Bill Ritter for Governor of Colorado

Oct 10 - Congressman Beauprez Delivers Another Classic 'Both Ways Bob' Moment

He Supported In-State Tuition For High-Profile Illegal Immigrant!

In perhaps his most stunning demonstration of political hypocrisy yet, Congressman Beauprez four years ago supported high-profile efforts to allow the child of undocumented immigrants to attend the University of Colorado at in-state tuition rates. Today, the Congressman claims to oppose in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

"He's a man of convenience, not of conviction," said Bill Ritter's campaign manager, Greg Kolomitz. "Nobody knows where the Congressman stands on this issue – most issues, really. When it's politically advantageous for him to take one position, he does. A few years later, when he thinks it's helpful to take another, he flip-flops."

As reported in today's Denver Post, Beauprez supported legislation that would have provided in-state tuition rates for Aurora Central High School honor student Jesus Apodaca. Numerous other Republican leaders supported those efforts as well, including Gov. Bill Owens, then-U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, then-Congressman Bob Schaffer and President Bush.

Over the past few years, prominent Republicans have backed national efforts that would allow states to offer the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates. Those Republicans include U.S. Senators Orin Hatch, John McCain, and Arlen Specter and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"Congressman Beauprez is engaging in the worst sort of political hypocrisy we've seen yet," Kolomitz said. "Despite what his campaign says, he really is trying to have it both ways."

Oct 6 - Ritter Ad Questions Congressman's Tax Proposals

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter launched a new TV ad today that warns Coloradans about Congressman Beauprez's fiscally irresponsible plan to hike the state’s sales tax by 25 percent.

Beauprez has proposed a .77 cent increase to Colorado's sales tax – which amounts to a 25 percent boost. And this isn't the first time he's proposed a sales-tax jump. In 2003, he co-sponsored a bill (H.R. 25) to replace the nation's income tax with a 23 percent national sales tax on all new purchases and services.

The 30-second ad is now posted on the campaign website and will begin airing statewide tonight. Here is the complete script:

Narrator: "What kind of ideas has Congressman Bob Beauprez picked up in Washington?"

"Beauprez pushed for a national sales tax of 23 percent on everything we buy including new homes, food, and medicine."

"He's proposed a 25 percent Colorado sales tax increase, and even supports unlimited tuition increases for college."

Bill Ritter: "The last thing we need to do is make it tougher for our kids to go to college, or families to buy a home."

"I'll keep the Colorado Promise of an economy that helps families and rewards hard work."

Ritter said increasing the Colorado sales tax will hurt Colorado residents and retailers.

"We need fiscally responsible leaders here in Colorado," Ritter said, "not the kind of Washington-style budgeting we've gotten on Congressman Beauprez's watch. The federal government's debt ceiling is now $9 trillion, they're borrowing hand over fist, and spending is out of control. We shouldn't bankrupt our children and mortgage their future. We need to hold Congressman Beauprez accountable."

Click here to watch Ritter's first TV spot, which focuses on his plan to establish Colorado as a national renewable-energy leader.

Click here to watch Ritter's second TV spot, which focuses on his personal background and fiscal responsibility.

Click here to watch Ritter's third TV spot, which began the "Hold Congressman Beauprez Accountable" theme.

Click here to watch Ritter's fourth TV spot, which focuses on Ritter's record as District Attorney, cites the Rocky Mountain News' endorsement, and holds Beauprez accountable for attacking Ritter.

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Read additional articles and commentary about the fifth TV spot:

• Denver Post: Oct 8 - Ad watch: The Taxman?
• SquareState.net: Oct 6 - New Ritter Ad; Both Ways Bob Triumphantly Returns

Oct 6 - Congressman Beauprez Goes Both Ways on Severance Tax

In a stunning about-face, Congressman Beauprez today told the Nature Conservancy he would consider increasing Colorado's severance tax. Two days earlier, during an energy-issues debate in Rifle, the Congressman had a completely different answer:

"Hell no," Congressman Beauprez said when asked if he would support boosting the statewide severance tax. "It's not just no."

Severance-tax revenue is derived from companies that extract, or "sever," minerals, oil, gas, and other resources from the earth. Beauprez told the Nature Conservancy's Colorado chapter today that he would not rule out an increase.

"It's blatant pandering and typical of Washington politicans," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter said. "He says one thing on Wednesday to an audience heavy with oil-and-gas interests, and two days later he flip-flops when talking to an audience heavy with conservation interests."

The Congressman also exhibited a bit of blatant pandering Thursday night, when he told Legatus, a group of Catholic business executives, that his top three campaign priorities are immigration, education, and health care.

He told the Colorado Contractors Association, whose members build roads, highways, and bridges, that his top priorities are transportation, water, and education.

"Time after time, the Congressman tries to have it both ways," Ritter said. "He needs to be held accountable."

Visit the Ritter campaign's new website feature, "Holding Congressman Beauprez Accountable."

Oct 5 - Wet Mountain Tribune Endorses Bill Ritter

On Thursday, the Wet Mountain Tribune in Westcliffe joined a growing list of newspapers, organizations, and officials to endorse Bill Ritter's campaign:

Ritter for governor

It’s hard to deny the overall progress and advancement that took place in Colorado under the leadership of former governors Stephen McNichols, John Love and Roy Romer. Issues of importance to everyone – education, transportation, the economy and the environment – all improved thanks to the leadership skills and the non-partisanship demonstrated by those three visionaries.

When Coloradoans go to the polls in the coming weeks, they’ll have an opportunity to restore progress, advancement and visionary thinking to the political process by voting for Bill Ritter for Governor.

Ritter is first and foremost an advocate for what matters. Born and raised on a farm in eastern Colorado, he fully supports agriculture and the return to educational sensibilities. As a well-respected former district attorney, he’s proven to be tough on crime and a conservative overseer of public funds. And though a Democrat by affiliation, Ritter will be able to work effectively on both sides of the aisle: witness the public support and endorsement he has received from a slew of Republican leaders, including district attorneys and state representatives, as well as from several organizations including the Colorado Subcontractors Association, the Denver Police Protective Association, Colorado Conservation Voters, the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, the Colorado Professional Firefighters, and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Additionally, he has been endorsed by the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News and the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.

His opponent, Congressman Bob Beauprez, while a George Bush yes-man, is clearly out of touch with what Coloradoans want: a sensible health plan which current Gov. Bill Owens refuses to address; a strengthening of public education; a return to Colorado being a good place to conduct business; a realistic approach to the environment (one of Beauprez’s solutions? Change certain elk migratory patterns to allow for more gas and oil development on the Western Slope).

Former Governors McNichols, Love and Romer all served Custer County well, and none of the three ever forgot the importance of rural Colorado. Ritter has shown that he, too, will be a strong advocate of those things that remain important here.

Colorado – and Custer County -- deserve a Bill Ritter as our next governor.

Oct 5 - Holding Congressman Beauprez Accountable

Ritter Launches Web Feature in New Push to Hold Congressman Accountable

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Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter today unveiled a new website feature – "Holding Congressman Beauprez Accountable" – and pledged to expose the GOP contender's inconsistent and inaccurate statements on the campaign trail.

"The Congressman is urging Coloradans to hold him accountable – and that's exactly what I intend to do," Ritter said. "Time after time, the Congressman says one thing in Colorado and does quite another in Washington.

The Congressman also has crossed the line and surpassed the limits of the truth several times along the campaign trail, and I won't let him get away with blatant mischaracterizations about my record or his prior actions either," Ritter added.

The new website feature contains sections on fiscal irresponsibility, education, senior citizens, veterans, agriculture, environmental conservation, health care, immigration, water, and energy. The feature will be updated whenever the Congressman's words or actions require it.

During a debate earlier this week, the Congressman wandered away from the truth several times:

• Mexican ID cards known as "Matricula consular cards." The Congressman said he voted to allow banks to accept these cards "to preserve section 326 of the Patriot Act." In truth, his vote was not to strengthen national security, but rather to allow banks to profit from the use of unreliable I.D. cards. "The Department of Justice and the FBI have concluded that the Matricula Consular is not a reliable form of identification. … "(T)he terrorist threat presented by the Matricula Consular ... is (the) most worrisome," FBI Assistant Director Steve McCraw told a Congressional subcommittee in June 2003.
• Matricula Consular Cards Part II: The Congressman acknowledged that his bank decided to accept the cards only after he left bank management, implying that the decision was out of his control. In truth, his wife is still a co-chair of the bank, together they own a controlling 23% interest in the bank, and will profit from the proposed sale of the bank for $72 million.
• Raul Garcia-Gomez: Congressman Beauprez claimed that he introduced legislation that led to the swift return of now-convicted killer Raul Garcia-Gomez from Mexico to Colorado. In truth, Congressman Beauprez's political intervention nearly scuttled efforts by the Denver District Attorney's Office to extradite Garcia-Gomez from Mexico for prosecution. It was also during this time that Congressman Beauprez made this offensive remark, "I've vacationed in Mexico before. I know exactly what 'Mexican time' is."
• Minimum Wage: The Congressman claims he supported a bill to increase the minimum wage because the proposal was "balanced." In truth, that minimum wage increase was tied to a tax break for 8,200 of the wealthiest Americans who would have received on average a $1.4 million tax break.

"There's nothing 'balanced' about that," Ritter said. "If the Congressman wants to continue making outlandish comments along the campaign trail, then he can bet I'll be there to hold him accountable."

Oct 5 - Congressman Continues Quest to Raise Sales Tax

Republican Congressman Beauprez continued his assault on Colorado families in Rifle yesterday, once again promoting his plan to increase the state sales tax by 25 percent.

During a gubernatorial debate centered on Colorado's energy future, the Congressman repeated his plan to increase the state's sales tax and eliminate the state's gas tax. Democratic candidate Bill Ritter called the plan about as hare-brained as the Congressman's "elk relocation plan."

Ritter said the Congressman's desire to increase the sales tax will hurt Coloradans on many levels. "A sales-tax increase is regressive," Ritter said. "His plan provides a benefit to people driving gas-guzzling SUVs and imposes a penalty on senior citizens and others who don't drive."

"We already have the 17th-highest overall sales-tax burden per capita in the country," Ritter added. "Any increase would force consumers to shop online and out-of-state, hurting local retailers. The economy is fragile enough. We don't need to be hurting retailers; we need to be helping them."

This isn't the first time the Congressman has proposed increasing the sales tax. In 2003, he co-sponsored a bill (H.R. 25) to replace the nation's income tax with a national sales tax estimated to be 23 percent on all new purchases and services. Congressman Beauprez also has proposed unlimited college tuition increases and reducing much-needed funding to repair our roads in order to accelerate a pending income-tax cut.

"Combine all of those ludicrous ideas with the fact that the Congressman has voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time and the fact that Congress has borrowed so much money we now have a $9 trillion debt ceiling and you can only come to one conclusion," Ritter said. "Congressman Beauprez is not a person who should be leading Colorado state government. We can’t afford him."

Oct 4 - Boulder Daily Camera Endorses Bill Ritter

In its Wednesday edition, the Boulder Daily Camera endorsed Bill Ritter for governor:

Here are a few noteworthy highlights:

"In this campaign, Ritter has produced a body of thoughtful position papers, outlining an encouraging set of priorities. Among the most ambitious is his suggestion for a health plan that would be available and accessible to all Coloradans. Health care for 180,000 uninsured children should be an immediate priority, Ritter rightly notes."

"Ritter is, in short, a moderate on most issues, someone who evinces a willingness to take his own positions irrespective of party dogma. The same cannot be said of Beauprez, an amiable and apparently decent man who has displayed a dismaying degree of blind partisanship."

"Colorado citizens need a governor who represents more than just the extreme wing of one party. They need a moderate, intelligent governor who is willing to act with deliberation and stand on principle. In this election, they should support Bill Ritter."

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Click here to read the Daily Camera's entire endorsement.

Oct 2 - Eighty Wildlife Experts Endorse Bill

A bipartisan, statewide coalition of more than eighty former Colorado Division of Wildlife officials and employees have endorsed Bill Ritter for governor because of his support for sportsmen and his plans to protect Colorado’s great outdoors. The coalition includes the three most recent directors of the Division of Wildlife and six previous wildlife commissioners.

In addition, a group of Colorado wildlife biologists have released a sharply critical analysis of Congressman Beauprez's "elk relocation plan," which proposes to change wildlife migration patterns to allow for additional oil-and-gas drilling. The analysis has been submitted to newspapers across Colorado.

"We believe the future of wildlife and wildlife habitat is at a critical crossroads and it is time to chart a course that will bring more balance to Colorado's natural resource decisions," the endorsement letter states. "We want a Colorado Governor who understands the issues facing wildlife and wildlife habitat and has a sound conservation ethic."

"We think Mr. Ritter represents the right road for wildlife and wildlife habitat and is the best choice for Governor of Colorado and for the future of Colorado’s wildlife heritage," the letter states.

Ritter said he is honored to have the backing of so many well-respected wildlife leaders. "As a native Coloradan and an avid fisherman, I will serve as a stubborn steward of our land, air and water," Ritter said. "Hunters, anglers, and conservationists are critical to our way of life and our quality of life in Colorado. The people who have signed this letter have devoted their lives to wildlife conservation, and I will continue to draw on their expertise as governor."

The critique of Beauprez's "habitat initiative" was written by John W. Seidel, a retired Glenwood Springs Department of Wildlife Manager; Bob Elderkind, a former Bureau of Land Management range conservationist; and Dennis Bechler, a retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service mitigation specialist.

These wildlife experts found Beauprez’s plan deeply flawed: it ignores accepted habitat and wildlife recovery practices; its funding mechanisms are "wishful thinking;" and it expects wildlife to suddenly change thousands of years of migration patterns virtually overnight, rather than changing the way oil and gas companies drill in wildlife habitat.

"We are concerned about the cavalier 'plant it and they will come' attitude of Beauprez's habitat initiative. We know from experience that it is very difficult to create new, high quality big game habitat. … Also, it is difficult to get displaced animals to locate to new or improved habitats once they are in place, especially migration routes."

Click here to read the complete endorsement letter from statewide wildlife experts.

Contact information:

• Bill Haggerty, [email protected], 970.245.7208, Grand Junction.
• Gordon East, [email protected], 303.465.3104, Westminster.
• Eddie Kochman, [email protected], [email protected], 303.457.1532, Northglenn.

Click here to read the complete analysis of Congressman Beauprez's flawed habitat plan.

For more on Ritter’s wildlife and outdoor plans, please read "The Colorado Promise." (PDF file format requires Abobe Acrobat Reader.)

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Read an additional article about Bill's support among outdoor enthusiasts:

• Greeley Tribune: (AP story) Oct 3 - Conservationists keep spotlight on environment in governor’s race
• Rocky Mountain News: Oct 3 - Dentry: Conservation establishment is assisting Ritter
• Rocky Mountain News: Oct 2 - Ritter reaches out on outdoors

Oct 1 - Denver Post Endorses Bill Ritter

The Denver Post today endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter as "the best choice for Colorado," citing his distinguished record as District Attorney, his pragmatic approach to problem-solving, and his bi-partisan appeal.

Today's editorial follows Friday's endorsement by the Rocky Mountain News. The state's two largest daily newspapers now join two of Western Colorado's most influential papers – the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and Montrose Daily Press – as supporters of Ritter's campaign.

From the Post's endorsement editorial:

"We know (Ritter) as a tough prosecutor who served with distinction as Denver district attorney for 12 years."

"… Ritter – on the issues that matter most – stands up for Colorado."

"On the campaign trail, Ritter talks about his 'Colorado Promise,' a pledge to reach the state's fullest potential by reviving its education system, creating a health plan for the uninsured, and attracting new jobs, while modernizing our roads. Bob Beauprez seems stuck in the past. Bill Ritter has a plan that can take Colorado into a bright future."

The Post also said this about Congressman Beauprez, Ritter's Republican opponent:

"Based on fiscal aptitude or leadership abilities, Beauprez simply isn't qualified to succeed Owens."

"… (T)he congressman turned his back on this generation, (on) students who depend on affordable tuition and on community colleges ..."

"Holtzman tagged Beauprez with the nickname Both Ways Bob, and indeed when it comes to state fiscal policy, the congressman can't seem to land on the right track."

Click here to read the complete Denver Post endorsement.

Click here to read the Rocky Mountain News endorsement.

Click here to read the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel endorsement.(PDF file format.)

Click here to read the Montrose Daily Press endorsement.

Sept 29 - Rocky Mountain News Endorses Bill Ritter

The Rocky Mountain News today endorsed Bill Ritter for governor. The Rocky is now the third Colorado newspaper to back the former Denver District Attorney.

"This newspaper has watched Ritter under fire and seen him take on new challenges," the Rocky's editorial declares. "In everything he does there's a certain steadiness that we believe Coloradans will find reassuring."

The paper cited Ritter's support for Referendum C; his balanced approach to transportation; his support for higher education and opposition to runaway tuition hikes; his commitment to serve as a gatekeeper of good public policy and not a rubber stamp for partisan legislation; and his promise to surround himself with smart managers.

The Rocky, which endorsed Congressman Beauprez in his two previous runs for the House, said it was disappointed in his gubernatorial campaign, citing Beauprez’s "unconvincing" opposition to Ref C, his "mysterious embrace and then repudiation of Amendment 38, and a couple of verbal gaffes. And for a long time it wasn’t clear why Beauprez even wanted to be governor."

Ritter said he was humbled to have earned the backing of one of Colorado’s largest and most influential media outlets. "I'm grateful that my campaign is continuing to build support all across the state," Ritter said. "This campaign is about fulfilling the Colorado Promise – leaving our children and grandchildren with a better Colorado and making the state a national leader in the 21st century."

"This campaign is not about left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative or blue vs. red," Ritter added. "This campaign is about giving hope and opportunity to all Coloradans, including those who are most cynical about government."

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and the Montrose Daily Press endorsed Ritter earlier this month.