Democratic candidates seeking to represent the City of Boulder at the state legislature have begun campaigning in what is likely to be a highly competitive primary.
Three seats at the state legislature to represent Boulder will be decided by the Democratic primary on June 25: House District 10, House District 49 and Senate District 18. Given the political leanings of these districts, a Democrat is almost certain to defeat a Republican challenger in the November election.
The most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State show that candidates for these seats have raised a total of about $400,000. This makes Boulder’s primaries among the legislative races that have attracted the most money in the state.
The most expensive race to represent the city is for Senate District 18, which will be vacated by Senate President Steve Fenberg, who is term-limited. Competing for the seat are Rep. Judy Amabile, who co-founded Polar Bottle and has served in the Colorado House since 2019, and Jovita Schiffer, an independent education consultant. Senate District 18 includes the City of Boulder, as well as Superior and Niwot.
Amabile has raised about $181,000. Her largest financial support comes from Colorado Medical Society, a physician advocacy organization; the Colorado Apartment Association, which advocates for property owners and managers and developers; and Colorado WINS, a union representing state employees.
Schiffer, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, has received financial contributions from several members of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus, including Rep. Junie Joseph, Rep. Elisabeth Epps, a Democrat from Denver, and Sen. Tony Exum, a Democrat from Colorado Springs. Schiffer also has financial support from several members of the Boulder City Council, including Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Speer, Lauren Folkerts, Ryan Schuchard and Taishya Adams. Schiffer has raised about $23,000.
The second-most expensive of the three primaries is for House District 10, which includes much of the City of Boulder east of Broadway. State Rep. Junie Joseph is seeking to keep her seat representing the district after she was appointed to the seat in August 2022 by a vacancy committee. Challenging Joseph is Tina Mueh, a retired middle school science teacher and former president of the local teachers’ union, the Boulder Valley Education Association.
Neither candidate appears to have any major individual donors. The average donation amount for both candidates was below $200, according to campaign finance reports. Joseph has raised about $88,000 since January 2023, while Mueh has raised $53,000.
Financial supporters for Joseph include former and current city councilmembers — Speer, Adams, Folkerts, Matt Benjamin, Mayor Aaron Brockett and Tara Winer, who also donated to Mueh — as well as Gov. Jared Polis. Each donated between $200 to $450.
One of Mueh’s top donors is the Boulder Valley Education Association, which donated $3,000. She also has financial support from high-profile community members in Boulder: Stephen Tebo, founder and owner of Tebo Properties; Stan Garnett, former Boulder County District Attorney; and Bob Yates, a former councilmember and candidate for city mayor.
The third Democratic primary to represent the City of Boulder is House District 49, which includes the western half of Boulder, Larimer and Gilpin counties. The two Democratic candidates for the seat are Lesley Smith, an at-large University of Colorado regent, and Max Woodfin, a mental health counselor.
Smith has raised about $55,000. Woodfin has raised about $14,000. Smith’s financial supporters include members of the CU Board of Regents, Callie Rennison and Ilana Dubin Spiegel, and local elected officials, including District Attorney Michael Dougherty, Senate President Fenberg and Councilmembers Benjamin, Brockett, Winer and Tina Marquis.
Woodfin has few financial supporters with prior involvement in local politics, according to his campaign finance filing. Many of his donations appear to come from personal connections, such as employees at Naropa University, where Woodfin received his master’s, and a teacher with Where There Be Dragons, an international education program for which Woodfin taught prior to becoming a counselor.
I am concerned about the sources of Amabile’s contributions. The Colorado Medical Society & the Colorado Apartment Association are not pro-consumer groups. Each acts as a protective society of its members’ interests, which is appropriate. Their interests often conflict with the interests of ordinary Coloradans. Apartment owners’ bad policies have been recognized by the Colorado legislature’s passing laws to protect renters. In the past, the Medical Society has worked to reduce court access & compensatory damages for victims of medical negligence. Both have powerful lobbyists in the legislature.
Now I must reconsider my support for Amabile.
Cathy, I hope you will consider these donations in the context of my four-year voting record in the Colorado House. It reflects unequivocal support for increasing health care access to all Coloradans. With respect to protecting tenants, I voted YES on all of the historic protections for renters that passed the session this year (eviction protections, eliminating occupancy laws, and updating Colorado’s warranty of habitability law to keep tenants safe). I also strongly supported measures to expand protections for residents of mobile home parks. I have received support from several organizations with which I do not always agree. I think these groups are supporting my campaign because they know I include everyone at the table when developing policies, they trust me to give all sides a fair hearing, and they know I am transparent about where I stand. I certainly appreciate your concerns. If you would like to discuss this further, I am available. Please email me directly, judy@judyamabile.com. Thanks.