The second-to-last round of Denver Fair Election Fund disbursements issued by the Denver Clerk's Office revealed little change in the fundraising leaders among mayoral candidates.
Kelly Brough crossed the $1 million mark, raising $1.1 million as of Feb. 17. Sole Republican Andre Rougeot — who is not participating in the fair elections fund — remained in second place, raising just under $800,000. State Rep. Leslie Herod rounds out the top three with $702,000 raised.
She is followed by former state Sen. Mike Johnston and state Sen. Chris Hansen who raised $567,000 and $389,000, respectively.
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When only fair elections fund disbursements are considered, Brough maintains her lead after earning $530,000. Herod moves into second with $441,000 and Hansen makes an appearance in third with $255,000.
Of the 17 mayoral candidates, six in the race have yet to raise more than $100,000. Totals for all races can be viewed online at denver.maplight.com.
The fund is a voter-approved public financing model that matches donations of up to $50 at a ratio of 9:1. That means a $50 donation to a candidate participating in the fund nets the candidate $500 total.
The fund's money pool is capped at $8 million and so far just under $5.3 million has been disbursed by the Clerks office. There are also limits on how much a candidate may receive from the fund. Mayoral candidates may receive up to $750,000 from the fund, while at-large councilmembers, city clerk and auditor candidates may receive up to $250,000. District councilmembers may receive up to $125,000 from the fund.
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of Kelly Brough's fundraising numbers.
