Dark money groups that spent $2.5M backing more moderate Democrats in statehouse primaries won in just 2 of 8 races

Key Points:

• Six of eight Democratic statehouse candidates backed by $2.5 million in dark money from nonprofits One Main Street Colorado, Fair Economy for Coloradans, and the Colorado Affordability Project lost their primaries to more liberal opponents, signaling a shift to the left in Colorado's legislature.
• The largest defeats included House District 6, where moderate Rep. Sean Camacho lost to Iris Halpern, and Senate District 34, where Andrés Carrera was defeated by Chela Garcia Irlando; both races attracted over $1 million in super PAC spending.
• These dark money groups, which do not disclose donors, funneled funds primarily to moderate Democrats but faced strong opposition from labor union-backed super PACs like Colorado Labor Action, which won in every primary they invested in.
• Financial ties were traced from One Main Street Colorado to Coloradans for Progress, which received significant funding from Chevron and oil and gas trade groups, highlighting corporate influence behind these dark money efforts.
• The dark money-backed candidates also struggled in county commission races, winning only one of three contests, further underscoring the limited success of their campaign spending this election cycle.