Political funder aims to change primaries

Kent Thiry has poured millions into ballot measures

BY JESSE PAUL AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

Kent iry, who has poured millions of dollars into democracy-related initiatives in Colorado intended to boost the power of moderate voters and make political contests more competitive, is advocating for major changes to the state’s primary election process to address what he calls gaps and inequities.

e former CEO of the dialysis giant DaVita’s next political act is backing an e ort to do away with Colorado’s caucus and assembly process through which candidates can make the primary ballot. He also wants the legislature to nd a way to prevent Coloradans from throwing away their votes by casting primary ballots for presidential candidates who later drop out of the race.

If successful, the changes could be iry’s most transformative work yet.

“I’m passionate about democracy,” he told e Colorado Sun in a recent in- employees. He is pushing the legislature to alter Colo- personally bankrolled e orts to let una liated voters ported have passed.

Right now, iry is “ex- tremely supportive” of Senate Bill 101, which would end Colorado’s caucus and assembly process of selecting primary candidates and make signature gathering the only way to make the ballot. e legislation would also let una liated voters sign partisan candidate petitions. iry called the caucus-assembly nominating system “blatantly unfair and blatantly inequitable.” e measure, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Rep. Mary Brad eld, R-Colorado Springs, is up for its rst hearing ursday in the Senate State, Military and Veterans Committee. And it’s likely to be quickly rejected despite recent polling commissioned by a group associated with iry showing that the proposed changes are popular with Coloradans.

“It’s unfair because a small group of party insiders control all the management around it and it’s inequitable because there’s lots of voters who can’t, on a weeknight or a weekend, leave work or leave their kids or leave their military base to go participate,” he said.