Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas insisted tens of thousands in outside spending contributed to her primary loss in the race for a state House seat.

Thomas claimed a group spent $180,000 in attack ads against her.

Thomas lost by 824 votes to first-time candidate Matt Burcham out of 12,064 votes counted, according to the unofficial tally from Tuesday night.

When asked where her campaign fell short, Thomas alluded to a “dark money” attack from Keep Colorado Counties Safe, an independent expenditure group that “spent $180,000 against me,” Thomas said, citing the state’s campaign finance database.

“I don’t know how you counter that with the $32,000 I raised,” she said. “My phone has been filled with communication from supporters all day long who are shocked.”

Burcham had raised roughly $21,000.

The outside group’s expenditure dwarfed the two candidates’ fundraising and spending.

Keep Colorado Counties Safe received a total of $300,000 over six contributions signed by political strategist Sean Tonner on behalf of a group called Douglas County Future Fund, according to the Secretary of State’s campaign finance tracking system called TRACER. 

Tonner, who is no stranger to electioneering, is one of the principals of Renewable Water Resources, a group that has been trying since 2018 to buy water from the San Luis Valley for Douglas County. The group’s proposal would require drilling 25 confined aquifer wells and at a cost of about $600 million.

RWR proposal faced opposition from every state lawmaker in the valley, the valley’s congressional representative, both Colorado U.S. senators, the attorney general and the governor, as well as one Douglas County commissioner — Thomas.

“They were running non stop horrible calls ads about me,” Thomas told the Denver Gazette, referring to the outside spending against her. 

On its website, Keep Colorado Counties Safe said it consists of “Coloradans who care deeply about the safety and security of our communities. We want to see vibrant and well managed communities.”

The group endorsed three candidates, including Burcham, and painted Thomas as a sanctuary city “flip-flopper” and the “first Douglas County Commissioner to be censured.”

“I was recruited to run for this seat,” Thomas said. “I’m not blaming anybody. I’m just saying the fact is those ads ran, and the fact is that the leadership in the Colorado house told me in November that that people had pledged to spend whatever money was necessary to crush me.”

Within the month of June alone, Keep Colorado Counties Safe spent roughly $111,000 against Thomas and for Burcham and Priscilla Rahn, who for the commission seat in a three-way contest to represent District 3. State Sen. Kevin Van Winkle won that commission race. 

Independent expenditures are legally prohibited from cooperating with candidates.

During the campaign, Burcham said, “We need a fresh conservative voice representing Highlands Ranch at the Capitol. The status quo of career politicians controlled by special interest groups has led to inflation, open borders, rising crime, higher taxes and political gridlock.”

Thomas said it’s too early to decide next steps.

“I have been grateful for (voter) support since they first elected me in 2010 and I remain grateful for them,” she said. “What I have learned as a county commissioner would have made me a very strong legislator.”

She added: “I have left so many impacts already for Douglas County, and we’ll figure out where we go next.”