Updated using June 18 campaign finance report
Contributions to campaign*: $2.3 million
Balance minus expenses: $303,906
Contributions to independent expenditure committee** supporting the candidate: $5.7 million – Frontier Fairness. The top donor was Michael Bloomberg, founder, CEO and owner of Bloomberg LP and former New York City major, who donated $2 million. Bloomberg wrote that he was supporting Democrats this year because Republicans had two years to govern responsibly and “failed,” in an opinion piece from the Bloomberg editorial board. He said he is supporting candidates who have strong positions on gun safety, the environment, education and other critical issues, regardless of political party.
Other large donors included LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who donated $250,000, and Stephen and Susan Mandel, each of whom donated $500,000. Stephen Mandel is an investor and hedge fund manager who founded Lone Pine Capital.
General donor profile
Total raised from large contributors ($1,000 to the maximum allowable $1,150): $1.24 million for Johnston’s campaign, including the J.J. Abrams, and the Bradleys of Atlantic Media. These contributions make up 54 percent of his overall contributions and do not include individuals who made multiple contributions totaling over $1,000.
Total raised from out-of-state contributors: $1.25 million making up 54 percent of Johnston’s overall campaign contributions.
Top sectors associated with donors:
General business: $584,786 raised, which equals 25 percent of Johnston’s overall donations, and about 1,400 people donated
Attorney/Legal: $214,959 (9.3 percent), and almost 600 people donated
Teacher/Education: $203,608 (8.8 percent), and about 700 people donated
Financial/Investment:$177,074 (7.7 percent), and about 300 people donated
Companies with greatest number of donors and/or donations:
Biggest contributing groups by employer and dollar amount:
Teach for America, $12,596 from 50 donors
Harvard University, $8,825 from 22 donors
All University of Colorado Campuses, $8,500 from 23 donors
Johnston’s largest contributing group was made up of people who listed themselves as students under the employer category. He received $30,410 from 38 donors.
*Data compiled by Shannon Mullane from June 18, 2018 campaign disclosure statements, which cover May 31 to June 13 and are the most recent candidate filings with the Colorado Secretary of State. The next filing deadline is July 2.
**Independent expenditure committees can accept unlimited contributions, but how such committees spend that money cannot be controlled or coordinated by the candidate.
The research on the donations to the major candidates for governor of Colorado from both parties was conducted by graduate students in the precision journalism class at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The instructor is Burt Hubbard, former database reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, Denver Post and Rocky Mountain PBS. The students providing the research are: Giselle Cesin, Amanda Clark, Crystal Eilerman, Joseph Getty, Anne Henning, Rey-Lynn Little, Shannon Mullane, Heather Sackett and Jentry Womack.
