Friday, May 24, 2013
Springs opens checkbooks for Bush
Broadmoor area big cash source for president; Kerry lags in local fund raising
It may be no surprise, but in terms of campaign fund raising, George W. Bush is kicking John Kerry's butt all over Colorado Springs.
The most recent data available shows that Bush has pocketed $131,190 in reportable campaign contributions from a total of 130 donors in Colorado Springs-area zip codes. Kerry collected a relatively paltry $15,600 from 29 donors.
More than one-third of Bush's money came from the 80906 zip code area, which covers the wealthy Broadmoor and Cheyenne Mountain neighborhoods.
The numbers include individual contributions greater than $200, reported to the Federal Elections Commission as of March 31 and made available online recently by the Center for Responsive Politics, at www.opensecrets.org.
Online contributors
Though the Springs may be Bush country, Kerry should be able to raise at least half as much money here as Bush, based on voter registration figures. Local Republican voters outnumber Democrats 2 to 1, but Bush has raised more than eight times as much money as Kerry.
Laura Capps, a spokeswoman for the Kerry campaign, noted that Kerry only began raising significant amounts of money in early March. At the beginning of March, the Kerry campaign had collected just $2 million; it is now up to $85 million.
Moreover, Kerry has had unprecedented success raising small contributions online, Capps pointed out. She said the Kerry campaign received $200 million online in just three weeks in March, with the average contribution running at about $100. Contributions below $200 are not reported to the FEC and are therefore not reflected in the numbers cited by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Capps said she's not aware of specific plans to raise money for Kerry in Colorado Springs, but added she was certain campaign organizers in Colorado would tap into local pocketbooks.
"We've shown that we have an amazing ability to catch up," Capps said. "I think you'll see things level out in Colorado Springs."
A spokesman for the Bush campaign could not be reached for comment.
Well-known locals
According to the FEC figures, Bush took in $49,865 from 42 contributors in the Broadmoor-Cheyenne Mountain zip code of 80906. The next closest zip code was 80919, which includes the Mountain Shadows and Rockrimmon neighborhoods, where 14 contributors gave a total of $14,900.
The Broadmoor-Cheyenne Mountain area was also Kerry's biggest source of money, though his total from the zip code was a mere $3,750, from seven donors.
Among well-known locals who made $2,000 donations to Bush -- the maximum individual contribution allowed by law -- were real-estate mogul David Jenkins and his wife, Carolyn Jenkins; El Pomar Foundation chief Bill Hybl; and state Rep. David Schultheis.
Nearly half of Bush's contributors identified themselves as retirees or as employed in real estate and investment, finance and insurance, healthcare, or construction. Of Kerry's donors, more than half were retirees, lawyers or academics, or employed in the technology business.
-- Terje Langeland
George Bush
Top 10 Colorado Springs-area zip codes contributing to the Bush campaign
Total
Zip code/area raised
80906 Broadmoor/Cheyenne Mountain $49,865
80919 Mountain Shadows/Rockrimmon $14,900
80904 West Side $10,150
80918 Vista Grande $9,900
80132 Monument $7,500
80907 Old North End area $7,500
80921 Gleneagle $7,000
80903 Central/downtown $6,000
80829 Manitou Springs $4,000
80920 Briargate $3,600
John Kerry
Top 10 Colorado Springs-area zip codes contributing to the Kerry campaign
Total
Zip code/area raised
80906 Broadmoor/Cheyenne Mountain $3,750
80908 Black Forest $2,000
80916 Southeast/airport $2,000
80904 West side $1,500
80921 Gleneagle $1,500
80132 Monument $1,000
80903 Central/downtown $1,000
80922 Stetson Hills $750
80829 Manitou Springs $500
80917 Village 7 $500
