Candidates hope to cash in on Colorado

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has been a hot spot for presidential hopefuls over the past week. High-profile candidates are seeking out high-profile dollars to help in their campaigns.

Former President Donald Trump was in Aspen on Saturday, and Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was the latest 2024 candidate to visit the Centennial State on Wednesday.

Motorcades were spotted leaving the Belcaro neighborhood in Denver following what the Harris-Walz campaign described as a campaign reception. The event was hosted at the Phipps Mansion, owned by Democratic mega-donor Tim Gill and his partner Scott Miller.

The reception was closed to media, with the campaign only allowing a pool reporter to cover Walz’s remarks. Ticket costs reportedly ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with Gill announcing to the audience that the event brought in around $3 million, according to an attendee.

“We have a lot of wealth in Colorado. And since there is not much time and that money raised can be spent anywhere across the country in strategic places, candidates are coming here, trying to make a quick stop,” said Robert Preuhs, chair of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “And those prices for admission are really steep, primarily in order to make as much money as you possibly can in the shortest amount of time.”

Tickets for the Aspen fundraiser featuring Trump cost between $25,000 and $500,000 per couple. Trump said he raised around $28 million through the Aspen fundraiser and others in Montana and Wyoming.

2024 elections: Fewer rallies, more fundraisers?

Political scientists said Colorado may see fewer rallies and more fundraising this election cycle.

“What Colorado does have is a number of fairly wealthy donors who are fairly interested in politics,” said Seth Masket, political science professor and director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver. “And sometimes it’s worth people at the top of the ticket to come to the state and do some fundraisers here, which could help finance their presidential campaigns. It could help finance other campaigns throughout the state. We also might see candidates coming in and helping out some other candidates here in tight races.”

Experts point to Colorado’s shift to blue.

“Colorado is no longer a swing state,” Preuhs said. “Biden won this state by almost 14 percentage points last time, and campaigns have limited resources, particularly in terms of the time that the candidates can spend. And they’re spending that time in states that are going to be highly contested. Colorado is just not one of those.”

Walz left Colorado to head to Boston Wednesday night for yet another campaign reception. The campaign called this a fundraising blitz, with other solo trips scheduled in Rhode Island and New York on Thursday.

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