Messenger: Better Colorado Now

Candidate: Walker Stapleton

Contest: Governor

Affiliation: R

Date delivered: Feb. 22, 2018

Click here for message

Message type: radio ad

Message tone: negative

About the message: In this opening radio ad, independent spending group Better Colorado Now criticizes Denver, Boulder and Aurora as sanctuary cities. In advocating the gubernatorial candidacy of Republican Walker Stapleton, the ad says "Stapleton says they’re not sanctuaries at all – he says they’re safe havens for violent, criminal illegal immigrants and he wants it to stop."
An Aurora Sentinel news report said the ad is incorrect in mentioning Aurora as a sanctuary city, noting that the City Council voted against that designation last year.

About the messenger:

Better Colorado Now is an independent expenditure group supporting the Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton's run for governor. The group may raise and spend unlimited amounts, but is not supposed to coordinate with Stapleton.

Stapleton helped raise money for the group before entering the governor’s race last fall.

The messenger's money:

Nonpfrofit Colorado Taxpayers Advocate Fund gave the group $600,000. Other donors to the group include Greg Engles of Whitewave Foods and Extraction Oil and Gas at $50,000 each; Broncos general manager John Elway at $10,000, St. Louis Cardinals Chairman William Dewitt Jr., Geoffrey Lord of Lord Realty, Liberty Global President/CEO Michael Fries and Liberty Media CEO Gregory Maffei at $25,000 each. Also, $15,000 from real estate mogul Larry Mizel, Elizabeth Anschutz for $10,000 and Stapleton cousin Jeb Bush for $1,000.