While Hickenlooper was once considered a shoo-in for a second term, his actions during the last year have bolstered Republicans’ hopes that he can be beaten in November.
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Hickenlooper faces tough test in re-election bid
By IVAN MORENO, Associated Press
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is facing the toughest re-election fight of a charmed political career.
The two-time Denver mayor, former geologist and successful brewpub owner sailed into the governor’s office four years ago over a divided Republican party that had nominated an unknown tea party favorite. With a self-deprecating sense of humor and an emphasis on bipartisanship, Hickenlooper got begrudging praise from some Republican state lawmakers for his first two years in office. But a controversial death-penalty decision, a package of gun-control bills, and mishaps explaining his choices have put a dent in Hickenlooper’s aura of invincibility.
Now, several polls suggest he’s in a close race against Republican Bob Beauprez, a former member of the U.S. House.
“I’m going to win. I’m going to work hard enough,” Hickenlooper said in an Associated Press interview. “I mean, I spent 16 years in the restaurant business … he’s not going to outwork me. So, I am going to win, and this campaign is going to allow us to talk about the economy, and how are we going to create more jobs.”
Still, Hickenlooper acknowledged the policies he and fellow Democrats ushered in since 2013 have made things harder.
“We took on every tough issue in the state,” said Hickenlooper. “We took on gun safety and capital punishment and civil unions — I mean you go down the list, we made difficult decisions again and again in places where you know you’re going to anger, you know, almost half the people. In some cases we knew we were going to anger more than half the people.”
Much of the firepower for Republicans has come from Hickenlooper’s decision to grant an indefinite stay of execution last year to Nathan Dunlap, who was convicted for the 1993 slayings of four people at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora. Hickenlooper’s reprieve was not clemency, so he left the door open for a subsequent governor to execute Dunlap, leaving his fate unresolved.
“Since that moment … he has to some extent been trying to play defense and recover,” said Floyd Ciruli, an independent Colorado pollster.
Despite the criticism, Hickenlooper said he believes his decision was correct.
“I don’t think government should be taking people’s lives. I just don’t,” he said.
While Hickenlooper’s popularity has waned, his Republican challenger has experienced a resurgence.
Once seen as a political laughingstock for losing the governor’s race by 17 points in 2006, Beauprez has emerged as a solid contender for a Republican to win the state’s top office for the first time since 2002.
“I don’t want to sound overly casual about it, but the kind of geeky, aw shucks, nice guy veneer that the governor had, transitioned to (voters saying), ‘What the heck is up with that?’” Beauprez said.
The buffalo rancher and former banker mostly disappeared from politics after his 2006 defeat. But he stayed on the radar enough through radio programs, a book he published and other writings. The work has provided ammunition for Democrats seeking to describe him as an ultra-conservative candidate who opposes abortion even in cases of rape, and who would threaten immigrant rights.
Beauprez, however, has said he would respect other’s views on abortion if elected and generally has dismissed the attacks against him as irrelevant. He says voters are not thinking about those issues even if Democratic operatives are.
“They want to invent issues because they can’t defend (Hickenlooper’s) record,” Beauprez said.
In the coming weeks, as the TV ad wars ramp up, Beauprez will also have to contend with Hickenlooper’s vast fundraising advantage. The governor has raised nearly $4.6 million — four times more than Beauprez — and reserved about $2.4 million in television advertising leading up to Election Day.
Hickenlooper, who has famously disavowed any negative advertising, is instead flexing the muscles of incumbency. He’s crisscrossing Colorado, congratulating residents of a ranching community called Brush on their dropping unemployment rate, which stood on a recent day at 4.3 percent in the county.
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From John Hickenlooper for Governor:
When John Hickenlooper was sworn in as governor of Colorado in 2011 the nation was in the midst of the
great recession. Colorado’s unemployment rate had spiked to 9.1 percent. The state was struggling to balance
its books, unable to appropriately fund many necessary statewide programs, and putting only 2 percent of the
state’s general fund into emergency reserves for unexpected catastrophes like natural disasters. Bipartisanship
at the capitol was the stuff of wishful thinking. When it came to job creation—a telling barometer of economic
performance—Colorado was ranked 40th in the nation.
In the four years since John took office, Colorado’s unemployment rate has dropped to 5.8 percent. The state
has seen 31 consecutive months of job growth, and generated a total of more than 200,000 new jobs. The state’s
last four budgets were balanced and passed with bipartisan support. These budgets have enabled the state to
begin to restore funds to the programs that had been slashed—like education—and also have put the state in a
position where we have begun to steadily increase the emergency reserves. As of 2015, the state will be setting
aside 6.5 percent of its budget for emergencies. When it comes to job creation, Colorado has improved from
40th in the nation to fourth. Colorado is now ranked second best place to start a business, second best for
innovation and entrepreneurship, and first in the nation for labor supply.
A critical factor in this transformation has been that John has that rare blend of experience that comes by
way of hard earned success in building a business, and then as a two-term mayor who fortified Denver’s civic
strength and economic growth. He knows that the best way to tackle big issues and achieve a goal is to bring
people together.
As Colorado’s 42nd governor, John is an unlikely figure in politics, having never run for office until after his
50th birthday. John is the son of a widow who was brought up in the Great Depression. He moved to Colorado
in 1981 as an exploration geologist in the oil and gas industry before losing his job in an economic downturn.
In 1988, John opened the Wynkoop Brewery, the first brewpub in the Rocky Mountains. He opened his
restaurant in LoDo (Lower Downtown), a then struggling neighborhood of Denver. The Wynkoop became the
anchor for the rejuvenation of the entire downtown, which is now thriving and is a national model for urban
renewal. John went on to successfully start another 14 brewpubs and two microbreweries.
Because of his private sector acumen and his spearheading of a downtown resurgence, John was recruited to
BioGRAPHYrun for mayor of Denver in 2003. As mayor, he became a leader on regional collaboration, passing one of
the largest regional transit construction projects in the nation. He overhauled the city’s financial system and
reduced the size of the city payroll.
In 2010, John was again recruited to run for office, this time for governor. Even though he faced two
opponents in the general election, he kept his promise to only use a positive message and no negative ads.
Immediately after taking office, John traveled throughout Colorado and talked to more than 5,000 people
from across the state to create an economic development plan from the bottom up. John asked local leaders
to develop customized regional plans that the state could bring together as a unified document, called the
Colorado Blueprint, which has become the guide to Colorado’s economic resurgence.
Adding to these positive trends is the fact that agriculture is booming in Colorado, employing more than
170,000 Coloradans and accounting for more than $40 billion in economic activity. Since 2009, Colorado
agricultural exports are up more than 90 percent and have recently passed $2 billion.
John has also made it his goal to make Colorado the most military and veteran friendly state in the country.
Colorado is a top state for military retirees, and John signed into law a bill that allows servicemembers to use
active duty training for state professional licenses. He also signed legislation that makes Colorado a national
leader on professional licenses for military spouses.
John wants Colorado to be the best place in the country to run a business using the highest environmental
and ethical standards. With support of both environmental groups and the oil & gas industry, Colorado
recently adopted the strongest air quality regulations in the country, including the first regulation of methane
emissions. He has been a champion for renewable energy production tax credits, leading the Western
Governors’ Association in calling for extension of the federal credits, and he has signed legislation expanding
the state’s tax credits for renewable energy and electric vehicles.
When devastating floods hit Front Range and Northern Colorado counties in September 2013, the state was
able to respond quickly. The state reopened all 250 miles of damaged or destroyed highways by Dec 1, within
just 10 weeks of the floods. Despite the government shutdown in Washington, D.C, the state even reopened
federally-run Rocky Mountain National Park. We were able to do all of this without raising taxes, instead
utilizing the state’s larger emergency reserve fund.
John has been consistently recognized by his colleagues from both sides of the aisle who have nominated
him to leadership positions – he was recently the chair of the Western Governors’ Association and is
incoming chair of the National Governors Association.
John Hickenlooper is known for taking the needs of Colorado much more seriously than he takes himself.
He is quick with a joke (usually at his own expense), and he’s not afraid to jump out of a plane, put on a blue
bear suit, or hop in the shower with his clothes on if he believes it’s good for Colorado.
Working collaboratively with communities across the state, John remains focused on growing our economy.
He will not rest until Colorado is No. 1 in the nation for job creation and it is felt in every corner of the state.
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From Bob Beauprez for Governor:
Bob Beauprez is a Colorado native. He was raised on a third generation dairy farm near Lafayette, and spent 20 years in partnership with his parents and brother in that operation marketing their animals across the globe. Following his dairy career, Bob purchased and managed a community bank growing assets from $4 million to over $400 million in 12 years. Additionally, he managed the family’s real estate development creating a 1500 residential unit golf course community.
Bob served as Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party from 1999-2002. In 2002, Bob was elected as the first representative from Colorado’s seventh congressional district, and was re-elected in 2004. While in Congress, he served on the Ways & Means, Transportation, and Veterans Committees. He was the Republican nominee for Governor in 2006.
In 2007 Bob founded a public policy e-magazine, A Line of Sight. As editor-in-chief, Bob has built a national distribution and more than 100 contributing authors to date for the e-mag he describes as “food for the conservative soul.” His work has been featured in National Review, The Washington Times, Townhall.com, RealClearPolitics, Politico.com, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Denver Post, and numerous other publications. Bob’s political commentary is regularly sought after by television networks, major newspapers, and radio stations throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. In 2009, Bob published his first book, A Return to Values: a Conservative looks at his Party that has been applauded for his bold “Agenda for America,” a strategic plan to reclaim the nation’s greatness.
In addition to his writing, political, and other activities, Bob says his greatest enjoyment comes from Eagle’s Wing Ranch, the buffalo breeding ranch in the northern Colorado Mountains he operates with his son, Jim, and Claudia, his wife of 44 years. The ranch renews the bond he’s always enjoyed with the land, livestock, and nature – and he gets a lot of time to think. At Eagle’s Wing, Bob says he feels “complete.” It’s where he and Claudia love to spend time with their four children and four grandchildren and count their abundant blessings.
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Campaign finances filed at the Colorado Secretary of State
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”Bob Beauprez Finance“]
Campaign finances filed at the Colorado Secretary of State
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Coming Soon
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”Bob Beauprez Endorsements“]
Coming soon
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