In a month where deep-pocketed education organizations announced their endorsements in the Denver school board races, the candidates did not see big cash infusions — yet. That’s not uncommon for this time of year, given that the election is still three months away.
According to the latest campaign finance reports, which cover the time period between June 27 and July 27, the rank-order of which candidates raised the most money stayed the same.
But there was at least one interesting shift in the southeast Denver race. Candidate Scott Baldermann, who was recently endorsed by the Denver teachers union, solicited donations from far more individual donors than any of the seven other candidates running for three seats.
That’s especially notable given that before July, Baldermann was largely self-funding his campaign, having donated $8,500 to himself. In July, he raised more than $10,000 from more than 200 donors, most of whom live in southeast Denver, he said.
Asked whether that represents a change in strategy, Baldermann said no. “We always planned to have this be a grassroots campaign,” he said. “We started executing that in late June.”
Baldermann said he’s been knocking on a lot of doors in southeast Denver, and about half of the donations were cash or checks given to him on the spot.
“These are people that have met me for the first time,” he said. “It shows the trust I’m building and the need for change in the district, and I’m aligning with those values.”
Below, we break down how much each of the eight candidates has raised and spent as of July 27, as well as notable contributions to each of their campaigns.
Southeast Denver, District 1
Scott Baldermann
Entered the race: April 29
Total raised: $21,121
Total spent: $9,091.48
Notable contributions: A month ago, Baldermann’s campaign was largely self-funded, with him having donated $8,500 to himself. But in July, he collected more than $10,000 in donations from 223 individual donors who gave between $500 and $5 each. That was the highest number of individual donors of any of the eight school board candidates.
Diana Romero Campbell
Entered the race: June 11
Total raised: $19,054
Total spent: $9,628.04
Notable contributions: Janice Sinden, president of the Denver Center for Performing Arts and previously chief of staff for Mayor Michael Hancock, gave $3,000; oil and gas businessman Tim Marquez gave $2,000; retired advertising executive Cathey Finlon gave $1,000; former Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter gave $200; political consultant Eric Sondermann gave $100.
Radhika Nath
Entered the race: June 10
Total raised: $13,965
Total spent: $2,504.81
Notable contributions: Former at-large school board candidate Anna DeWitt gave $100.
Northwest Denver, District 5
Brad Laurvick
Entered the race: May 18
Total raised: $26,316
Total spent: $5,074.67
Notable contributions: District 1 school board candidate Scott Baldermann gave $100.
Notable expenditures: He spent $56.32 on the Padres y Jóvenes Unidos Action Fund, a new political committee that is planning to endorse Denver school board candidates this year. Laurvick said the expense was tickets to the committee’s July launch event.
Tony Curcio
Entered the race: May 14
Total raised: $22,415
Total spent: $11,621.64
Notable contributions: His biggest donor was Kitty Stevenson, formerly an attorney for a Boulder-based engineering firm who now manages real estate. She gave $5,000. School board President Anne Rowe gave $200; former school board member Theresa Peña gave $150; oil and gas businessman Tim Marquez gave $2,000; retired advertising executive Cathey Finlon gave $1,000; Tom Gougeon, president of the local Gates Family Foundation, gave $200.
Julie Bañuelos
Entered the race: February 27
Total raised: $5,016
Total spent: $2,121
Notable contributions: Former at-large school board candidate Anna DeWitt gave $100.
At-large
Alexis Menocal Harrigan
Entered the race: May 2
Total raised: $31,223
Total spent: $19,398.05
Notable contributions: Jill Anschutz, daughter-in-law to billionaire Phil Anschutz, gave $1,000; retired advertising executive Cathey Finlon gave $1,000; former school board member Rosemary Rodriguez gave $250; school board President Anne Rowe gave $200; District 1 school board candidate Diana Romero Campbell gave $25.
Tay Anderson
Entered the race: August 13, 2018
Total raised: $26,261
Total spent: $15,888.02
Notable contributions: Anderson has received the most contributions from other school board candidates. District 1 candidate Scott Baldermann has given a total of $2,025; District 1 candidate Radhika Nath gave $40; and District 5 candidate Brad Laurvick gave $50. City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega gave $500; former school board members Jeannie Kaplan and Laura Lefkowits each gave $250; former state representative Joe Salazar gave $100; attorney Peg Perl, who recently ran for Denver clerk and recorder, gave $27.