Colorado has 633 major individual political donors. The Sunlight Foundation calls them (and similar donors elsewhere) the “1% of the 1%.” Nationally, there are 31,385 of them, and they gave nearly $1.7 Billion of the $6 Billion (from identifiable sources) in total political contributions from individuals and organizations for federal races and committees.

Colorado’s wealthy folks gave $25.98 million in political contributions. By comparison, our neighbor Wyoming gave $21.3 million, despite its much smaller population.

Denver’s 17th Street is well represented on this list. Employees of the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck gave $627,000 in contributions. The Brownstein firm has among the largest number of employee/givers in the nation. The firm also has offices outside Colorado.

These Coloradans lean Republican. Republican candidates and committees got $17.1 million; Democratic candidates and committees got $8.9 million. [My calculations] Of Colorado’s 633 major political donors, 83 gave both ways; most give to only one of the parties.

Democrats benefit most from lawyer/lobbyists and ideological givers. Republicans rely upon energy, FIRE (finance, insurance, real estate), and transportation. People in health, communications and electronics tend to split their giving between the two parties.

The amount of “dark money” in politics has boomed in recent years.  Colorado led the way early in this century when Democrats used “527 entities” to drop unreported cash into campaign efforts.  The advantage of “dark money” is that nobody knows who gives to these secretive groups. This money isn’t included in these totals.

Who They Are

Names of those who give $50,000 or more to one side or the other are easily recognizable. What follows is the list, by party, of these givers.

Givers to Republicans (118)

  • ANDERSON, DONALD H MR
  • ANDERSON, RAYMOND E
  • ANSCHUTZ, NANCY P MRS
  • ANSCHUTZ, PHILIP
  • ARMSTRONG, WILLIAM L
  • BENNETT, PORTER B MR
  • BERGLUND, JERRY R MR
  • BOGOSIAN, CAROL
  • BOSWELL, ROBERT S MR
  • BRADDOCK, RICHARD MR
  • BREGA, BETTY
  • BREGA, CHARLES
  • BROE, PATRICK
  • BURT, CAROL
  • BYRAM, MICHAEL M MR
  • CAGLE, BILL MR
  • CANNON, SUE M MS
  • CLENNAN, ROY J MR
  • CONGEL, SCOTT ROBERT MR
  • CONSIDINE, TERRY
  • COORS, JEFFREY H
  • COORS, JOSEPH MR JR
  • COORS, MARILYN
  • COORS, PETER
  • CRANBERG, ALEX
  • CULLEN, THOMAS A MR
  • DOUD, BEN R MR
  • DUNCAN, RAYMOND T MR
  • EDELSTEIN, JAMES
  • ELWAY, JOHN A MR
  • FINN, STEPHEN
  • FOTE, CHARLES MR
  • FOTE, KAYE LYNN
  • FOX, JOHN
  • FRIES, AMBER L MRS
  • FRIES, MICHAEL T MR
  • GALLAGHER, CHARLES P MR
  • GARDINER, RANDY MR
  • GENDRON, THOMAS A MR
  • GRAEBEL, DAVID W MR
  • GRAEBEL, LINDA MRS
  • HAMILTON, FREDERIC
  • HANSON, STEPHANIE
  • HERZ, TAD
  • HILLMAN, TATNALL
  • HOLTZMAN, MARC
  • HOSIER, JERRY MR
  • HUTCHISON, LOUIS W MR JR
  • JABS, JACOB
  • JENKINS, DAVID MR
  • JOHNSON, RONALD MR
  • JONES, GLENN R
  • JORNAYVAZ, LOUISA C MS
  • KAUFFMAN, KEVIN P MR
  • KENNEDY, JUSTIN ANTHONY MR
  • KNIGHT, RANDY MR
  • KOPPER, BRUCE MR
  • KORPAN, RICHARD
  • KRIEBLE, HELEN
  • LANE, MARGOT L MS
  • LEPRINO, JAMES G
  • LEPRINO, MIKE MR
  • LEPRINO, SUZY MRS
  • LEPRINO, TERRY
  • MAFFEI, GREGORY B MR
  • MAFFEI, SHARON MRS
  • MALONE, JOHN MR
  • MALONE, LESLIE A MRS
  • MARTIN, J LANDIS MR
  • MARTIN, SHARON MRS
  • MARTIN, T SCOTT MR
  • MCCAUSLAND, LINDA S HON
  • MCDONNELL, JOHN F MR
  • MCNEIL, CHARLES S MR
  • MCVANEY, C EDWARD MR
  • MCWHINNEY, CHAD MR
  • MITCHELL, KEVIN J MR
  • MITCHELL, NANCY MRS
  • MIZEL, CAROL
  • MIZEL, LARRY
  • MORK, JOHN MR
  • MOUNSEY, PETER R MR
  • MURDY, WAYNE W MR
  • NAGEL, RALPH J MR
  • PAULS, WILLIAM B MR
  • PETRIE, THOMAS A MR
  • RADY, PAUL M MR
  • REID, WILLIAM W MR
  • REIMAN, SCOTT J MR
  • RICHARDSON, BLAIR E MR
  • ROBINSON, RICHARD L
  • SAEMAN, JOHN V MR
  • SCHADEN, CHERYL MRS
  • SCHADEN, RICHARD E MR
  • SCOTT, DONALD E MR
  • SHANNON, MARY SUE
  • SHANNON, MICHAEL
  • SHAW, MIKE
  • SHIELDS, MERRILL MRS
  • SIE, ANNA M
  • SIE, JOHN J MR
  • SMEAD, ANN BECHER MS
  • SMITH, CONNIE
  • SOLICH, GEORGE H MR
  • STEVINSON, GREG
  • STEVINSON, TERENCE J MR
  • STINE, ROBERT MR
  • STURM, DONALD L MR
  • TRAVIS, TIMOTHY
  • VECCHIARELLI, DANIEL
  • VECCHIARELLI, GINA M MRS
  • VIERRA, FRED
  • VOLLBRACHT, WILLIAM B MR
  • WALLACE, JAMES B MR
  • WARE, MARILYN
  • WILSON, JOAN MRS
  • WILSON, WILLIAM L MR
  • ZECCHI, PAUL

Givers to Democrats (37)

  • BARRON, THOMAS A
  • BERGER, BRUCE N
  • CHAMBERS, MERLE
  • CONGDON, NOEL R
  • CONGDON, THOMAS E
  • CROWE, JAMES Q
  • DODGE, STANTON
  • ERGEN, CANTEY M
  • ERGEN, CHARLES W
  • FARVER, SUZANNE
  • FRAMPTON, HARRY
  • GALLOWAY, LLOYD THOMAS
  • GILL, TIM
  • GRANGER, BRENDA
  • GRANT, HUGH
  • HAN, BERNARD L
  • HAYS, JANE C
  • HUENI, GREGORY B
  • JOSEPH, PAMELA
  • KATZ, ROBERT
  • MARQUEZ, BERNADETTE
  • MERAGE, DAVID
  • MILLER, SCOTT C
  • MOORE, NORMA
  • MUNGER, REUBEN
  • MURDOCK, JERRY JR
  • ORECK, BRUCE
  • PHELPS, DOUGLAS H
  • POLIS, JARED
  • RESNICK, PETER
  • ROSS, MOLLY
  • SCHUTZ, JORIAN P
  • STEINBERG, JUDITH ZEE
  • STRATTON, MICHAEL J
  • STRYKER, PAT
  • WAGNER, JUDITH B
  • WEAVER, LINDSAY