Welcome to Chalkbeat’s campaign finance tracker. We’ll track how much each of the nine Denver school board candidates has raised and spent in the runup to the Nov. 5 election, when three seats on the seven-member board are up for grabs.
We’ll also note spending by independent expenditure committees — so-called “outside money” that can play a big role in the races. That spending is starting to ramp up. Independent expenditure committees can spend unlimited money but are prohibited from coordinating with the candidates.
The latest campaign finance reports show the Students for Education Reform Action Committee continues to lead the pack. From Aug. 29 to Sept. 11, it spent another $18,000 on canvassing, bringing its total spent to about $148,500.
Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado, an independent expenditure committee associated with the group Stand for Children, has spent about $43,800. Stand for Children and the Students for Education Reform Action Network endorsed the same three candidates: Alexis Menocal Harrigan, Tony Curcio, and Diana Romero Campbell.
The Denver Classroom Teachers Association endorsed a different set of candidates: Tay Anderson, Brad Laurvick, and Scott Baldermann. The latest campaign finance reports show the DCTA Fund, a small donor committee associated with the union, has more than $320,000 on hand. But it has only spent $10,000 thus far, in the form of a donation to Laurvick’s campaign.
Below, see how much each candidate raised and spent as of Sept. 11. The totals reflect fundraising by individual candidates’ campaigns and not money spent by independent expenditure committees in support of the candidates.