Next year’s race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, is certain to be a hard fought one. And the latest fundraising figures show it will be extremely pricy as well.
Democrat Adam Frisch had a record-breaking fundraising quarter as he seeks a rematch against Boebert next November.
According to his latest campaign filing, Frisch raised $3,388,221 dollars in the third quarter, with $3,371,146 million coming from individual donors and just over $17,075 from PACs.
The figure was almost four times the amount that Boebert brought in during that same time period.
Boebert’s campaign filing showed she raised just over $853,840, with $797,542 coming from individuals and $55,908 coming from PACS and joint fundraising committees.
Boebert ends the quarter with $1.43 million cash on hand, while Frisch has $4.33 million in the bank.
Frisch said he was humbled by the donations. “Western and Southern Colorado deserve a representative who will work hard to deliver results and put the needs of the district first, not an extreme political agenda. Thanks to our generous supporters, we will defeat Boebert in 2024.”
Boebert said she was “grateful” to the voters in the district and beyond “who have stood by me and continued to support our grassroots-led campaign. Our fundraising has always been powered by the working-class families of rural Colorado.” She also said she was confident the campaign would have the resources necessary to get the message out and “win in 2024.”
Small donors, those who donate less than $200, made up about $472,000 of Boebert’s haul, while they made up $2.2 million for Frisch.
Still, Frisch might not be the Boebert campaign’s only worry.
Grand Junction Attorney Jeff Hurd, who jumped into the Republican primary in mid-August, raised $412, 468, with just over $12,000 coming from small-donors and the rest of the total from people who donated $200 or more.
While the total raised is only around half the amount that Boebert raised, Hurd collected it in about half the time. During that period, he spent almost $57,000, leaving him with $355,906 cash on hand.
The Hurd campaign said it was “really happy with where we are.” In addition to a strong start to fundraising, Hurd has also gotten some endorsements from local GOP officials, including Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and Bobbie Daniel. The campaign said it shows the “lack of enthusiasm from Republicans from the district” with Boebert.
Hurd’s numbers are ahead of another Republican primary opponent, Russ Andrews, who raised $37,182. He also put $251,000 of his own money into the race this quarter, leaving him with $263.599 cash on hand.
Meanwhile, Frisch’s Democratic primary challengers failed to gather similar fundraising steam.
Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, who filed paperwork to run in late-July, raised $101,475 and ended the quarter with $41,422 in the bank.
Stout said she was “humbled” by the support and the broad coalition that she’s building ready for change.
“It’s time for a Democrat rooted in Colorado values with real work experience and a proven track record to go to Congress,” she said in a statement. “I am proud of the momentum we have generated thus far and will continue to build on that in the next quarter.”
Meanwhile, Pueblo man Adam Withrow, who launched a long shot bid for the Democratic nomination, raised almost $204, but spent $768 for his candidacy. He ends the quarter in the hole, owing $514.
One question looming over both primaries is how big a role name recognition will play. As an incumbent who, for good or ill, has garnered a lot of national headlines,, Boebert is well known across the district, as is Frisch after he came within 456 votes of beating her. The big question will be if any of the other candidates will be able to build the profile with voters necessary to mount an effective challenge to both front-runners.
Colorado’s other toss-up race isn't’ generating a lot of cash… yet
The other closely watched congressional race, however, hasn’t been flooded with campaign cash as Republicans compete for their party’s nomination.
The 8th Congressional District, which runs from northern Denver north to Weld County is the state’s most competitive district, at least on paper, with a +1 advantage for Democrats.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Yardira Caraveo, who won her seat by 1,632 votes, continues to raise a steady amount of money, more than any of her current Republican challengers.
Caraveo pulled in $451,098 this quarter, with $313,293 coming from individual donors and $137,804 coming from PACS and political party committees. She ended with $910,282 in the bank.
Two Republicans are currently vying for the party’s nomination to face the Democrat.
Weld County Commissioner Scott James, who entered the race in mid-July, raised $109,504, the vast majority of which came from individual donors, and ended the quarter with $78,873 cash on hand.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Gabe Evans, who jumped into the race in early September, raised just over $103,116, which includes a $20,000 loan he made to his campaign. He raised $79,842 from individuals in about a month’s time.
Evans has spent over $7,000, much of it for digital fundraising. It leaves him with just under $96,000 cash on hand.
The early figures show both Republican candidates at a fundraising disadvantage compared to Caraveo at this time.
As for Colorado’s other incumbent congress members, they all have a decent amount of campaign cash at the ready.
Freshman Rep. Brittany Pettersen raised $320,967 in Q3 and has $479,550 going into the last fundraising quarter of the year. In 2022, she defeated her GOP opponent 56 percent to 41 percent.
Of the delegations, longer serving Democrats, Rep. Diana DeGette doesn’t have a primary or Republican challenger at this time. She raised $104,418 and ends the quarter with $331,398 in the bank. Rep. Joe Neguse raised $287,526 and ended the quarter with $1,873,102 in the bank, while Rep. Jason Crow raised $316,620, leaving him with $1,520,696 cash on hand.Republican Rep. Ken Buck, who may face a primary challenge, ended the quarter with $479,618 after raising $44,395. Fellow Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn raised $36,175 and ends the quarter with $199,292 in the bank.
