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Campaign finance reports trace donor contributions in Routt County commissioner and 26th House District races

Candidates for Routt County Commissioner and for the 26th House District seat this week filed their last campaign finance reports before the Nov. 5 election.

The reports, which detail contributions and expenditures and are filed with the Colorado Secretary of State both before and after election day, offer transparency — and also provide a chance for local party leaders to reflect on how their candidates draw support.

In the commissioner race to represent South Routt County in District 1, Republican Brent Romick had raised $59,656 in donations to his campaign as of Oct. 10 while Democrat Angelica Salinas had received $43,149 from her donors.



Routt County Democrats Chair Catherine Carson said she believed it was the first time candidates for a county commissioner seat in Routt County had ever surpassed the combined $100,000 contribution benchmark.

“That is significant,” said Carson.



For Carson, the takeaway from the contributions to Salinas and Romick centered on the number of individual contributors to support each campaign and where their largest donors were located.

Compared to the 94 contributors who have supported Romick’s campaign, Carson said the just over 200 unique donors who have donated to Salinas, “shows such a wide, diverse support from our county and it just shows a lot of excitement for her vision and her leadership and experience.”

“The interesting thing on Brent’s is he has got a lot of money from outside of the county,” she added.

Romick’s campaign has drawn large donations from individuals living outside of Routt County, including $1,425 donated by four different individuals living in Brighton and Fort Lupton in Colorado and one person who lives in Southlake, Texas.

Salinas has also received out-of-county donations, but those who have given the largest amounts to her campaign, including a Steamboat Springs resident who donated $2,850 to her on Oct. 7, are based within the county.

Routt County Republicans Vice Chair Lisa Rosintoski said Wednesday she had not reviewed Romick’s latest campaign expenditures but expressed a similar concern over the impact of campaign donors from outside of the county or the 26th House District and pointed to the list who have supported state Rep. Meghan Lukens’ campaign.

The latest campaign finance report filed by Lukens shows the Democrat has raised $165,236 as of Oct. 10 compared to Nathan Butler, her Republican challenger, who has raised $17,552.

Those donations, which are subject to higher individual donation limits compared to county commissioners, include $3,100 donated by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., $2,000 given by the Copic Small Donor political committee in Denver, and $6,200 donated by the Realtor Small Donor Committee in Englewood.

“It always raises your eyebrows when you see Denver, when you see some of the groups and when you see other candidates in the house donating,” said Rosintoski. “I think of that as the Routt County Republicans, one of the things that we chat about is, jeez, it would be nice if the funding was only in the areas represented by the candidate.”           

“I look at Tracy Lawton and he hasn’t raised much at all, that is all local money for the most part, that is what I think it would be in a rural setting, but maybe I am jaded,” she added.

Lawton, a Republican, is running for the county commissioner seat in District 2 against incumbent Tim Redmond, a Democrat. As of Oct. 10, campaign finance filings with the state show Lawton has raised $6,325 in support of his campaign, while Redmond has raised $1,000.

Carson and Rosintoski offered their perspectives on the wide gap between campaign contributions seen in the Lawton and Redmond campaigns compared to the donations given to Romick and Salinas.

Carson said she believed the higher contributions made to Salinas and Romick were certainly a notable benchmark but was not sure if a single issue was driving the engagement.

“I think the community is very engaged with Discovery Land Company,” said Carson, referring to plans for the luxury real estate company to develop hundreds of luxury homes, a private ski mountain and a private golf course in the Stagecoach area.

“But there’s a lot of important issues, whether its housing, whether it’s childcare or climate issues. We have always had an engaged and very studied electorate in Routt County,” she added.

Rosintoski said she thought engagement on the Republican side came down to those in the rural community seeking to ensure that politicians representing them reflect their values.

“Routt County is a county that Dems want Blue and rural Colorado values are very different than the big cities,” she said. “Rural communities, Democrat or Republican, should be represented by the representatives that focus on this area, rural Colorado, when they go to the state legislature or county commissioner.”

To search campaign contributions and expenditures, go to the Colorado Secretary of State website.


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