We say no to dark money in politics, and yes to candidates who agree.

As the union whose mission is to improve the lives of the more than 27,000 state workers who make Colorado run, we are adamantly opposed to dark money in politics, and applaud any candidate who agrees.

One such candidate is Kenny Nguyen, a former COWINS member and state employee running for House District 33. When he posted this video pledging he was not a One Main Street Candidate, and would not take oil and gas money, we paid attention.

Why? Because Dark money is all about giving the ultra-wealthy and corporations as much control over politics as possible. Dark money does not serve working people: it works against the interests of all working people, including our members and the public services they provide.

The thing about One Main Street is it claims to be pro-worker. But it is widely reported to be taking large, undisclosed donations from the oil and gas industry, the chamber of commerce, lobbyists for private prisons, and education reform groups associated with Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers–all to sway Democratic legislative primaries in support of “moderate” and pro-business candidates.

These are not labor allies.

Both the Denver Post and Colorado Sun have named One Main Street a dark money organization because it repeatedly explicitly declines to name its donors when asked by reporters, union leaders, and the public. Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, has also demanded One Main Street disclose their donors or stop trying to influence Democratic primaries. 

Have we formally endorsed Kenny Nguyen or anyone else for HD33 yet? No, we have not. Like most other labor unions and organizations in Colorado–including SEIU Colorado, CEA, and the Colorado AFL-CIO–our endorsement process takes time. It is member-led and democratic, and does not move forward without significant direct input from our members both locally and across the state. 

We will not rush our endorsement process, because to do so would be to betray our members.

What we will do now, however, is echo all calls on One Main Street to disclose their donors, applaud Kenny Nguyen for saying no to dark politics, and urge any candidate claiming to support working people to do the same.