Out-Of-State Interests Targeting Colorado More Than Ever

DENVER (CBS4) - One out-of-state corporation alone has spent more than $16 million on a Colorado ballot measure.

Usually outside spending occurs in Colorado's congressional races, but this year the state's ballot measures are also attracting big money from all over the country.

Groups for and against Colorado's ballot initiatives are going for broke this election in more ways than one. Campaign finance filings show millions of dollars being spent on the measures, and most of it is from out of state.

"They are trying to rewrite our constitution," said Josh Penry with Raise the Bar, a group pushing Amendment 71, which would make it more difficult to change the constitution.

Most of its money -- more than $13 million -- is coming from oil and gas companies that Penry says are disproportionately targeted by out-of-state special interests.

"Colorado does have a really easy Constitution to amend and all these groups view sort of Colorado as a petri dish," Penry said. "It's not just about the policy in Colorado, it's about the implications for other states and other election cycles. So what happens is that we've made ourselves a target."

Take Amendment 72, which would raise the tax on tobacco. Phillip Morris has spent more than $16 million to fight it, and the ads never mention tobacco.

Amendment 70, which would raise Colorado's minimum wage, is funded almost entirely by groups outside Colorado who have spent nearly $4.5 million. And a single out-of-state union has dropped $500,0000 to defeat Amendment 71, which opponents call a Trojan Horse. Ironically, the horse is funded by an out-of-state special interest group.

National unions are among the biggest spenders this election. They've largely bankrolled the minimum wage initiative.

The secretary of state doesn't track who's spent the most on Colorado's ballot measures,