May 30, 2012 06:47 PM UTC

Enstrom Seizes Early Fundraising Lead in HD-23

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• 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.