George Brauchler, lead prosecutor in the case against convicted Colorado theater shooter James Holmes, responds to questions during an interview Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, in Centennial, Colo. Brauchler said that the jury’s refusal to sentence Holmes to die for one of the worst massacres in the country’s history does not mean the public is growing wary of capital punishment because only a single juror blocked the execution. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
AURORA | Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler didn’t announce he’s running in 2018 for Colorado governor — right before he did.
After the Republican district attorney released a video on Tuesday teasing his candidacy, he later announced his official bid for governor.
George Brauchler’s video is here
Brauchler released the short video on his George Brauchler for Colorado Facebook page. The 41-second video has all the trappings of what will likely be the initial focus of his campaign for the Republican nomination: unspecific references to a broken system, entrenched politicians ruining everything, partisanship destroying us all.
Brauchler’s campaign website is George2018.com
“Here in Colorado, we’re tired of politics. We’ve grown weary of special interest who push division and seek to divide us against them,” Brauchler said in the video. “We’re frustrated with weak elected officials who continue to dodge difficult decisions and career politicians who assure us that the answers to Colorado’s biggest problems are just one more election away.”
The video ends on a positive note, even switching from an ominous black-and-white to a metaphorical optimistic color shot.
“It hasn’t always been that way in Colorado, and it doesn’t have to be that way now,” Brauchler said. The video closes on a new logo of a ‘G,’ embedded with a Colorado Flag yellow sun, and the promise that “something” is coming soon.
Brauchler, who is serving his second term as the 18th Judicial District’s DA after running unopposed in 2016, was first elected in 2012. He garnered national attention while prosecuting the case against Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes.
He also made a name for himself on a statewide level with his vocal criticism of Gov. John Hickenlooper’s staying the execution of Nathan Dunlap in 2013. His name has continued to pop up as a potential candidate for statewide races, including last year’s Senate race against Sen. Michael Bennet.
Brauchler is the first major name on the Republican side to announce his candidacy, but other party luminaries such as Treasurer Walker Stapleton and Attorney General Cynthia Coffman are mulling campaigns for the party’s nomination. On the Democratic side, former State Sen. Mike Johnston and Denver businessman Noel Ginsburg have both announced candidacies and Rep. Ed Perlmutter and former Treasurer Cary Kennedy are considering runs.