The stealth campaign to upend Colorado politics began a year ago. Retired Colorado State University President Al Yates was the visionary behind it, said organizer Michael Huttner.
With financial backing from billionaire medical-equipment heiress Pat Stryker, Internet entrepreneur and state Board of Education Chairman Jared Polis, Quark founder Tim Gill and software entrepreneur Rutt Bridges, a broad coalition of political-interest groups joined together, said Huttner.
The groups - those concerned with social and educational issues, as well as environmentalists, working-family and pro-choice advocates, unions and teachers - felt their issues had been ignored by a Republican-dominated legislature concerned only with "God and gays," according to Huttner.
"We said, 'We've got to make the run of our lives because we cannot continue to have this right-wing leadership run this state into the ground,' " he said.
They raised $2 million, 80 percent of it from the four key backers, and took advantage of new campaign finance laws that have spawned big spending from independent political committees.
Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ted Halaby said a 3-to-1 Democratic spending advantage was the primary reason the Republicans lost.
"The Democrats figured out the new financing laws better than we did," Halaby said. "What they did is keep big money in this that was unaccountable and below the radar."
The targeted Democratic candidates pulled off their surprise wins Tuesday, turning a nine-seat deficit in the House into a majority of two, and possibly three, seats.
Rocky Mountain News, November 4, 2004
Salazar also had a brother running for another office. I don't know that a lot of people knew that their were two "Salazars". I believe the two sets of ads reinforced one another to an extent.
The state Republican Party was caught flatfooted with all the Democrat fat cat money poured into the statewide races. Hopefully that won't happen again in 2006.
Governor Owens will be catching some flack over this. But word is he's off to D.C.