Messenger: Better Colorado Now

Candidate: Jared Polis

Contest: Governor

Affiliation: D

Date delivered: Sept. 20, 2018

Click here for message

Message type: mailer

Message tone: negative

About the message:

This is one of three mailer from Republican super PAC Better Colorado Now this week attacking Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jared Polis for failing to pay taxes, and for wanting to raise taxes on Coloradans.

It fails to note that the Taxpayers Bill of Rights prevents the legistlature or governor from raising taxes. All tax hikes require voter approval.

And Polis didn't pay taxes for five years in the early '00s because he lost money on business investments. And Polis' campaign says Polis was briefly involved in a partnership that had a Cayman Island account, but all his money was in the U.S., and the partmership eventually dissolved.

Polis has introduced a measure in Congress to repeal tax cuts approved late in 2017, which he voted against. But as governor, he couldn't impact those tax cuts.

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.