A campaign finance complaint made against Colorado's Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, is expected to be dismissed next month. The Public Trust Institute accused Griswold of showing intent to run for governor without fulfilling the necessary legal requirements. This marks another dismissal among five complaints filed by the institute against Griswold. An investigation overseen by the Attorney General’s office found insufficient evidence supporting any violation of state campaign finance laws. The probe revealed that the purchase of a domain name linked to Griswold was done independently by her brother, Chris Griswold, who was unaware of the public exposure of a landing page created automatically by GoDaddy.
Details of the Investigation and Key Findings
In a detailed investigation conducted following the filing of the complaint, it emerged that Chris Griswold, a consultant at Hilltop Public Solutions, acquired the jenaforgovernor.com domain in August 2024. Neither Jena Griswold nor her team directed this acquisition, and she was oblivious to its existence until December 20, when a news outlet disclosed it. The investigation also highlighted that Chris Griswold was uninformed about GoDaddy's AI-generated landing page and the public subscription form on the website. Only one individual subscribed, with their information remaining undisclosed and unused by the campaign team.
Despite an initial denial by Chris Griswold regarding ownership of the domain, further inquiry led to acknowledgment but no evidence surfaced indicating other domain purchases or required expenditure reporting. Following media contact, the website was promptly deactivated. In statements issued last December, both Chris Griswold and Jena Griswold emphasized her focus on current roles as Secretary of State and new motherhood, with no declared plans beyond 2026. Recently, Jena Griswold announced her candidacy for attorney general instead of governor, aligning with findings that she never publicly expressed interest in running for governor.
The dismissal order becomes definitive on May 7, concluding this particular legal scrutiny without requiring responses from either Chris Griswold or Jena Griswold's campaign.
From a journalistic perspective, this case underscores the complexities surrounding campaign finance regulations and the potential for misunderstandings stemming from independent actions within a candidate's network. It highlights the importance of transparency and clear communication channels to prevent such misinterpretations. For readers, it serves as a reminder of the need for thorough investigations before drawing conclusions about political figures' intentions and actions.