Colorado’s “Gang of Four” (or “Four Horsemen”) refers specifically to Tim Gill, Pat Stryker, Jared Polis, and Rutt Bridges. These four wealthy Colorado donors coordinated in the early-to-mid 2000s to fund and organize a progressive political infrastructure that helped Democrats flip control of the state legislature in 2004 (for the first time in decades) and build lasting dominance in Colorado politics.
The four members
| Name | Background | Role/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Gill | Software entrepreneur (co-founder of Quark); major LGBTQ-rights philanthropist via the Gill Foundation | Motivated heavily by opposition to anti-gay legislation (e.g., Colorado’s 1992 Amendment 2). One of the biggest and most consistent funders. |
| Pat Stryker | Heiress to the Stryker medical-devices fortune; low-profile philanthropist | Often the largest single financial contributor in the early efforts; focused on social justice and family issues. |
| Jared Polis | Tech entrepreneur (multiple internet companies); later U.S. Representative (2009–2019) and Governor of Colorado (2019–present) | Served as a key strategist in the group; went on to the most prominent elected career of the four. |
| Rutt Bridges | Geophysicist and software entrepreneur (seismic data processing for oil/gas); founded the centrist Bighorn Center for Public Policy | More moderate/centrist-leaning than the others; considered running for U.S. Senate (2004) and governor (2006) but stepped aside. |
How they operated. They pooled resources (collectively millions in the 2004 cycle alone, largely through 527 groups to navigate contribution limits), worked with unions, environmental groups, trial lawyers, and operatives in a “Roundtable,” and focused on targeted legislative races rather than just high-profile statewide contests. This approach—sometimes called the “Colorado Model” or “Blueprint”—is credited by both supporters and critics with professionalizing progressive organizing in the state.
The original tight “Gang of Four” collaboration was most intense around 2004–2006. Polis shifted toward his own political career, and Bridges became less central over time, while Gill and Stryker continued as major long-term funders (later tied to the Colorado Democracy Alliance). Republicans at the time labeled them the “Gang of Four” or “Four Horsemen” in a critical sense, accusing them of using outsized wealth to buy elections.