Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor, has given millions more in support of Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco products, setting a new record.
Voters are set to decide Tuesday whether to keep or repeal the city’s recent ban on flavored vaporizers, menthols and more. Bloomberg’s contributions to the coalition in favor of retaining the ban now stand at $4,973,000, according to the latest campaign finance filings.
It’s the most ever given by an individual to a Denver municipal race, according to a spokesperson with the Office of the Denver Clerk and Recorder. The city has no limit on campaign contributions for ballot measures.
The previous record, according to the clerk’s office, was $2,015,875 donated by Reid Hoffman to an independent group supporting Major Mike Johnston’s campaign in 2023.
Bloomberg, a long-time anti-tobacco advocate, gave four donations of more than a million dollars each to the campaign, known as Denver Kids vs Big Tobacco, during the last couple of months.
Denverite reached out to Bloomberg Philanthropies for comment but hasn’t yet gotten a response.
Pro-flavor ban side has a 9-to-1 fundraising edge
The contributions bring the pro-flavor ban side a nearly 9-to-1 fundraising advantage over the campaign to repeal the ban, which is called "Citizen Power!".
Denver Kids vs Big Tobacco has raised $5.8 million in total, with other contributors including the Tobacco-Free Kids Actions Fund ($694,000) and Kaiser Permanente ($50,000). The group has been running TV ads in heavy rotation.
The opposition campaign has raised $646,000. Its donors include Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance, which has given $172,000, and a pair of $75,000 contributions from multinational corporations Altria and Philip Morris International. PMI is building a plant to make Zyn nicotine pouches in Aurora.
How we got here
The Denver City Council banned flavored nicotine sales in Denver in December, with Mayor Mike Johnson signing the ordinance into law.
Opponents then started a petition drive to challenge the ban and successfully gathered thousands valid signatures to put the repeal before voters.
The city won’t enforce the ban until the election is settled.
Repeal backers criticized Bloomberg’s contributions.
“Why is out-of-state billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, flooding Denver with millions of dollars to destroy minority owned small businesses and deny adults’ rights in Denver? Denverites can think for themselves. We will not be bought!” said Phil Guerin, who owns the vape shop Myxed Up Creations on Colfax Avenue, as well as locations in four other Colorado cities, via text. “Bloomberg should focus on New York City mayoral politics and leave us westerners alone!”
The Yes on 310 campaign said they have broad support from doctors, nurses, individuals, and more than 70 groups and public health organizations like the American Lung Association. The campaign also cited endorsements from organizations like the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
“Big Tobacco companies like Philip Morris International and Altria have joined forces with vape shop owners and the out-of-state tobacco lobby to pour money into defeating this lifesaving measure,” the Yes on 310 campaign said in an emailed statement. “Their goal is clear: keep profiting from poisoning our kids and addicting them to nicotine.”
Proponents didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. They have argued Bloomberg’s spending is dwarfed by the more than $100 million spent annually in tobacco industry marketing expenditures in the state, according to federal data.
Earlier in the campaign, the Yes on 310 campaign said they had broad support from doctors, nurses, individuals and public health organizations like the American Lung Association, with endorsements from organizations including the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Bloomberg pursued a number of public health initiatives when he was NYC mayor. Those included a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, a cigarette tax hike, an increase in the legal age to buy tobacco products and a ban on flavored e-cigarette products, including menthol flavors.
How 310 would work
Referendum 310 will decide whether to keep or repeal Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco, including nicotine vaporizers that come in a range of fruity flavors.
It bars flavored vaporizers, menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, chews and pouches from being sold in the city. Flavored hookah can still be sold.
If a majority of people vote “yes,” the city will continue to ban the products. If a majority vote “no,” the ban would be repealed and businesses would be allowed to sell the products again.
The full text of the ordinance is available here, and Denverite’s voter guide is here. Ballots are due by 7 p.m. Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
