A state-level super PAC behind ads that back Katie Stewart and criticize Clark Craig has spent $150,000 this cycle in the blue-leaning House District 59.

Colorado Way Forward’s expenditures come atop the impressive $123,000 Stewart has raised during the campaign, a figure that outsizes Craig’s fundraising haul by a factor of two.

Stewart, who currently serves on the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education, had $78,000 cash on hand as of Oct. 15, which was the end of the last reporting period. Craig, the Republican mayor of Ignacio, has raised $58,000 in total and lent his own campaign $7,500. He had $29,000 on hand as of mid-October.

Democrats are vying to hold onto the seat, which is currently occupied by term-limited Rep. Barbara McLachlan. The party can afford to lose only two seats in the chamber if it wants to retain a supermajority.

Colorado Way Forward, the independent expenditure committee behind many of the print and digital ads trying to sway voters in Stewart’s favor, can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money on the race but is barred from coordinating with candidates.

The independent expenditure committee’s agent, Ashley Stevens, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

According to filings with the state, Colorado Way Forward and its federal affiliate have received $200,000 from Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, $175,000 from the progressive dark money group the Sixteen Thirty Fund, $175,000 from the Conservation Colorado PAC, $150,000 from the state’s teacher’s union as well as five-figure contributions from the likes of Anheuser Busch, Amazon and AT&T.

In HD59, the PAC has been responsible for digital ads circulating online and various mailers. Digital ads have called Craig a “fringe candidate” and said he would criminalize abortion. Pamphlets have also targeted his stance on the procedure.

Craig has said he would “do my best to choose life” in most situations. On Friday, he said the Colorado Way Forward’s claim was “a lie” and said he would not support legislation that established criminal penalties for those who have abortions.

In public forums, Craig has largely avoided concrete answers on the matter by stating that Colorado voters have already addressed the question of abortion access. He said the debate should “focus on the birthing and child-rearing and so forth” and personally does not endorse abortion. He has indicated support for the procedure as a “medical solution” in extreme cases such as rape and incest.

Although Stewart is not allowed to coordinate with Colorado Way Forward, the PAC has used B-roll and stills posted publicly by the campaign in ads. Stewart said she has not had any conversations with the PAC, given that any coordination would violate the state’s campaign finance laws, but is not bothered by the spending.

“I would gather that they have knowledge about what voters are looking for in Southwest Colorado and throughout Colorado,” Stewart said.

Craig said the spending gap was a challenge for his campaign, which has benefited from county-level party support but no PAC support.

“It's pretty offensive what they're doing,” he said.

Stewart indicated that the out-of-district and out-of-state spending is inherent to the nature of politics.

“There isn't much in life that's fair, and politics is included in that,” she said.

rschafir@durangoherald.com