Democrat Jena Griswold sets record with quarterly total in Colorado secretary of state race

Democrat Jena Griswold sets record with quarterly total in Colorado secretary of state race | News | coloradopolitics.com: Democrat Jena Griswold sets record with quarterly total in Colorado secretary of state race By ERNEST LUNING ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com Jul 12, 2021 Updated Jul 15, 2021 0 Facebook Twitter Email Election Secretary of State Colorado Griswold In this file photo, Jena Griswold, the Democrat elected as Colorado's secretary of state in 2018, speaks during a campaign event on Oct. 26, 2018, in Silverthorne, Colo. She's seeking a second term in 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold plans to report that her re-election campaign has brought in more than $340,000 for the fundraising quarter that just ended, leaving the Democrat with more than $825,000 cash on hand. Both figures set new records for the state office, which has taken on new prominence in recent years amid increasing controversy over the conduct of elections. “Colorado sets the national standard for safe, secure and accessible voting,” Griswold said in a statement. “While other states have actively worked to strip away voting rights from their constituents, I am dedicated to ensuring that we expand access to voting for every eligible Colorado voter.” While Colorado established all-mail voting years before she took office, Griswold was at the helm last year when state voters set turnout records during the pandemic. Colorado routinely ranks among the states with the highest voter turnout, last year coming in second to Minnesota. During Griswold's term, the state has implemented automatic voter registration, put in place a system allowing voters to track their ballots as they're processed and increased the number of ballot drop-boxes and in-person polling locations. A spokesman said Griswold received more than 2,200 donations, with 89% of them from Colorado residents. State-level candidates are required to file reports by midnight Thursday with Griswold's office covering fundraising and campaign expenditures from the second quarter of the year, which ended June 30. U.S. House and Senate candidates face the same deadline with the Federal Election Commission. Griswold, the first Democrat elected to the office since the early 1960s, has yet to draw a Republican challenger, though former Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese has been sounding like a potential candidate in recent months and could launch a campaign sometime this summer. Last year, Pugliese led an unsuccessful statewide campaign to block Colorado's participation in the National Popular Vote Compact, which requires the state to award its Electoral College votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote once enough states have signed on to total at least 270 electoral votes. A right-leaning advocacy group targeted Griswold with a modest digital campaign last month over her support for federal legislation to overhaul how the country conducts elections. Online ads released by Compass Colorado blasted the Democrats' For the People Act as the "Corrupt Politicians Act," characterizing the stalled congressional proposal as a "partisan power grab" that would undermine Colorado's election system. Griswold swung back at the attack in a statement to Colorado Politics. "Colorado's election model is the nation's gold standard, and this bill would have brought aspects of Colorado's system nationwide, making a more equitable democracy a reality," she said.