Political Pulse: Democrats crush GOP in the money race

Democrats enter the final stretch of the 2022 election with an enviable campaign war chest in Colorado.

• The four statewide Democrats have 13 times as much money in the bank as their GOP counterparts, an Axios Denver analysis finds.

Why it matters: Campaign cash is not the sole predictor of success, but it's a key factor in determining which candidates can build an effective organization and get their message to voters.

By the numbers: The big spender is Gov. Jared Polis, who donated $7.1 million of his personal wealth to his campaign so far, including $1.2 million just before the Aug. 31 reports deadline.

• The exception is GOP state treasurer candidate Lang Sias, who entered September with $90,000 in the bank compared with $72,000 for Democrat Dave Young.

What they're saying: Colorado GOP executive director Joe Jackson says Democrats "plan to try and buy these seats."

💰 Campaign cash is another factor in the U.S. Senate race, where the national Republican Party is short on money to help boost its candidates, like Colorado's Joe O'Dea.

• The cash-crunch at the National Republican Senatorial Committee led them to pull $1 million for TV ads in Colorado and Washington from a restricted legal fund, a move that may skirt federal law, the New York Times reports.
• Moreover, outside GOP groups are spending one-tenth as much in Colorado in this year's U.S. Senate race compared with the 2020 contest, the Colorado Sun found. Democratic spending to help incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet also is behind 2020’s pace but not as much.

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🤠 Meet Weld County rancher Steve Wells, who donated $6 million to a super PAC dedicated to defeating Polis in the governor's race. (Colorado Sun)

🚫 The Democratic governor's first campaign ad debuted this week and contains a widely debunked statement. (9News)

👀 Bennet is rattling off a list of his accomplishments in his 13 years in the U.S. Senate, and eagerly backing President Biden's agenda, but Republicans think he's done too little. (Colorado Sun)