July 23, 2012 06:47 PM UTC

Tighe Outraising Odom in Commissioner Race

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• by: Colorado Pols

It turns out that CD-7 challenger Joe Coors isn’t the only Jefferson County Republican bankrolling his own campaign. Indeed, according to finance reports filed with the Secretary of State last month, Commissioner John Odom has loaned his reelection campaign a whopping $20,000 to compensate for anemic fundraising numbers.

Odom has brought in just $710.00 from fewer than ten donors as of June 22nd. For his part, Democratic opponent Casey Tighe has raised over $9,100 in the same period. Odom has spent nearly $1,950 — made possible, of course, by his $20,000 personal campaign loan — while Tighe counts just under $3,550 in expenditures.

Odom is sitting pretty on top of about $19,000 of cash on hand, compared to just under $6,000 for Tighe. Although both candidates’ numbers pale in comparison to what was raised for the same seat in 2008 — Republican Kevin McCasky raised over $33,000 by July and Democrat Jason Bane raked in $28,700 — Odom’s in a much better place to score a second term, financially speaking, than Tighe is to win an upset victory.  

Still, the fact remains that had Odom not poured thousands of dollars into his own campaign coffers, Tighe would have the financial edge. John Odom can win even if he does get outraised purely by dint of his party affiliation, but what does it say about an incumbent who can’t even raise two grand?

Early fundraising is a critical barometer of overall support. That Odom is relying entirely on his own checkbook in order to keep his current seat certainly indicates that Odom, who loaned himself over $100,000 in his 2010 State Senate bid, has pockets deep enough to buy another term as commissioner. It also shows that, even given the benefit of incumbency, he lacks the charisma or know-how necessary to fundraise, and consequentially, have a future in politics.

Which, when you think about it, explains why somebody like Don Rosier is able to have such an influence in Jefferson County.

This month’s reporting period ended on Saturday and filings are due by July 26. It’s unlikely that Tighe will match his haul from June, having picked off most of the low-hanging fruit available, but he’ll certainly have raised something.  As for Odom? It’s probably too soon for him to cut another check, so the real question is whether or not he’s had any success at all in courting donors.