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Cheney leads spending in Ninth District attorney race

John Stroud
Glenwood Springs Post Independent

Rifle Republican Jefferson Cheney has raised roughly three times as much in campaign contributions as either of the other two candidates in the race for 9th district attorney, according to recent campaign finance reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State.

According to the Oct. 3 filings, Cheney had raised a total of $15,482 since his campaign began earlier this year to unseat first-term District Attorney Sherry Caloia, a Democrat from Glenwood Springs.

As of the latest filing, Caloia had taken in $4,387 in her re-election bid, while independent candidate Chip McCrory of Carbondale had raised $6,084, according to the filings.



Cheney has also spent more money in the campaign to date, at $8,466, while Caloia has spent $1,869 and McCrory $4,498.

Each of the three DA candidates has accepted campaign contributions ranging from $25 to $400, mostly from private individuals, according to the reports. Caloia and McCrory also have made loans to their campaigns, Caloia in the amount of $2,500 and McCrory for $1,729.




Oct. 3 was the first of three filing deadlines this month for candidates running for state offices, including district attorney and Colorado House and Senate races. The next filing is due Monday.

Candidates for county commissioner have until Oct. 18, to file their first financial disclosures of the fall campaign season.

The three DA candidates along with Garfield County commissioner candidates John Martin (R) and John Acha (D) and state Senate District 8 candidates Randy Baumgardner (R) and Emily Tracy (D) will square off in tonight’s Glenwood Springs Issues and Answers Night beginning at 5 p.m. at Glenwood City Hall.

In the state Senate race, Tracy of Summit County is making a second bid against Republican Baumgardner of Grand County who won the seat in a hotly contested race for the open seat in 2012. Senate District 8 includes those two counties in addition to Garfield, Rio Blanco, Moffat, Routt and Jackson.

So far, Tracy has outraised the incumbent in campaign finance, taking in $72,103 as of the Oct. 3 filing, compared with $61,368 for Baumgardner.

Tracy also has spent about twice as much to date, at $43,348 compared with Baumgardner’s $26,361, according to the reports.

The Democratic Party of Colorado has put $17,500 toward Tracy’s election bid, while Baumgardner has received support for his campaign from the state Republican parties and county level party contributions.

Among the notable political action committees contributing to the Baumgardner campaign, according to the financial disclosures, are New Energy Horizons, Colorado Bankers Association, Apartment Association of Metro Denver, Colorado Integrity Alliance, the Right Leadership, Arapahoe Leadership Fund, Associated Builders and Contractors, Committee for Financial Risk Services, Colorado Physicians for Mental Health, the Colorado Restaurant Association, the Trucking Industry PAC, National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors, BNSF Railway Co., Colorado Optometric Association, Centurylink Colorado Employees, National Federation of Independent Business, Anthem Inc., the Commercial Real Estate Development Association of Colorado and Atmos Energy Corp.

Tracy’s PAC support has come from several labor unions and pro-choice groups, including the Workers Compensation Education Association; NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado; Service Employees International Union; Sheet Metal Workers; Colorado Conservation Action Fund; Anchor Point for Progress; Pipefitters union; Voices for Choice; Colorado Federation of Teachers, School, Health and Public Employees; Colorado Academy of Family Physicians; Colorado Professional Fire Fighters; Colorado State Conference of Electrical Workers; and Nurses for Political Action.