energize us to win.”

A big unknown is how the super PACs in the race will spend their money to help out their candidates. The independent expenditure committees can accept unlimited contributions, unlike the campaigns, which are capped at a total of $1,150 for the primary and general election. But the committees cannot coordinate their expenditures with the campaigns.

Big money flows in down-ballot races

The cash to candidates also is flowing in other statewide 2018 races.

In the state treasurer’s race, a new Republican candidate out-raised the rest of the field combined in the fourth quarter campaign finance reports, while a Democratic lawmaker’s fundraising dried up in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.

In an early show of strength, Republican businessman Brian Watson raised $214,614.95 in his first fundraising period since joining the state treasurer’s race, including $18,203.55 he gave to his own campaign.

State Rep. Polly Lawrence, a Douglas County Republican, raised $55,989.75, bolstered by a $25,000 check from herself. No other Republican in the six-person primary raised more than $15,000 in the quarter.

On the Democratic side, the two latest entrants led the pack. State Rep. Dave Young, D-Greeley, raised $35,604.90, rolling over $963.11 from his House fundraising committee. Charles Quin Scheibe, Colorado’s chief financial officer, gave his campaign $29,185.85, which accounted for the bulk of the $30,723.99 he raised.

State Rep. Steve Lebsock raised $1,025, the least of any candidate. He reported receiving no donations since multiple women accused him of sexual harassment in November. The Thornton Democrat has denied the allegations.

In the attorney general’s race, Democrat Phil Weiser maintained his big fundraising lead last quarter in the six-candidate race.

2018 candidates for Colorado attorney general Who is running for Colorado attorney general in 2018? (And who is on the fence?)

Weiser, a former dean of the University of Colorado Law School, hauled in more than $280,000 and had about $900,000 cash on hand heading into 2018.

Republican George Brauchler, the 18th Judicial District attorney and only GOP candidate, reported raising a little more than $215,000 over the past four months — about $120,000 of which was rolled over from his abandoned gubernatorial campaign.

The four other Democrats running raised a good deal less: Brad Levin, a Denver attorney, raised about $64,000 and former prosecutor Amy Padden hauled in roughly $41,000. Michael Dougherty, a prosecutor for Jefferson and Gilpin counties, raised just about $19,000, and state Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, took in some $24,000.

In the secretary of state’s race, Democratic challenger Jena Griswold expanded her fundraising advantage to a nearly 2-to-1 margin in cash on hand against Republican incumbent Wayne Williams.

After raising nearly $58,400 in the final three months of 2017, Griswold, a Louisville attorney, ended the year with $114,538 in the bank. She spent about $21,200.

Williams, a Republican from Colorado Springs, reported raising nearly $12,900 during the fourth quarter, ending 2017 with $58,639 on hand. Williams’ campaign spent about $2,200.

Staff writers Brian Eason, Jon Murray and Jesse Paul contributed to this report.