Operational Guidelines Sustaining the SCFD’s Exceptional, Envied Funding Model

The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) is the Denver metro area’s nationally recognized source of regional funding for cultural facilities and programs. It was from the beginning designed with important guidelines that have maintained it as a unique and nationally envied model. As it approaches a 2028 renewal campaign, it will be important to keep them front and center.

SCFD Operational Guidelines:

1. Ensure regionalism and incorporate all counties and cities. Seven counties are represented in its governance. Counties receive funding equal to local sales tax revenue contributions. Their appointed citizen boards direct their own grant programs.
2. Establish and maintain a modest tax level. The revenue collected has grown with the region—from $14 million to $84 million—while the sales tax rate of one-tenth of a cent has remained the same. Don’t make the tax an affordability burden or a competitor among other public needs.
3. Maintain frugal administration. Maximize funding for cultural organizations and minimize the overhead of central bureaucracy. Limit culture-related micromanagement and consultant add-ons.
4. Protect cultural organizations from politics. Avoid political and ideological regulation from cultural elites, elected officials, planning staffs, or consultants.
5. Use statutory formulas to ensure dedicated funding. Prevent vulnerability to special-interest lobbying for funds and frequent formula changes.
6. Incentivize organizations to increase access to cultural offerings. Support broad socioeconomic audiences’ experience of high-quality performances, exhibits, and popular programs. Utilize budget and attendance funding formulas for Tier II-qualified cultural organizations.
7. Maintain county-based grant programs. Ensure county-level grants are community-guided and accountable to elected officials.
8. Embrace diverse cultural offerings. Establish a broad statutory purpose test to ensure diverse arts and culture are welcomed.
9. Hold periodic renewal elections. Term limits keep the organization focused on public service, access, and fiscal accountability. They also allow for periodic updates to the statute.
10. Ensure transparency and accountability. Require regular audits and reviews of grant programs.

Mayors Election April 2027

Mike Johnston will run for reelection and two far-left candidates have announced: Lisa Calderon, a perennial candidate who ran a strong 3rd place finish in 2023 (see table), and Shontel Lewis, a “progressive” city council member.

Denver’s politics has moved left in the last decade as reflected in increased Democratic vote percentages for statewide and federal candidates and, most recently, the 2026 Democratic primary, where an outside Democratic Socialist defeated an incumbent congresswoman.

As the incumbent, Johnston, who is a left-center politician, is handicapped as a prima facia member of the establishment and not left enough for the “We Will Not Wait” wing of the Denver Democratic Party. Although the two far-left candidates will likely split the “progressive” vote, if there is a runoff, the incumbent will be challenged by a more united left.

Denver Region Drives State Vote

Denver Metro Area Map courtesy of www.larryhotz.com

As usual, the seven-county Denver metro region provided 56 percent of the statewide vote. The following table shows the total 2026 primary vote for the seven metro counties in rank order of size and the Democratic vote for Senate.

The 590,000 metro voters in the Democratic U.S. Senate race was 66% of the statewide total. John Hickenlooper’s winning it secured his narrow victory. Michael Bennet’s losing it by 59% doomed him. Denver’s vote alone produced a quarter of the region’s Democrats and 18% of the statewide Democratic vote. Bennet lost Denver two to one.

Statewide statistics show unaffiliated voters an extremely important part of the Democratic vote. Sixty-four percent of unaffiliated voters took a Democratic ballot. Unaffiliated voters (388,000) were 43% of the total Democratic vote. They were 41% of the statewide vote but their turnout was somewhat less than partisans since they represent 52% of voter registration overall.

RELATED:
The 2026 Primary Turnout About Average July 21, 2026

Midterm Elections: Current Predictions

United States Capitol National Park Service photo by Mike Litterst

Midterm projections of the likely House and Senate seat swings in the 2026 November election are being published regularly. In the Senate, the Republicans continue to hold an advantage with most projections at best having a 50-50 Senate (3 seat swing to Democrats) with the VP having the tie vote and Republicans the right to control committees and the agenda. However, given President Trump’s weak allegiance from 2 or more Senators, it would be a difficult body to manage in 2027.

The House appears more likely to swing Democratic if the projections are correct. Democrats only need three seats for control and most projections are well beyond that number. If vacancies were filled, the current House would be 216 Dem. to 218 Rep.

The average first midterm election loss for the President’s party since LBJ in 1962 has been 22 House seats. The following chart shows some of the exceptional midterm swings. The 2026 midterm swing looks more modest due to the political system’s rigidity, polarization, negative partisanship, and state level redistricting.

RELATED:
Midterm Panic July 22, 2026
Midterm Elections: Tsunami or Minor Wave July 20, 2026

Colorado Party Disrupters

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, scream "Build the Wall" as President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

Melat Kiros, a Democratic socialist running to unseat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, speaks from the steps of the Colorado State Capitol Sunday, June 14. (Adrian O’Farrill, Rocky Mountain PBS via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)

Both of Colorado’s political parties have seen long-time incumbents lose primaries to outside the parties’ disrupters. In 2020, Lauren Boebert defeated 5-term Republican Congressman Scott Tipton. Closely associated with President Donald Trump, she was highly controversial and decided to switch to a safer district in 2024. She is currently the state’s most high-profile Republican but she is in some trouble with the MAGA base.

This year, 15-term Congresswoman Diane DeGette lost the Democratic nomination to non-politician and socialist Melat Kiros. She has received national attention and her socialist label and aggressive domestic and Middle East agendas will keep her in news. Kiros is already one of Colorado’s highest profile Democrats.

Could Boebert be Beaten?

LEFT: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert. (Photo by Shaun Stanley/Special to The Denver Post) | RIGHT: Eileen Laubacher, the Democratic nominee in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the 2026 election. (Campaign handout)

Colorado’s High Plains 4th Congressional District is the Republican Party’s safest seat. President Trump, while losing Colorado in all three of his elections, carried the 4th CD, including most recently by 58 percent to 40 percent for Kamala Harris (l54% Harris to 43% Trump).

Denver Post’s John Aguilar wrote a background on the 2026 race between Lauren Boebert and the new Democratic nominee Eileen Laubacher. His question was, “Is there a competitive contest?” The answer from CSU Professor Kyle Saunders and myself was possible but very unlikely, primarily because of the partisan advantage Republicans have in both registration and voting behavior.

Political analyst Floyd Ciruli also cautioned that cash alone may not be able to overcome the reality of the district’s political makeup. Republicans have 100,000-plus more registered voters than Democrats. “I’m not sure that money is the actual issue in this district,” Ciruli said.

Aguilar’s analysis pointed out:

• 2026 is likely to be a good Democratic year for winning House seats.
• Laubacher has $10.3 million compared to Boebert’s $1.1 million.
• Boebert has antagonized President Trump (Epstein investigation and support for Republican dissident Tom Massie). Is the base angry enough to send a Democrat to DC?
• Boebert did not secure an appropriation for a water pipeline in the District and could have even less clout in the next House.
• In spite of some advantages, Laubacher will need a very strong campaign message and ground game targeted at independents, moderates and people ready for a change. And a lot of luck.

Laubacher can pound themes on the campaign trail that are particularly salient to the largely agricultural district, Ciruli said, like high fuel and fertilizer prices in the midst of the U.S. war with Iran and added costs for farmers due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “You have to convince the farmer in Sterling or in Fort Morgan that they’re not getting enough representation and they need to move to a Democrat,” he said.

RELATED:
Boebert’s Last Term? April 6, 2023

The Bennet Collapse

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet hugs his supporters after conceeding to Phil Weiser in the Democratic gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday. (Stephen Swofford/The Denver Gazette)

The narrative of Democratic politics since the New York mayoral election of November 2025 has been that of young idealistic voters challenging political establishments, especially urban, and winning. Seattle, Washington, D.C. and L.A. have seen several successful socialism espousing candidates. It just hit the Colorado June 30 primary, and incumbents and establishment politicians are out of office.

Thirty-year incumbent, Congresswoman Diane DeGette, was the most obvious casualty but Senator Michael Bennet was also a victim of the framework now established for Democratic primaries. As a long-time establishment D.C. politician, Bennet and his team planned to overwhelm his opponent, Attorney General Phil Weiser, with name identification, endorsements, and money. All normally critical but now seen as signs of the establishment and status quo.

Polling indicated he was a two-to-one leader for most of the last year and into early 2026. But when the polls showed the race tightening, he and his Super PAC ramped up negative ads and he loaned his campaign $1 million The public polling available and media reports described a close race the last two months. His position collapsed the final two weeks as undecided voters moved to Weiser. Most observers believed Denver was beyond his winning in early June. He lost in Denver two to one (66% to 34%), and the Denver region by 59% on his way to losing statewide by 14 points.

RELATED:
Bennet’s Luck Ran Out July 13, 2026
Polling and the New York Primary Warned the Establishment – Change is Coming July 6, 2026