Former governor and current Senate candidate John Hickenlooper posted a strong second fundraising quarter. The Democrat raised $5.2 million from April 1 to June 30. But Republican incumbent Cory Gardner has more cash on hand — $10.7 million — as he seeks a second term in Washington.
Hickenlooper said his latest fundraising numbers show his strong grassroot support.
“We will need every bit of grassroots help as the Republican cavalry comes in to try to save Sen. Cory Gardner with millions of dark money and corporate PAC dollars,” Hickenlooper said. “We need a change in Washington, and with the backing of our grassroots donors and volunteers we’re going to deliver that change in November.”
Hickenlooper starts the summer campaign season with $4.6 million cash on hand, less than half of what’s in Gardner’s piggy bank.
The fundraising totals include money raised in the run-up to the June 30 primary. The weeks leading up the election saw Hickenlooper make many unforced errors, but he defeated Andrew Romanoff by double digits.
Gardner pulled in $3.6 million in this same time period, doing better than he did in the first quarter of the year.
"The Gardner campaign enters the general election with a massive advantage over Hickenlooper's campaign, with our campaign reporting more than double Hickenlooper's cash on hand,” said Gardner Campaign Manager Casey Contres. “Hickenlooper's campaign continues to burn through cash at an alarming rate to bail out their ethics-plagued candidate."
Both sides will get a lot of outside help from their national parties, PACs and different interest groups. Colorado is one of the seats that could determine which party controls the Senate in 2021. Gardner is one of two Republicans running in states that President Donald Trump lost in 2016. He faces an uphill reelection in a state that has been leaning blue in recent elections.
The fundraising deadline for the second quarter was the night of the Colorado primary, which saw an upset in the 3rd Congressional District. Republican newcomer Lauren Boebert defeated incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton.
Boebert raised approximately $88,000 in the quarter and goes into the general election with just over $10,000 cash on hand. Her Democratic rival, Diane Mitsch Bush, raised $325,000 for the quarter and has $200,000 left in the bank coming out of her successful primary.
Given the growing interest in this seat, which had been previously thought of as safely Republican, fundraising numbers might balloon for both women in the next quarter.
