Big donors dominate 2025 election battles in Denver
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Mayor Mike Johnston. Photo: RJ Sangosti/Denver Post via Getty Images
Five-figure checks from wealthy donors and dark money organizations are dominating the 2025 election in Denver just days before ballots go out to voters.
Why it matters: The unlimited contributions are raising the stakes and fueling a campaign blitz ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Driving the news: The Vibrant Denver bond campaign, backed by Mayor Mike Johnston, topped $1 million in contributions, with $50,000 donations each from the city's art museum, botanic gardens, performing arts center and the zoo, according to an Axios Denver analysis of new campaign finance filings submitted Monday.
- The largest individual contribution in September came from homebuilder Larry Mizel. The former top fundraiser for President Trump wrote a $65,000 check to the campaign, records show.
- An opposition committee raised about $3,000.
The intrigue: Several significant contributions came from organizations that receive taxpayer support or that have business before Johnston's administration.
Follow the money: The other high-dollar campaign is Referendum 310, which asks whether voters support the city's ban on flavored tobacco products. The total raised in the fight reached nearly $2.5 million, the latest reports show.
The question is getting national attention and attracting big money from the public health community and the tobacco industry, respectively Denver Kids vs. Big Tobacco and Citizen Power! committees.
Zoom in: The top supporters didn't disclose their donors. Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund contributed $351,000 through September, while opponents Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance put in $173,000.
- Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has contributed $1.6 million to push for maintaining the ban.
- Major tobacco companies like Altria and Philip Morris each gave $75,000 so far to the opponents.
The bottom line: This is just the start for these campaigns. The action will rev up later this month after ballots begin arriving in mailboxes Oct. 10.