← 2026-10-19 edition · Sourced reporting
Published Oct 19, 2026, 7:00 AM Central · This version Oct 19, 2026, 7:00 AM Central · As of 2026-10-19
Colorado PAC reports $144,750 in digital ads opposing Evans
An October 17 filing from Mainstream Colorado Fund reports $144,750 in digital advertising opposing the CO-08 Republican candidate. That is outside spending reported by the group, not money received by a candidate or evidence that an ad persuaded voters. The official ballot also lists Democrat Manny Rutinel and Libertarian Dave Wood. [1] [3] [4]
Read the FEC guide to outside spending →Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- 6 source records
- Mainstream Colorado Fund
- Federal Election Commission
- Colorado Secretary of State
- +1 more
Still open: The filing is the spender’s account; underlying invoice, ad creative, impressions, persuasion and candidate response were not obtained. No contact was made. All open questions ↓
Reporting question · As of 2026-10-19
The question: What does a new Colorado PAC filing reveal about money trying to influence the CO-08 House election?
Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
New disclosure
October 17: $144,750 reported to Delino LLC for digital advertising opposing Evans.
[1]Earlier activity
Distribution: October 9. Payment or obligation: October 16. These are not the filing date.
[2]Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast. Cards group different kinds of evidence; no shared numerical scale, inferred sequence or measured outcome.
Read the process as a table
| Component | Meaning | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| New disclosure | October 17: $144,750 reported to Delino LLC for digital advertising opposing Evans. | [1] |
| Earlier activity | Distribution: October 9. Payment or obligation: October 16. These are not the filing date. | [2] |
| Full ballot | Evans (R), Rutinel (D), Wood (L), in the official CO-08 list. | [3] |
| Limit | An outside group’s disclosure is not candidate receipts, ad verification or a prediction. | [4] [5] |
Archive photograph · 2013-09-02 · Washington, D.C., United States
Understand the story.
Who paid for the message
The new filing identifies Mainstream Colorado Fund as the spender and Delino LLC as the payee. It marks the advertising as opposing Evans. This record can help CO-08 voters distinguish a group’s message from a candidate’s own campaign spending. [1] [4]
Disclosure is the new fact
The $144,750 transaction was disclosed October 17. The form gives October 9 for distribution and October 16 for payment or obligation. It also reports $1,178,042.97 year to date for this election/office. That cumulative field includes a different period; adding it to the transaction would double-count part of the account. [1] [2]
Keep all three choices visible
The state’s official list includes Evans, Rutinel and Wood. A report opposing one candidate is not a comparison of all three platforms or their complete finances. We have not inspected the ad itself or measured its reach, factual claims or effect. [3] [4]
What the seat can change
CO-08 elects a federal lawmaker who participates in tax and other legislation. One House member cannot enact a proposal alone. Use the FEC’s independent-spending guide to read who paid and what the spending category means before treating an ad as evidence about a policy or candidate. [4] [5]
How we know5 scoped claims · 6 source recordsView evidence
Each claim keeps its full assertion, date, source passage and limits. Source counts describe records, not independent corroboration.
1.A newly disclosed advertising obligationAttributed
Mainstream Colorado Fund filed a new 24-hour independent-expenditure report dated October 17 listing $144,750 to Delino LLC for digital advertising opposing Evans in Colorado House District 08.
- Scope
- Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- Evidence passage
- Form 24/48 Schedule E, page 1, payee/purpose/amount, Oppose/House/CO/08 checkboxes; FEC filing 2029219 receipt_date 2026-10-17, amendment_indicator N.
- As of
- 2026-10-19
- Limit
- The committee reports the transaction; the filing is not an FEC audit, ad-content verification or proof of influence.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:04:37.805Z · Mainstream Colorado Fund · original FEC Schedule E
Interested filer disclosure, not an agency audit. October 9 distribution and October 16 obligation are distinguished from October 17 disclosure.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:09:10.421Z · Federal Election Commission · filing index
Current index verifies receipt and amendment metadata; substantive spending is read from the original PDF.
2.Three dates with different meaningsAttributed
The report lists October 9 for public distribution, October 16 for disbursement or obligation, and October 17 as its filing date. Its reported calendar-year-to-date amount for the election/office is $1,178,042.97.
- Scope
- Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- Evidence passage
- Schedule E page 1: Date of Public Distribution/Dissemination; Date of Disbursement or Obligation; Calendar Year-To-Date Per Election for Office Sought; signature date.
- As of
- 2026-10-19
- Limit
- The year-to-date figure is not an additional payment and must not be added to this transaction. The disclosure is fresh; the ad was not first distributed October 17.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:04:37.805Z · Mainstream Colorado Fund · original FEC Schedule E
Interested filer disclosure, not an agency audit. October 9 distribution and October 16 obligation are distinguished from October 17 disclosure.
3.The whole CO-08 fieldSupported
Colorado’s official general-election list names Gabe Evans (Republican), Manny Rutinel (Democratic) and Dave Wood (Libertarian) for House District 8. The FEC lists Timothy Gabriel Joseph Evans in CO-08 with principal committee ELECTGABEEVANS.COM.
- Scope
- Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- Evidence passage
- Official list: US House of Representatives, district 8 rows, all Write in? N, none stricken; FEC candidates result H4CO08034 and principal committee C00849844.
- As of
- 2026-10-19
- Limit
- The state list says it reflects September 4 certification; rechecked October 19. FEC filers alone cannot establish ballot eligibility. The report abbreviates Evans’s given names.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:05:15.535Z · Colorado Secretary of State · 2026 official general-election list
Certification-date roster, rechecked for withdrawal strike-throughs; not an election forecast.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:07:15.355Z · Federal Election Commission · CO-08 candidate identities
Federal registration context, including people who did not make the general ballot; not a ballot roster.
4.Outside money and campaign money differSupported
The FEC defines independent expenditures as communications expressly advocating election or defeat that are not coordinated with a candidate or party. This report includes the filer’s independence certification.
- Scope
- Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- Evidence passage
- FEC guide opening definition and Coordination defined; Schedule E page 1 certification immediately above signature.
- As of
- 2026-10-19
- Limit
- A signed certification is the filer’s assertion, not our independent finding that all conduct met the legal test. No coordination allegation is made.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:04:37.805Z · Mainstream Colorado Fund · original FEC Schedule E
Interested filer disclosure, not an agency audit. October 9 distribution and October 16 obligation are distinguished from October 17 disclosure.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:07:15.843Z · Federal Election Commission · independent-expenditure guide
General legal category and reporting guidance, not an adjudication of this filing.
5.A federal lawmaking seatSupported
The winner serves in the House, where tax and revenue legislation originates. Ordinary legislation must pass both chambers in matching form and go through presidential consideration.
- Scope
- Colorado 8th Congressional District, November 3, 2026 U.S. House election. One Mainstream Colorado Fund disclosure received October 17; its ad distribution and obligation dates are earlier. No total-race spending, audience reach, ad truth or election forecast.
- Evidence passage
- USAGov: How a bill becomes a law; How the House and Senate’s lawmaking procedures are different.
- As of
- 2026-10-19
- Limit
- Institutional powers do not predict a candidate’s vote or establish which party will control Congress.
Retrieved 2026-10-19T10:08:19.827Z · USAGov · how laws are made
Institutional background, not a current bill, promise or control forecast.
What remains open.
- The filing is the spender’s account; underlying invoice, ad creative, impressions, persuasion and candidate response were not obtained. No contact was made.
- The amount marked year-to-date and the single transaction cover different periods. No all-committee or all-candidate spending ranking is established.
- No inference about coordination, donor motive, illegality, ad truth, candidate policy or election outcome follows from this record.
- The official roster was rechecked, including withdrawal markup and write-in field; future changes require a new check.
A corrected original, material new disclosure, amended filing, changed access rule or price, verified outcome evidence or changed photo rights would reopen the affected claims and require an immutable revision.
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Publication times are Central. A development date and an evidence date can differ. Missing dates remain unrecorded.