Denver Post: Walker Stapleton found a way around governor’s race donation limits – it’s raising money and eyebrows

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Expert

Walker Stapleton will inch up to the line of launching his campaign for governor this month at a private fundraiser where tickets cost as much as $10,000 per couple.

But the Republican state treasurer won’t make it official, and a key reason is money.

The longer Stapleton waits before formally announcing his bid for Colorado’s top job, the more he can help steer unlimited sums of money toward a super PAC-style group that is expected to provide his artillery during the campaign.

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Analysts at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog and advocacy group, said they don’t have figures on the number of state-level politicians who are following in Bush’s footsteps and championing super PAC-similar groups.

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“Generally when we see things at the federal level, they trickle down to the state and local level,” said Adav Noti, who served in the Office of General Counsel at the Federal Election Commission before joining the Campaign Legal Center. “I would not be surprised if there were an upswing in governor’s races.”

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For a super PAC, it’s not even a wink and a nod,” Noti said. “The only wink is a candidate pretending they are not a candidate. It’s not a wink-wink. It’s a sham.”

The approach could invite a challenge as well. The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC over Bush’s super PAC and also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether it violated federal campaign finance laws.

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