Gov. Jared Polis took special interest cash for 2023 inauguration bash
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Gov. Jared Polis takes a selfie at his Jan. 10 inauguration at the state Capitol. Photo: Helen H. Richardson/Denver Post via Getty Images
Gov. Jared Polis accepted $1.5 million from major corporations, oil and gas companies, lobbying firms, dark-money political groups and others for his 2023 inauguration, Axios Denver has learned.
Why it matters: The big-money donations undercut the Democrat's 2022 reelection campaign pledge to accept only small-dollar donations and not take special interest contributions.
State of play: The governor's inauguration committee, Colorado for All, received money from 75 sponsors to cover the cost of the swearing-in ceremony and parties in January, according to a list obtained by Axios Denver on Friday.
- Dozens of corporations with business interests pending before the governor's office are included as donors, such as health insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, oil and gas driller Chevron, cigarette maker Altria, utility Xcel Energy, casino owner Monarch and sports bettor DraftKings.
- Three lobbying firms and many political advocacy organizations are on the list, as well as major 2022 election spenders, including nonprofits that don't disclose their donors, such as Centennial State Prosperity and Center for Secure and Modern Elections.
The intrigue: The top donors are unknown. Colorado for All is a nonprofit that is not required to disclose donors, and a spokesperson did not return a message seeking more detail about the sponsors.
- For Polis' first inauguration in 2019, the top donors contributed at least $50,000 each.
Between the lines: Larry Mizel, a top donor to former President Trump, served as one of the co-chairs of the inauguration fundraising committee. Others were prominent Democrats.
By the numbers: The inaugural committee raised an additional $97,000 from ticket sales to the inauguration ball at Mission Ballroom, which featured musical artists Carly Rae Jepsen and Belinda Carlisle.
- It spent $1.2 million on the festivities and donated $400,000 to four charities, the Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund, Inside Out Youth Services, The STEAD School and Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary.
Of note: One of the donors listed is Civitas Resources, which is building 174 new oil and gas wells on state-owned land just east of Aurora.
- A recent local effort to put a moratorium on drilling failed.
Details: Here is the full list of inauguration donors, per the committee:
- AC Disaster Consulting, AEG Presents, Airbnb, Altria Group, Amazon, Anheuser Busch, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aramark and Aurora Highlands
- Black Hills Energy, Blue Pan Pizza, BNSF Railway, Boeing, Brownstein and Hyatt Farber Schreck
- Caitlin Broe, Centennial State Prosperity, Center for Secure and Modern Elections, Chevron Corporation, Cigna, Civitas Resources, Colorado Auto Dealers Association, Colorado Beverage Association, Colorado Concern, Colorado Contractors Association, Colorado Dental Association, Colorado Distillers Guild, Colorado Hospital Association, Comcast Corporation, Conservation Colorado and Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
- DaVita, Deloitte, Democrats for Education Reform, Democratic Governors Association and DraftKings
- Epicurean Catering, Flatiron Construction, Gary Community Ventures, Gill Foundation, Healthier Colorado, Holland & Knight, Jay's Valet Parking, Kaiser Permanente, Kent Thiry and Denise O'Leary, Kiewit Corporation and King Soopers
- Left Hand Brewing Company, Leprino Foods, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Lumen Technologies, Lyft, Magellan Health, MDC Homes, Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Alliance, Molson Coors, Monarch Casinos, Nomi Health, One Colorado, Oracle, Oxy and Pat Broe
- Pat Stryker, PDC Energy, PhRMA, Sage Hospitality Group, SEIU, Squire Patton Boggs, Swire Coca-Cola, Uber Technologies, Union Pacific, United Airlines, UnitedHealthcare, Vail Resorts, Westfield and Xcel Energy