Toward the end of the Denver mayoral campaign, the funding for independent expenditure committees drew more attention than usual. Specifically, the media and Kelly Brough’s campaign lasered in on the millions given by billionaires to a group supporting Mayor-Elect Mike Johnston.
Despite the sky-is-falling rhetoric, philanthropic contributions like those — absent a self-interested quid pro quo impetus — are exactly what we should hope for in our elections.
To come to that conclusion, it is important to understand a few important points about campaign finance and elections. First, and foremost, the rallying cry to “get big money out of politics” will never be more than a tactic to work certain volunteers into a door-knocking, phone-banking frenzy.
