OutSpent
Independence Score
John Hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper

Democrat · CO· In the Senate since 2021 (5 yrs)

84A/ 100

Funded by you, not by concentrated money.

Why this grade

Every score is built from money facts you can check. Here's what drove it.

Who funds them63% of grade

31.1% of their money comes from small donors; 3.3% comes from PACs.

Their leadership PAC38% of grade

$610,769 in PAC money flows through their leadership PAC (GIDDY UP PAC).

Where the money comes from

$512K

Career donations from the seven industries that most often buy influence, and the biggest names in each.

Big Tech$188,448

Google $74K · Apple $42K · Amazon $30K · Oracle $22K · Microsoft $17K

Telecom$136,579

Comcast $62K · Charter $49K · AT&T $18K · Verizon $5K · T-Mobile $4K

Banks & finance$84,348

Blackstone $28K · Goldman Sachs $14K · Morgan Stanley $13K · JPMorgan $10K · Am. Bankers Assn. $9K

Pharma$54,467

Johnson & Johnson $44K · Pfizer $4K · Merck $4K · AbbVie $2K · Amgen $2K

Defense$22,820

Raytheon $8K · Lockheed Martin $8K · Boeing $4K · Northrop Grumman $2K · General Dynamics $575

Real estate$15,897

Zillow $8K · Natl Assn of Realtors $5K · CBRE $3K

Oil & energy$9,008

Chevron $5K · Am. Petroleum Inst. $3K · Valero $500 · ExxonMobil $421 · Marathon $350

Source: FEC career receipts. It's all legal. That's the point.

The money votes

On the Senate votes where concentrated money was on the line, here's which way they went. Sided with the money on 2 of 11.

Pass the 2025 reconciliation tax packageHeld the line

H.R. 1 · 2025. Its largest benefits flow to corporations and top earners. A yes vote sided with the donor class.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Revoke California clean-cars waiverHeld the line

H.J.Res. 88 · 2025. Revoked California's EV-standards waiver. A yes vote sided with oil and legacy-auto interests against the EV transition.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal bank overdraft-fee capHeld the line

S.J.Res. 18 · 2025. Killed the CFPB cap on overdraft fees at the biggest banks. A yes vote sided with their fee income.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal big-tech wallet oversightHeld the line

S.J.Res. 28 · 2025. Killed CFPB supervision of big-tech payment apps (Apple/Google/PayPal-style). A yes vote sided with those firms.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal methane emissions feeHeld the line

H.J.Res. 35 · 2025. Killed the EPA fee on oil-and-gas methane leaks. A yes vote sided with the fossil-fuel industry that would have paid it.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal crypto-custody rule (SAB 121)Voted with the money

H.J.Res. 109 · 2024. Killed the SEC rule making banks hold capital against customer crypto. A yes vote sided with crypto firms and banks.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal small-business lending data ruleVoted with the money

S.J.Res. 32 · 2023. Killed the CFPB rule making banks report small-business lending data (used to spot bias). A yes vote sided with the banks.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Repeal ESG/climate investing ruleHeld the line

H.J.Res. 30 · 2023. Killed the rule letting retirement plans weigh climate risk. A yes vote sided with fossil-fuel and asset-management interests.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Inflation Reduction Act (drug prices)Held the line

H.R. 5376 · 2022. Let Medicare negotiate drug prices for the first time. A no vote sided with the pharmaceutical industry.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Freedom to Vote ActHeld the line

S. 2747 · 2021. Aimed to curb big money and tighten disclosure. Blocking it protected dark-money spending.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

For the People ActHeld the line

S. 2093 · 2021. Carried donor-disclosure and anti-big-money rules. Blocking it sided with undisclosed money.

See who voted Yea & Nay →

Source: Senate roll-call records. “With the money” means the vote favored the industry whose cash was at stake. It's not a judgment of right or wrong.

How to read the grade

We grade money behavior, not party. Both parties run the full range. We show the averages in the open: the typical Democrat scores 68, the typical Republican 55. Source: FEC receipts (small-donor vs PAC) and leadership-PAC filings. Nothing here alleges a crime. The point is that it's all legal.

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