From college tech geek to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis — Inauguration Day

DENVER | Gov. Jared Polis’s first order of business after being sworn into office on Tuesday was taking a selfie. He, his Lieutenant Governor Diane Primavera and other top state officials — the newly elected secretary of state, state treasurer and attorney general — took the oath of office in front of a full audience on the west steps of the state capitol.

It’s a formal step to the left, as Polis overwhelmingly won election victory and party’s consolidation of legislative control promise ambitious changes for energy and environmental regulation, health care and state-funded early childhood education.

“Right now, our nation is experiencing a period of growing divisiveness and rising tribalism. But we here in Colorado have chosen a different path. Here, we have come so far, climbed so high, and done so much not just to say, but to show that we reject that brand of politics,” he said speaking to a full crowd in Denver.

Polis highlighted Colorado’s accomplishments under former Gov. John Hickenlooper, saying the state is now the economy of envy across the nation.

“Our mission now is to build on that legacy and make Colorado’s success work for everyone in our state — from Grand Junction to Yuma, from Trinidad to Fort Collins.”

The theme of the festivities was “a Colorado for all.” A Sikh blessing and a  native American blessing were given at the ceremony, along with a performance by the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus.

Polis is a wealthy tech and education entrepreneur and former five-term congressman from Boulder. He succeeds Gov. John Hickenlooper, a centrist Democrat, former Denver mayor, petroleum geologist and beer pub entrepreneur who served the maximum two terms. Hickenlooper is actively considering a 2020 presidential run.

As a student at Princeton University, Polis opened an online server business in a dorm room, going on to sell the budding business for millions.

Polis trounced then-state treasurer Walker Stapleton in November and became the nation’s first openly gay governor. That played no role in the campaign, with health care and Donald Trump’s presidency the top issues. But Polis’ inauguration marked a special day for LGBTQ advocates nationwide.

The festivities include an evening “Blue Sneaker Ball,” named after the footwear Polis sported during his campaign. Pop singer and LGBTQ activist Cyndi Lauper and the R&B combo Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats performed.

Former state Rep. Diane Primavera, a health care advocate and now lieutenant governor is a four-time cancer survivor and most recently led Colorado’s Susan G. Komen Foundation chapter to battle breast cancer.

Sen. Leroy Garcia, speaking at today’s event, said he’s confident he will be able to work with legislators across the aisle in both chambers this year. Colorado Speaker of the House K.C. Becker, who said she met Polis in Boulder more than a decade ago, echoed Garcia’s sentiments, saying the goal will be to continue to be to work together, despite Democrats having control in both the House and Senate.

It’s a theme that rang throuhought the inauguration.

“Diversity makes our state healthier and more prosperous. We complement one another, learn from each other, make each other better, and in that work, we respect each other’s rights, sharing a common faith in our abilities and our future while having real conversations about how to make progress,” Polis said in his speech.

Hickenlooper said this morning that at his swearing in eight years ago, the temperature was too cold for the National Guard jets to take off. Instead, a flock of geese flew over.

“It was a metaphor,” he says. “Colorado was failing to launch.”

A fellow lawmaker joked to Hickenlooper that the governor was already cutting the budget, Hickenlooper recalled. Now the state’s economy, rebounding from a recession, is among the top in the country.

During his tenure, Hickenlooper brokered a tentative compromise on fracking between Colorado’s expanding $32 billion oil and gas industry and environmentalists opposed to drilling. He also oversaw the creation of Colorado’s first-in-the-nation recreational marijuana market, which opened in 2014.

Polis once supported fracking limits but has abandoned them, saying there’s a place for Colorado oil and gas exports even as he pursues a 100 percent renewable energy goal by 2040. Democratic lawmakers are working this session to strengthen air and water quality rules for the fossil fuels industry.

Polis, a member of a Cannabis Caucus in Congress, says he’d pursue more industry financing opportunities and add autism to medical marijuana conditions.

Polis has called for universal health care, suggesting Colorado could partner with neighboring states to create a regional market. Lawmakers are studying a state-run insurance market for Colorado.

Polis and Democrats also will pursue full-day kindergarten — and, if Polis gets his way, universal preschool, modeled after an Oklahoma program.

Polis earned his wealth by starting an internet company in college and revolutionizing the online greeting cards and floral retail industries. He served on the state board of education before going to Congress.

Polis’ first official order of business after being sworn in…was taking a selfie with the crowd.

NAME: Jared Polis.

AGE: 43 (Born May 12, 1975).

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, Princeton University.

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: U.S. representative, 2009-2018. Colorado State Board of Education member, 2001-2006.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Entrepreneur. Founder, ProFlowers. Co-founder, American Information Systems and Techstars.

FAMILY: Polis has two children with his partner, Marlon Reis.

SOCIAL MEDIA: On Twitter, @jaredpolis, Facebook.com/jaredpolis/ and Instagram.com/jaredpolis. Website: https://www.polisforcolorado.com/