Colorado’s federal seats are for sale to the highest bidders—and those bidders live in New York, California, DC, and Massachusetts, not Colorado. The 2025 FEC results show $38 million raised for 2026 federal races: Democrats $29.5 million, Republicans $8.4 million—a 3.5-to-1 advantage. ActBlue processed 26,303 transactions totaling $9.18 million. WinRed processed 3,953 transactions totaling $708,000—a 13-to-1 gap.
Out-of-State Money Dominates
Geographic data shows who’s buying Colorado’s representation. Jessica Killin (CD-5): 91.5% out-of-state—New York $173,000, DC $158,000, California $125,000. Manny Rutinel (CD-8): 88% out-of-state, 96.7% ActBlue dependency. Brittany Pettersen (CD-7 incumbent): 85% out-of-state—weakest Colorado base among all incumbents.
John Hickenlooper leads all candidates with $7.6 million raised, 75.2% from outside Colorado. Julie Gonzales shows 66.6% out-of-state—but Massachusetts alone provided 62.7% of all her itemized contributions through ActBlue processing. Amie Baca-Oehlert (CD-8): 73.8% out-of-state, with Massachusetts providing 57.6% through ActBlue. Jason Crow (CD-6 incumbent): 66% out-of-state.
Two Democratic candidates showed majority Colorado funding: Shannon Bird (CD-8, 94.7% Colorado, $1.21 million) and Dave Young (CD-8, 93.3% Colorado, $196,000). Both trail out-of-state funded competitors.
Republicans show stronger Colorado bases where data exists. Jeff Crank (CD-5) received 71.3% from Colorado—strongest Republican base in competitive races. Hope Scheppelman (CD-3) shows 85.5% Colorado funding.
Democratic civil wars consumed $14 million. CD-8’s six Democratic candidates raised $4.8 million fighting each other. CD-4 Democrats raised $8.3 million across four candidates—ten times more than Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert’s $723,000. CD-5 Democrats fielded five candidates raising $2 million combined. CD-1 Democrats raised $1.1 million in four primary candidates despite facing no Republican opposition. State Senator Julie Gonzales mounted a late-entry Senate challenge against John Hickenlooper, raising $179,000 in Q4 2025 alone.
Republicans cannot field competitive candidates. CD-1, CD-2, CD-6, and CD-7 have no Republican challengers. Where Republicans compete, fundraising gaps prove massive: CD-8’s Gabe Evans raised $3.05 million but faces Democrats who collectively raised $4.8 million. CD-5’s Jeff Crank raised $1.4 million against five Democrats totaling $2 million. CD-3’s Jeff Hurd raised $2.4 million—strongest Republican House candidate—but faces Alex Kelloff who raised $855,000, 71.7% from outside Colorado.
The ActBlue and WinRed Reality
Both platforms channel large donors, contradicting grassroots narratives. ActBlue processed $9.18 million with most candidates showing 70-99% from contributions over $200. WinRed processed $708,000 with 86.4% from contributions over $200.
Julie Gonzales shows the most extreme pattern: 99.5% of ActBlue contributions came from donors giving $200 or more—only 14 small-dollar donations out of 356 total. Jason Crow’s 4,866 ActBlue transactions show 85.4% from large donors. Brittany Pettersen’s 1,972 transactions show 83.1% from large donors. Republicans match this pattern: Evans 96.2% large donors, Crank 97.6%, Hurd 99.3%.
Lauren Boebert stands alone. Her 3,226 WinRed transactions show 80.4% from small donors under $200. ActBlue remains under investigation by multiple state attorneys general for alleged straw donor schemes and identity theft.
The Senate Race
John Hickenlooper dominates with $7.6 million raised and $3.9 million cash on hand—more than every Republican federal candidate in Colorado combined. Julie Gonzales entered late but raised $179,000 in Q4 alone, holding $161,000 cash. Republican Janak Joshi raised $458,000—the strongest Republican Senate candidate. George Washington Markert V raised $175,000.
The House Battlegrounds
CD-4: Eileen Laubacher dominates the Democratic field with $6.45 million raised—second only to Hickenlooper statewide—showing 77.5% out-of-state funding. Trisha Calvarese raised $1.68 million with 67.3% out-of-state. Two other Democrats raised $134,000 combined. Lauren Boebert, who switched from CD-3 to CD-4, raised $723,000 and holds $219,000 cash.
CD-8: Manny Rutinel leads Democrats with $2.53 million but burned 52% already. Shannon Bird raised $1.21 million with 94.7% Colorado funding—the only locally-funded competitive candidate in any Colorado Democratic primary. Evan Munsing raised $486,000, Yadira Caraveo (former incumbent) raised $256,000, Dave Young raised $196,000, Amie Baca-Oehlert raised $135,000. All show heavy out-of-state funding except Bird and Young. Republican incumbent Gabe Evans raised $3.05 million.
CD-5: Jessica Killin dominates the Democratic field with $1.66 million—91.5% from out-of-state sources. Top sources: New York $173,000, DC $158,000, California $125,000. Four other Democrats raised $305,000 combined. Republican incumbent Jeff Crank raised $1.4 million with 71.3% Colorado funding—strongest Republican Colorado base in competitive races.
CD-3: Republican incumbent Jeff Hurd raised $2.39 million—strongest Republican House candidate statewide. Democrat Alex Kelloff raised $855,000 with 71.7% from outside Colorado. Republican Hope Scheppelman challenges Hurd with $213,000 raised—85.5% from Colorado.
CD-1, CD-2, CD-6, CD-7: Democratic incumbents face no Republican opposition. Diana DeGette (CD-1, 28 years) faces Democratic primary challengers Melat Kiros ($205,000) and Wanda James ($180,000). Joe Neguse (CD-2) raised $1.86 million unopposed. Jason Crow (CD-6) raised $1.63 million unopposed, 66% out-of-state. Brittany Pettersen (CD-7) raised $1.12 million unopposed—85% out-of-state, weakest Colorado base among all incumbents.
The Bottom Line
When ActBlue processes $9.18 million versus WinRed’s $708,000, when both platforms channel large donors despite grassroots marketing, when Massachusetts provides 62.7% of Julie Gonzales’s itemized contributions through ActBlue processing, when Democratic primaries consume $14 million while Republicans struggle to field candidates in four districts—the pattern reveals itself.
Colorado’s federal delegation isn’t selected by Colorado voters. New York, California, DC, Massachusetts, and Texas donors fund Democratic primaries that determine outcomes. November elections rubber-stamp June primary results. Republicans cannot compete: 3.5-to-1 fundraising disadvantage, 13-to-1 ActBlue advantage, zero party committee support in 2025, candidates outraised in every competitive district.
The exceptions prove the rule. Shannon Bird’s 94.7% Colorado funding and Lauren Boebert’s 80.4% small-donor WinRed usage stand alone. Every other competitive candidate—Democrat or Republican—relies on out-of-state large donors channeled through online platforms. The difference between ActBlue and WinRed isn’t philosophy. It’s volume.
These 2025 figures shift before June 24 primaries. President Trump’s engagement level remains uncertain. Colorado ranks low in Trump’s favor—state and federal officials opposed him consistently. Whether that translates to primary endorsements or strategic Republican investment remains unknown. ActBlue investigations continue. But the fundamental equation holds: coastal money selects Colorado’s federal delegation. Colorado voters ratify the choice.
In Vegas, 3.5-to-1 makes you a heavy favorite. In Colorado federal politics, it means Democratic primaries may be the only races that matter.
For detailed candidate-by-candidate breakdowns including complete geographic analysis, top donor lists, and ActBlue/WinRed transaction data, see our companion data analysis article.
Sources: Campaign finance data from FEC.gov candidate financial summaries and Schedule A itemized contributions accessed February 2, 2026. Coverage period: January 1 – December 31, 2025. Geographic breakdowns and donor analysis available for 21 of 28 candidates. ActBlue transaction counts derived from earmarked contribution designations. Complete datasets available at fec.gov.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent.
