Messenger: Senate Majority Fund

Candidate: Brittany Pettersen

Contest: Senate District 22

Affiliation: D

Date delivered: Sept. 22, 2018

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Message type: mailer

Message tone: negative

About the message:

This mailer from super PAC Senate Majority Fund says Democratic state Sen. Brittany Pettersen wanted to raise taxes on a family of four by $25,000. The measure it cites would have improved family leave by charging an insurance premium of less than 1 percent of wages for all employees in Colorado. Because the program would have been considered an enterprise under state law, it wouldn't have qualified as a tax. It would not have cost a family $25,000 a year, but might cost that much over, say, 25 years. A fiscal analysis suggested the highest cost would be $990 for someone earning $100,000 a year. 

The bill died in the Senate.

Pettersen faces Republican Tony Sanchez in the November election.

About the messenger: The Senate Majority Fund is a state-level super PAC that supports Republican candidates for Colorado's state Senate and opposes Democratic candidates.

The messenger's money: The group has raised about $2 million since Jan. 1, 2017, including $200,000 from Noble Energy, $77,200 from Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, $64,000 from the Colorado Apartment Association, $45,000 from The Anschutz Corp. and $35,000 from Encana Oil & Gas,