Voters approved public campaign in 2018. As of Friday, 32 candidates had opted into the program for the next year.
to provide public financing for candidates who agreed to abide by even lower contribution limits and other rules.
The Denver Elections Division’s ultra-careful accounting aside, there is a legitimate concern that the $8 million in funding voters authorized in 2018 won’t be enough to pay out all the candidates who qualify for the public matching between now and the deadline to participate next February. Szekeres is keeping a close eye on campaign finance filings and new candidate paperwork to project just how fast the $8 million could go out the door.
For mayoral candidates, that would mean bumping up contribution limits to $1,000 from $500. For people running for at-large council seats, city clerk, auditor or judge, the limits would go up to $700 from $350 and for district-level council candidates, limits would rise to $400 from $200. The launch of the fair elections fund has coincided with the launch of a much more user-friendly campaign finance portal and research tool that the clerk and recorder’s office callsA peek at the online campaign finance dashboard shows that Travis Leiker, board president for the Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods neighborhood association and at-large City Council candidate, has raised more money than anyone else seeking office in 2023 so far. His $72,625.
Through his work on the RTD board, Denver Planning Board and in other public arenas, Walker is confident in his ability to raise money from a wide network of contributors. He’s also made it a habit to be very judicious about when and where he uses public money during his time in elected office.