Bob Chew is betting big that Colorado voters are ready to swipe left on both major parties. The Forward Party’s U.S. Senate nominee and Boulder resident has pumped $1.1 million of his own money into his campaign and kicked off a provocative billboard blitz across the state last Monday. The ads twist presidential quotes into blunt shots at Republicans and Democrats alike, and Chew’s team says the rollout is the first stage of an ad plan topping $1.5 million. The strategy is a stress test for whether a third-party bid can actually break through in a state that has never elected an independent to the U.S. Senate.
Chew Leans On His Wallet And Buys The Megaphone
According to The Denver Gazette, Chew told reporters he plans to report donating $1.1 million to his campaign, while bringing in about $20,000 from other donors in the most recent quarter. He closed that period with just over $1 million in cash on hand.
The same outlet reports that Chew’s campaign lit up digital billboards around Colorado last Monday, including a Lakewood sign that read, “I cannot tell a lie, Republicans and Democrats really f***ed things up.” Those boards are part of an initial $1.5 million buy. Chew’s team says an additional TV and cable blitz of more than $700,000 is scheduled to start in August, folded into a broader mix of broadcast, digital, and mail outreach.
What The Paper Trail Shows So Far
The campaign’s authorized committee appears on the Federal Election Commission site and already lists an earlier $150,000 candidate loan that was reported in March. The FEC candidate profile also lays out the committee’s receipts and cash summaries, which should reflect Chew’s reported self-funding once the second-quarter report is filed. Those public records are what auditors and reporters will use to confirm the campaign’s numbers.
Three-Way Race, One Steep Climb
Chew will share the November ballot with Democratic incumbent John Hickenlooper, who secured his party’s nomination on June 30, and Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, setting up a three-way general election. Hickenlooper’s primary win was reported by The Colorado Sun. A Baisley campaign spokeswoman told The Denver Gazette that third-party runs often act as spoilers, “often in Democrats’ favor.”
On top of that political skepticism, Colorado has never elected an independent or third-party senator, a historical wall Chew will have to scale if his spending is going to turn into real votes.
Big Money, Limited Muscle
Local political watchers note that roughly $2 million in self-funding can absolutely buy visibility, but it is modest compared with the multimillion-dollar war chests that usually power competitive U.S. Senate campaigns. Colorado Pols argued that Chew’s cash will keep media consultants busy but is “nowhere near enough” to seriously move voter opinion across the state.
Even so, the early billboard wave is a clear bid for free coverage. If it keeps drawing cameras and social media chatter, Chew could stretch his dollars by getting far more attention than the raw ad buy would normally purchase.
Next Up: FEC Filings And TV Time
All eyes now turn to the second-quarter filing for Chew’s committee, which should show whether the reported $1.1 million infusion and current cash balance line up with what appears on the Federal Election Commission candidate page.
If the planned TV buy lands in August as advertised and the billboards keep pulling in coverage, Chew’s Forward Party campaign will get its cleanest test yet of whether a high-profile third-line candidacy can do more than shave votes off the margins.
