The Colorado GOP is charging Republican presidential candidates as much as $40,000 to appear on the state’s 2024 primary ballot, a fee that comes as the party has struggled to raise funds this year under new leadership. 

Democratic and Republican parties in other states also force presidential candidates to pony up to be included on their primary ballots, but such a fee doesn’t appear to have been imposed in Colorado in at least a decade. 

Colorado law requires state parties to approve candidates seeking to be on their presidential primary ballots. The Colorado GOP in August adopted “presidential candidate qualification rules” that require presidential candidates to do one of the following to appear on the state’s March 5 primary ballot:

• Pay the party $40,000

• Pay the party $20,000 and visit the state once

• Host a fundraiser for the Colorado GOP “in any state or location during a date and time, and venue, mutually agreed to by the campaign and state party for a nonrefundable discounted rate of $20,000.00.”

Presidential campaigns must also post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and another social media platform “their excitement to be on the Colorado ballot.” The posts must tag the Colorado GOP’s username and “directly encourage their followers to follow the party’s social media accounts for updates about the party primary and events.”

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