Independent Expenditures, or “Dark Money”

So far, various groups have reported spending $320,579 in campaign communications supporting my Democratic Primary Opponent, Rebekah Stewart.

This includes $100,000 in TV ads, $80,638 for mailers, $62,251 for digital ads, $67,210 for paid door knockers, and $10,481 for paid phone callers.

$34,943 of this spending has come from an independent expenditure committee (IEC) called Assuring Quality Healthcare Access for Colorado, which is 100% funded by COPIC Insurance.

$185,636 has come from an IEC called A Whole Lot of People for Change. And here’s where the shell game begins.

“A Whole” has received $145,000 from another IEC called We Are Colorado Business, which has received the following donations this year:

• $25,000 from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Action Fund

• $25,000 from the Colorado Hospitals Action Fund

• $100,000 from Education Reform Now Advocacy, a corporate education group

• $80,000 from Moving Colorado Forward IEC

“A Whole” has also received $120,000 directly from Moving Colorado Forward IEC (funded by Realtors, Homebuilders, and Construction PACs), $170,000 from Colorado Democracy Action Fund IEC (funded primarily by Education Reform Now Advocacy), and $40,000 from the Colorado Construction Industry 527.

Last but certainly not least, “A Whole” has received a whopping $445,000 from a committee called One Main Street, which has received the following donations this year:

• $50,000 from Associated General Contractors

• $75,000 from Pipefitters, Plumbers, & Laborers

• $550,000 from the One Main Street 501c4

The 501c4 is what we refer to as a SuperPAC, because following the Citizens United decision, it was determined that these types of “nonprofit corporations” could raised unlimited amounts of money and spend it on campaigns without reporting their donors.

While One Main Street’s website suggests that they’re an organization mainly comprised of labor unions, the money tells a different story. Over 80% of the committee’s funds from directly from their 501c4, which doesn’t have to report its donors. But based on the folks who have been seen spending time with the leaders of One Main Street, we have reason to believe this money is coming from the oil and gas industry, landlords of large apartment complexes, and for-profit real estate developers.

And last but not least, a last minute $100,000 expenditure came from multi-millionaire Kent Thiry who famously dressed as a musketeer for conferences at his kidney dialysis company Da Vita, where “[h]is leadership… was marked by a focus on corporate profitability and efficiency in some cases over the lives of his patients. DaVita, under the leadership of Thiry, engaged in considerably anti-labor practices and in more than one case fought against fair and equal access to healthcare.”

Read more about entitled multi-millionaire and wannabe musketeer Kent Thiry here:

• https://yellowscene.com/2024/03/29/kent-thiry-democracy-defender-or-real-life-monopoly-man/

• https://www.westword.com/news/kent-thiry-davita-indictment-john-oliver-target-update-12032326

Direct Contributions to the Rebekah Stewart Campaign

The following campaign donations have been reported by Rebekah Stewart for Colorado:

Donations from Oil & Gas Industry Lobbyists

• (3) lobbyists for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association ($100 on 6/15/2023 & two donations of $225 on 9/30/2023)

• (2) lobbyists for Petroleum Development Corp & Suncor Energy ($100 on 5/13/2023 & $450 on 8/14/2023)

• (1) lobbyist for American Fuel and Petrochemical Association, Atmos Energy, ExxonMobil Corporation, & Suncor Energy ($225 on 1/3/2024)

• (2) lobbyists for Chevron ($450 on 6/1/2023 & $450 on 8/30/2023)

• (1) lobbyist for Civitas ($450 on 9/15/2023)

• (1) lobbyist for Valero Energy ($50 on 5/10/2024)

• (2) lobbyists for Bison Oil & Gas, Extraction Oil & Gas, Providence Energy ($50 on 12/2/2023 , $200 on 5/25/2024, $100 on 6/8/2024)

Donations from Insurance/Pharma PACs

• COPIC Insurance PAC ($2400 on 8/2/2023, $2000 on 6/13/2024, & $1350 from three COPIC lobbyists on 6/26/2023)

• Elevance Health PAC ($450 on 12/23/2023)

• Cigna Group PAC ($450 on 12/6/2023)

• Otsuka Pharmaceuticals PAC ($225 on 12/23/2023)

But what about you, Kyra?

Thanks for asking! It’s true that I’ve also accepted contributions from lobbyists and PACs. The vast majority of these lobbyists are folks I worked with on education and health care policies in my time as Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Young Invincibles, and I’ll admit that a couple of them have clients that I don’t particularly like.

But I have not accepted a single cent from any lobbyist involved with the oil and gas industry, and I will not.

As of the June 17th campaign finance report, I have raised $17,515 from PACs*, Small Donor Committees, and Lobbyists. My opponent has raised $37,350 from these kinds of donors, more than double my total.

See the donations to Kyra for Colorado here.

* This number excludes the leadership PACs formed by other legislators to support their colleagues. In this category, I have raised $5425 compared to the $1450 raised by my opponent. This is because I have cultivated close relationships with numerous legislators in my work at the Capitol since 2018.