Groups that raise unlimited amounts of money have spent about $20 million in May and June to try and influence Colorado voters’ choices in the upcoming June 30 primaries.

By law, these groups cannot coordinate with the candidates they support.

Much of the money being spent is on commercials supporting a candidate or attacking their opponent.

One group, in particular, is showing up on both sides of the aisle.

Heavy spending on governor’s race

The biggest dollars are being spent on the Democratic primary for governor, with Rocky Mountain Way supporting U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Fighting for Colorado backing Attorney General Phil Weiser.

Rocky Mountain Way has spent $8.9 million since May 1. The committee has raised $10.1 million, with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg its biggest funder, at $4.61 million. That includes a $2 million contribution on May 28. Bloomberg has contributed more than $18 million in this election cycle to Democratic political candidates, according to the Washington Post.

Fighting for Colorado has raised just under $1.3 million. Its largest contribution of $100,000 came from James Monroe III, the chairman of the board of Globalstar, a telecommunications company.

Record numbers are also showing up in the spending for the state House and Senate primaries, with a clear gap in support between moderate and more conservative or progressive candidates.

There are five contested primaries in the state Senate and 19 in the state House. 

In May and June, the spending, primarily on the contested primaries, is nearing $7 million as of June 25.

One difference from previous election cycles is that independent expenditure committees that spend on state House and Senate races usually support more than one candidate. Often, it’s a bank of candidates who are aligned with the group or its donors’ priorities.

This year, several groups are all in for individual candidates. 

Millions spent on legislative races

Based on the spending, the contest between Rep. Sean Camacho and civil rights attorney Iris Halpern in House District 6 is the big-ticket race for Tuesday night.

The spending has so far reached more than $924,000. Most of that money is supporting Camacho at $646,000, mostly from Denver Progressives United, which has been running ads accusing Halpern of being an unregistered lobbyist.

All of Denver Progressives United’s funding is coming from Fair Economy for Coloradans, another group that, by law, is not required to disclose its funders. Fair Economy was registered with the Secretary of State in January, listing Scott Martinez, an attorney and longtime Democratic Party activist, as its registered agent.

Meanwhile, Colorado Labor Action is in Halpern’s corner, spending almost $139,000 in ads targeting Camacho, along with another $115,000 to advertise in favor of Halpern.

The committee is funded by the Colorado Education Association and labor unions, such as AFL-CIO. As of June 25, however, the committee, which has raised nearly $700,000 through June 10, is almost $475,000 in the red, spending more than $365,000 in the past two weeks when it already was in the red to the tune of $118,000 as of June 10.

Colorado Mountain Progressives has one candidate on its radar: former municipal Court Judge Chris Floyd, who is battling Consuelo Redhorse for the right to succeed House Speaker Julie McCluskie.

The group has spent more than $181,000 to support Floyd. 

Its biggest funder is One Main Street Colorado, which paid for the costs of the state house Democratic Opportunity Caucus’ retreat in Vail that led to nearly two dozen ethics complaints filed with the state ethics commission.

The groups backing Floyd have so far spent more than $352,000. That includes support from American Future, a hybrid federal-state PAC that doesn’t disclose its donors on TRACER, the Colorado Secretary of State’s campaign finance database.

However, the Federal Election Commission reports that the PAC raised $7.7 million in the current election cycle, all from the Win for America PAC, which is funded by sports-betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel and which has raised $43 million in the 2025-26 election cycle.

American Future spent $1.4in May and June on Democratic candidates.

Redhorse is backed by Voces Unidas Victory Fund, which has spent just over $17,000 on her race.

The Colorado Mountain Progressives’ independent expenditure committee (IEC) also received a $35,000 contribution from the Colorado Affordability Project. Its IEC has spent $859,000 to support Camacho, Floyd and Andres Carrera in Senate District 34, plus candidates in four other contested Democratic House primaries. 

That included races in which the IEC is supporting challengers to House incumbents, such as Reps. Kenny Van Nguyen in House District 33, where Heidi Henkel is running against Nguyen, and Jamie Jackson in House District 42, where Sarah Woodson is challenging Jackson.

The Colorado Affordability Project’s IEC is funded by the Colorado League of Charter Schools, the Colorado Association of Realtors, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Coloradans Protecting Patient Access, a coalition of medical groups, such as the Colorado Medical Society and COPIC, the medical liability insurance company. The group is run by Tamra Ward of Taloma Consulting, formerly the head of Colorado Concern. 

This One Main Street Colorado is playing on both sides of the field in this year’s primaries.

One Main Street Colorado is the largest funder of Coloradans For Progress, which put $180,000 into the Colorado Conservative Leadership Fund, which is supporting more traditional Republican candidates. 

One Main Street is also the largest funder for a half-dozen IECs backing moderate Democrats, through committees like Colorado Mountain Progressives, the Progressive Leadership Fund, Blue Collar Progressives and Fighting for a Better Aurora. One Main Street in May alone contributed $1.7 million to the five Democratic-aligned IECs plus its own IEC.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Conservative Leadership Fund has raised $1.9 million and is funding Republican candidates aligned with the party’s more traditional wing, such as former state Rep. Terri Carver in Senate District 9 ($223,000) against Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson; Rep. Anthony Hartsook of Parker in House District 44 ($300,000) versus Bob Davis; and former Rep. Amy Parks in House District 51 ($235,000) versus Nancy Rumfelt.

Its biggest funder, at $425,000, is the Colorado League of Charter Schools. The group has also taken in some contributions from entities not normally aligned with Republicans.

Ben Walton, founder of ZOMA Capital, gave the IEC $200,000. Walton, one of the Walmart heirs, is better known for contributions to election issues and Democratic candidates or causes. In 2020, The Colorado Sun reported a foundation set up by Walton and his wife had given $20,000 to fund a position in the Polis administration. 

Coloradans for Progress gave the Colorado Conservative Leadership Fund IEC $180,000. Its 2024 IRS filing showed it took in $1 million from One Main Street Colorado.

The American Conservative Fund also gave the IEC $250,000. It’s funded by sports-betting companies like DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel.

Sports betting companies spend big

Betting companies are spending millions to try to influence voters in the 2026 primaries.

American Future, which is funded by the big sports-betting companies, has spent more than $334,000 to back Sen. Adrienne Benavidez, a Democrat from Adams County, who is up against Alex Ryckman.

The IEC has also put money into support for Democratic candidates running in primaries with open seats: Andres Carrera in Senate District 34; Floyd in House District 12, Gena Ozols in House District 3 and Justine Sandoval in House District 5.

The race to succeed term-limited (and U.S. Senate candidate) Sen. Julie Gonzales of Denver is between Carrera and Chela Garcia Irlando.

IECs are spending heavily on Carrera, reaching more than $591,000 from American Future, Colorado Affordability Project and the Progressive Leadership Fund, another group that gets its funding from One Main Street Colorado and Fair Economy for Coloradans.

Another race to watch on Tuesday is the Western Slope contest for two Republicans looking to succeed term-limited Rep. Matt Soper of Delta.

Nina Anderson is backed by the Conservative Leadership Fund ($363,000), while Jason Bias is backed by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, which has spent just under $3,500.

RMGO also supports Davis ($3,187) against Hartsook in HD 44, Zamora Wilson ($5,141) in SD 9 versus Carver, and Rumfelt ($3,978) in HD 51 versus Parks.

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners has not reported raising any money in the 2025-26 election cycle and it started with a preelection cycle fund of just over $17,000. The group reported spending more than $28,000 since May 1.