Floyd Raises Nearly $39K to Outpace Redhorse in Colorado House District 13

Who pays for the next representative of Summit, Grand, and Park counties?

The answer is written in small bills. Individual donors between $5 and $450 are funding the Democratic primary for House District 13. The big money isn’t hiding in the shadows — it’s in the ledgers.

But the ledger tells two different stories.

Chris Floyd, the Leadville lawyer and former judge, is raising more. He’s spent more. He has the establishment’s backing. Consuelo Redhorse, the Summit School District president, is raising less. She has the progressives’ nod.

The race for the June 30 Democratic primary is heating up. The winner takes the seat. Then it’s a general election against Republican Miguel Martinez. Voting by mail has already started. Neighbors are marking their ballots right now.

Here is the hard fact: Floyd has raised nearly three times as much as Redhorse. He has spent about double.

Campaign finance reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office show Floyd has pulled in roughly $39,000. He has spent $15,200. Redhorse has raised $13,500. She has spent $,800.

Both candidates filed their most recent reports on June 1. The data is fresh. The money is real.

Floyd’s war chest is bolstered by high-ranking Democrats. Current District 13 Rep. and House Speaker Julie McCluskie backs him. That political gravity pulls in cash. Redhorse is backed by progressive state lawmakers like Democratic Sen. Julie Gonzales. Gonzales is currently running against U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. That connection brings its own pool of support.

Both candidates also tap into "leadership funds." These are political action committees formed by state-level politicians. Filings show Floyd has received about $2,900 from PACs associated with Reps. McCluskie, Meghan Lukens (D-Steamboat Springs), Sean Camacho (D-Denver), Andrew Boesenecker (D-Fort Collins), and Shannon Bird (D-Westminster).

The source of the money is clear. The controversy lies in what that money implies.

A group allied with Redhorse has accused Floyd of benefiting from "dark money." Floyd denies the claim. The term "dark money" usually refers to spending by groups that don’t disclose their donors. Here, the donors are visible. The accusation is about influence, not anonymity.

Redhorse isn’t free of scrutiny either. Her transparency record as Summit School District Board president is under a microscope. A recording of a closed-door meeting was unintentionally released. Locals remember that clip. It raised questions about how decisions are made behind closed doors.

Then there is Miguel Martinez. The Republican candidate is a former Lake County assessor. He resigned after pleading guilty to a harassment charge involving other county officials. He isn’t sitting idle. Martinez has raised concerns about Floyd’s work as county attorney. He calls her legal work "frivolous."

The voters in Summit, Grand, Park, Lake, Chaffee, and Jackson counties have to weigh it all. Do they want the candidate with the bigger bank account and the Speaker’s endorsement? Or do they prefer the candidate with the smaller purse and the progressive base?

The money trail is open. The questions are loud. The ballots are already in the mail.

Read that again. Floyd has raised nearly three times as much. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a strategy.