The fundraising scandal embroiling House Democrat Leader Mark Ferrandino and legislator-turned-legislative candidate Dianne Primavera is spreading.
Apparently, Democrat legislator-turned-lobbyist Anne McGihon has put her influence peddling to good use in the House Democrat Caucus. Revelations about McGihon’s client list now implicate State Rep. Pete Lee (D-CO Springs), who is the primary sponsor for a bill McGihon is being paid to push through the Legislature.
McGihon's latest lobbyist registration shows that the only bill she is specifically targeting is HB1065 (PDF), a bill regarding the ability for nurses to prescribe pharmaceutical drugs. Rep. Lee is the primary sponsor of HB1065. Since July 2011, McGihon has been lobbying for a pharmaceutical company.
As has been prominently reported, McGihon’s name has been prolific on House Democrat fundraisers as of late. One of those fundraisers was for a fundraiser hosted by the House Majority Project, for which the invite specified it was to help with the “35 competitive State House” races. With Pete Lee finding himself in a highly competitive re-election bid thanks to reapportionment, he will most certainly be a recipient of House Majority Project cash.
Now, we’re not saying that Ann McGihon is the Colorado version of Jack Abramoff, but it’s no wonder why she is trying to gain influence among targeted members of the House Democrat caucus. What's good for targeted Democrats is good for Pete Lee, and by extension, Anne McGihon and her lobbying clients.
Overall we admit a little surprise that these character scandals are happening not under the watch of Rep. Sal "The Fist" Pace (D-Urination), the former Minority Leader, but rather under current House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino (D-Denver). Under Ferrandino, a pattern of corruption and scandal is developing that didn’t exist under the "The Fist." Taking all of this in, we're forced to ask, is Mark Ferrandino so worried about the coming elections that he is willing to corrupt his caucus for lobbyist campaign cash?
How many other members of the House Democratic caucus, in addition to Dan Kagan and Pete Lee, will be implicated in fundraising scandals as he attempts his rush to power?
Or perhaps, as some have previously pondered, is he simply a political neophyte who has lost the control and respect of his caucus and is fighting desperately to prove that he's up to the task?
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