The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is investigating campaign finance violations alleged against Larimer County state Rep. Ron Weinberg after a complaint filed by a fellow Republican legislator resulted in the office advancing the case to a higher level of scrutiny.
Weinberg is alleged to have violated campaign finance regulations in a complaint filed in August by Colorado Rep. Brandi Bradley, and on Nov. 19, the Secretary of State’s Office filed a notice of investigation into Weinberg’s campaign spending.
The complaint claims that Weinberg has made multiple improper campaign finance expenditures since 2023, including sponsorship of a rugby team based in Tel Aviv, paying hotel bills in Denver and Blackhawk, and spending $396.23 on cigars.
“Just confused,” Weinberg told the Reporter-Herald when asked about the investigation and the expenditures that prompted it. “Everything was done through a registered agent — that’s why I pay a registered agent. I don’t do my own books. Everything was part of the campaign.”
Weinberg said the Israeli rugby team sponsorship, totalling $1,955, was close to him personally, but he argued the expenditure was a legitimate campaign expense, made during a Glendale tournament in which the team competed.
“I’m Jewish, I’ve lived in Israel, I have ties to Israel,” he said. “They lost a couple of sponsors, so I offered to sponsor the team with my campaign logo, Weinberg for Loveland. It was for advertising purposes. I double-, triple-checked that I was allowed to do it. The team signed my jersey and they put my logo on their jersey.”
He also said one of the hotel stays mentioned in the complaint was for a Republican GOP retreat, and he added that other members’ campaign finance reports reflect similar expenditures.
“Should I go and make a report on everybody else?” he said. “They have the same charge, I looked through it. Why didn’t they get flagged?”
In her August complaint, Bradley, a Littleton Republican, wrote: “An account on social media posted the violations and made me aware of the gross negligence and the vast violations (that) I believe Rep Weinberg committed against campaign finance laws.”
She alleged in her complaint that a $673.62 expense at the Brown Palace hotel in downtown Denver occurred on the last day of the legislative session and did not involve any legislative business.
The Secretary of State’s Campaign and Political Finance Manual states that candidates “may not use contributions for personal purposes not reasonably related to the election of the candidate,” and later it says candidates can donate unspent campaign funds to charities at the end of the cycle.
Bradley’s complaint is not the first time she has clashed with Weinberg. She has previously said that Weinberg had made inappropriate comments to other legislators, and in late July she filed a complaint alleging that he had made a master key to the Colorado Capitol that gave him access to other legislators’ offices. Weinberg told leadership at the time that he did not have his own master key but had taken a key from a senior House staffer. House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat, called the matter “very serious” and instructed Weinberg to hand over any such key he had and not repeat his behavior.
Regarding the campaign finance complaint, Weinberg said that he’s complying with requests for information over the course of the investigation.
The secretary of state’s Elections Division has until Dec. 19 either to file a motion to dismiss the matter or to file a complaint with a hearing officer and present an argument that campaign finance violations occurred.
“Transparency is key,” Weinberg said. “I’m not hiding anything from anybody. These reports have been out there for three years. It’s odd that now they’re being flagged.”
Weinberg has served in the Colorado House of Representatives since 2022, when he was appointed to a seat previously held by GOP Minority Leader Hugh McKean, who died suddenly shortly before the election.
Weinberg won election in 2024, and he is running for reelection in 2026.