A group of more than a dozen Democratic Colorado lawmakers face an investigation by the state’s Independent Ethics Commission after attending a weekend retreat in Vail last month that was paid for, at least in part, by a nonprofit that does not disclose its donors. 

Three of the ethics commission’s four members voted on Tuesday to move forward with an investigation in response to complaints that were lodged against the group of lawmakers by Colorado Common Cause, a branch of the Washington-based liberal-leaning group that advocates for government transparency. 

The ethics commission’s chair, Sarah Mercer, recused herself from the vote and did not provide a reason. 

The complaints stem from a retreat in Vail that lawmakers attended along with several lobbyists over the Oct. 4 weekend at the Sonnenalp Hotel. The lawmakers are all members of the newly-formed Colorado Opportunity Caucus, which organized the trip. 

The Colorado Sun first reported on the gathering, as well as the lack of transparency from the caucus around who funded the trip. The Sun reported that One Main Street Colorado, a nonprofit that largely does not disclose its donors, agreed to pay $25,000 to cover lawmakers’ hotel expenses. 

Common Cause filed complaints against 17 lawmakers on Nov. 5, alleging that the payments violated the state’s gift ban for lawmakers.

The Colorado Constitution generally limits elected officials from accepting gifts or payments. Lawmakers who are scheduled speakers at an event can have their admission covered and accept payments for “reasonable” expenses. Outside of that, lawmakers are banned from accepting gifts or expenses valued at over $75, including for travel and accommodation. 

The Opportunity Caucus was formed as a nonprofit similar to other caucus groups in the state legislature. As nonprofits, these organizations can accept contributions, but lawmakers are still prohibited from accepting gifts, such as hotel rooms and “other resort gifts,” according to the complaints from Common Cause. 

“No one is above the law or the state (Constitution),” said Common Cause Executive Director Aly Belknap, in a statement on Tuesday following the ethics commission’s vote. “The trust the public places in our leaders when we elect them to office is sacred and not to be taken lightly. Common Cause commends the Independent Ethics Commission for taking appropriate action, and we reaffirm our shared mission to defend the public interest.”

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Senate chamber is pictured inside the Colorado Capitol on Aug. 25, 2025. The Colorado Opportunity Caucus is made up of Democratic lawmakers in both the Senate and the House who are generally considered to be among the party’s more moderate flank.</figcaption><figcaption>Robert Tann/Summit Daily News</figcaption>

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The Opportunity Caucus, in a statement on Tuesday, denied any wrongdoing and said the complaints against lawmakers amount to “mud-slinging sideshows” intended to “smear the legislators’ reputations.”

The lawmakers who attended the Vail retreat and are accused of violating the gift ban include Steamboat Springs Rep. Meghan Lukens. 

In a statement, Lukens said, “Everything the Opportunity Caucus did was by the book and under the guidance of an attorney to ensure compliance with the law. In fact, what the caucus did was no different than what other legislative caucuses have been doing for years. Rather than get involved in the political theater behind the complaint, I’m going to continue focusing on the people and the needs of this district.”

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, speaks during a news conference at the Colorado Capitol on Jan. 29, 2025.</figcaption><figcaption>Robert Tann/Summit Daily News</figcaption>

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A complaint was not filed against Sen. Dylan Roberts, who attended part of the retreat but did not stay at the hotel. Roberts lives in nearby Frisco. In previous statements, Lukens and Roberts said the point of the retreat was to discuss the caucus’ goals around affordability and the future of the Democratic Party. 

Complaint details 

The complaints filed by Common Cause allege that One Main Street, which approved the spending on the hotel, “wielded undisclosed influence over a large number of Colorado legislators by paying significant costs of the event, including their individual travel expenses.” 

Common Causes claims that lawmakers couldn’t pay the $25,000 cost of their rooms, and asked One Main Street to cover the expense. Common Cause said the payment was not a “general contribution” but something specific for the caucus and its lawmakers that is within the scope of the state’s gift ban. 

The complaints include screenshots of emails from One Main Street’s executive director requesting “urgent” approval of the money from the nonprofit’s board to “secure rooms for the Colorado Opportunity Caucus” summit. The email states that the hotel rooms for the event are “at risk if payment isn’t made in time” and that the Opportunity Caucus asked One Main Street to “step in with $25,000 so they don’t lose the reservation.” 

The complaints also allege that One Main Street covered other expenses, including food and drink. 

Common Cause, in its complaints, said that One Main Street has been deeply intertwined with the Opportunity Caucus, which is made up of Democrats who are considered to be more moderate. 

One Main Street has, in the past, supported moderate Democratic candidates in state primaries, and Common Cause claims that the group had spent “nearly $800,000 in largely untraceable funds to back several Opportunity Caucus members” following the June 2024 primaries. 

Accusations of political motivation 

The Vail meeting sparked blowback from more progressive Democrats and their allies, with some progressive lawmakers chastising the retreat on social media. 

Opportunity Caucus lawmakers have said the complaints against them are politically motivated. In their joint statement on Tuesday, the caucus lawmakers said the complaints are part of “a publicity and fundraising campaign to silence Democratic incumbents ahead of their 2026 primary elections. It’s not about ethics at all.”

“This is a grotesque, intentionally orchestrated miscarriage of justice,” said Opportunity Caucus Chair Sen. Lindsey Daugherty.

Daugherty said Common Cause and others pushing the complaints “should do some serious soul-searching and Coloradans should let them know that joining Donald Trump in attacking Democrats, trampling on justice, rejecting due process, and abandoning integrity to score cheap political points is not the kind of behavior that our state wants, deserves or will accept.”

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib made similar comments in a statement on Tuesday defending the lawmakers who attended the retreat.

Murib said the lawmakers involved with the Opportunity Caucus have “already taken good-faith steps to address the situation” prior to the ethics commission’s vote by “making a sizable contribution to the Food Bank of the Rockies, regardless of whether they believe a violation occurred.”

He said that the complaints are “ethically questionable and gross tactics that disrespect the ethics commission and the voters.”

The Colorado Working Families Party, a progressive group, called Murib’s statement “outrageous” in its own statement on Tuesday, adding that the Colorado Democratic Party is doing “damage control for lawmakers who took corporate gifts.

“That’s the same corporate donor-driven politics that has broken trust nationally, and it has no place in Colorado,” said Working Families Party State Director Wynn Howell.