President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Kamala Harris

(R) Donald Trump

80%↑

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) V. Archuleta

98%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Marshall Dawson

95%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd

(D) Adam Frisch

52%↑

48%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(D) Trisha Calvarese

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank

(D) River Gassen

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) John Fabbricatore

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen

(R) Sergei Matveyuk

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

60%

40%

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

May 30, 2012 06:47 PM UTC

Enstrom Seizes Early Fundraising Lead in HD-23

1 Comments
by: Colorado Pols

Although Democrats enjoy a 4% registration advantage in Lakewood’s newly-reapportioned House District 23, the district is competitive such that the right Republican could really give incumbent Max Tyler a run for his money. While Tyler fended off Republican Edgar Johansson during last cycle’s Republican wave, 2012 opponent Rick Enstrom might not fade away quite so easily.

Enstrom, after all, has proved his mettle as a fundraiser according to finance reports filed earlier this month. The candyman raked in a whopping $27,950, spending $4,350 of that. A $5,000 personal loan — odd for this early in the campaign — leaves him with just over $28,000 on hand.

Enstrom’s donor list is a veritable who’s who of GOP politics. Controversial Jeffco School Board member Laura Boggs donated to Enstrom, as did former United States Senator and CU President Hank Brown. Several members of the Coors family have also written checks. Curiously, Enstrom’s also received hundreds of dollars from employees of Black Hills Exploration and Whiting Petroleum. There’s no oil and gas exploration in Lakewood, of course, so these contributions are the direct result of connections Enstrom made as a businessman and elected official on the Western Slope.

For his part, Rep. Tyler started the period with $16,000 on hand, to which he added a meager $2,380. Tyler spent just $900, leaving him with $17,500. In total, the incumbent’s raised just under $26,000, about $3,500 less than his opponent. Enstrom’s loan, then, just barely earned him the lead.

Tyler’s going to really need to bolster his fundraising before Enstrom leaves him in the dust. Sure, the candy maker picked off “low-hanging fruit” in his first full period as a candidate, but he’s ending that period with more money than an incumbent who’s been raising funds since last year. Even if Enstrom’s well runs dry — which likely won’t happen anytime soon — he retains the ability to self-fund, and as seen, loan himself money. The district favors Tyler, of course, but if Enstrom continues to outpace the incumbent in fundraising, it won’t matter how good Tyler’s ground game is.

Tyler is still the favorite, but in Rick Enstrom, Republicans recruited the exact kind of candidate they need to win competitive seats: a moderate businessmen with previous elected experience, long donor lists, and deep pockets.

One thought on “Enstrom Seizes Early Fundraising Lead in HD-23”

JeffcoWgirl says:

June 1, 2012 at 9:36 pm

Probably not the truth, given his record… if he lies in testimony to the legislative body he’d like to serve in, can you really trust the guy to play it straight with anyone?

Mama taught me not to trust strangers with candy.

Log in to Reply

Login

Lost Password

Enstrom Seizes Early Fundraising Lead in HD-23

Comments

One thought on “Enstrom Seizes Early Fundraising Lead in HD-23”

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recent Comments

Posts about

Posts about

Posts about

Posts about

Posts about

Newsletter