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Dem hopeful urges finance-rules delay

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 31, 2006 at midnight

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The ongoing battle over new campaign-finance rules escalated Thursday as Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon called on the secretary of state to delay their implementation until after the November election.

Gordon, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, said that the rules are "without merit" and unfair because they were implemented in the middle of the election.

He said he considered Republican Secretary of State Gigi Dennis a "friend," but accused her of supporting partisan interests when she implemented new rules earlier this month that cramp Democratic fundraising efforts.

Dennis countered that she had the authority to make the rules and there would be no delay.

Dennis touched off a furor among Democrats when she ruled that groups that use membership dues for political activities must first get written authorization from each member.

Although the rule applies to all groups, Democrats in particular use dues to fund small-donor committees to aid Democratic candidates.

"The secretary of state should be a neutral, nonpartisan referee on election issues," Gordon said.

"I served with Gigi Dennis in the legislature and by the standards of the Colorado General Assembly she was not particularly partisan.

"However, in this case, I believe she succumbed to pressure from strong partisan advocates in her party," he said.

Dennis said she listened to advocates in both parties, and some rule changes she made were at the urging of Democrats.

Mike Coffman, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, said he supports the concept of Dennis' rule on membership dues but questioned whether she has the right to institute a rule identical to legislation previously voted down by lawmakers.

But Coffman does support the immediate implementation of another rule change from Dennis, which requires that membership organizations certify that the dues they collect are from U.S. citizens.

"This is already in law; the rule merely works to enforce it by requiring whoever signs off on the campaign-finance report to certify that the contributions are from U.S. citizens," Coffman said.

Gordon also wants that rule delayed.

Several organizations and individuals have sued Dennis in Denver District Court over the rules. That lawsuit is pending.

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