Messenger: Teachers for Kennedy

Candidate: Cary Kennedy

Contest: Governor

Affiliation: D

Date delivered: May 29, 2018

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Message type: mailer

Message tone: positive

About the message: This mailer from Teachers for Kennedy promotes Cary Kennedy's authorship of Amendment 23, a 2000 voter-approved constitutional measure on school funding. It required the state to increase per pupil school funding based on inflation and population growth. While funding increased for several years, in 2010, lawmakers adjusted school funding by saying the amendment covers only "base funding."

The mailer also notes that Kennedy wants to provide universal access to pre-k, "pay teachers as professionals," and more.

About the messenger: Teachers for Kennedy is an independent expenditure committee, the Colorado equivalent of a super PAC that can take unlimited donations and spend unlimited amounts without coordinating with a candidate. It is supporting Democrat Cary Kennedy in the four-way June 26 primary gubernatorial primary.

The messenger's money: Teachers for Kennedy received $619,000 from the NEA Advocacy Fund and another $400,000 came from the Colorado Fund for Children and Public Education, both teachers unions.

The group also received $800,000 came from Women Vote!, a super PAC run by Emily’s List. Colorado donors include Laurie Michaels, of Woody Creek, and Judi Wagner, of Littleton, at $50,000 each. And $228,,000 came from Love Colorado, another state-level independent spending group supporting Democratic women.