Bob Chew, the Forward Party nominee for U.S. Senate in Colorado this election cycle, reportedly plans to put $1.1 million into his campaign as part of an aggressive statewide advertising and outreach effort.
Colorado Politics first reported July 14 that, in addition to the planned self-funding, Chew’s campaign expects to report raising another $20,000 during the most recent fundraising quarter, which ended June 30. The campaign also told the outlet that Chew finished the quarter with just over $1 million cash on hand, including $1,000 contributions from Forward Party national co-chairs Andrew Yang and Christie Todd Whitman.
Chew, whose campaign website identifies him as a Navy veteran and retired engineering executive behind a pharmaceutical and medical device services company he later sold to its employees, is seeking the seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper. Despite his website identifying him as an independent candidate, Chew is running with the support of both the state and national Forward parties and will appear on the ballot under the Forward Party label.
Chew originally said when he launched his campaign in May that he planned to spend at least $2 million to give voters what he called “a real choice beyond the two-party status quo.” Federal Election Commission records already show an earlier $150,000 loan from Chew to his campaign.
The investment by Chew into his campaign is also part of a larger spending plan. Colorado Politics reported that Chew’s campaign has already put up digital billboards across the state and is planning an initial $1.5 million advertising buy, including television, cable, radio, digital, and mail. The campaign also plans to begin airing ads in August, with that buy expected to run through September.
The Colorado Forward Party formally endorsed Chew and four other candidates at its statewide nominating assembly earlier this year. In the following months, the national Forward Party backed Chew as part of a slate of U.S. Senate candidates that also included Todd Achilles in Idaho, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, and Seth Bodnar in Montana. In a statement at the time, the national party said the slate is part of an effort to influence the Senate by electing a small bloc of independent-minded candidates to function as a wedge on certain priorities.
As of this article’s publication, the Federal Election Commission had not yet updated its public campaign finance records to reflect the reported second-quarter figures. Independent Political Report will include those details when they become available.
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