The Denver Post this morning joined a so-far unbroken streak of Colorado newspapers in endorsing Democrat Bill Ritter for governor:
Ritter certainly isn’t your everyday Democrat. He is a pro-life advocate whose anti-abortion beliefs rattle many party members, but his thoughtful approach to this emotional subject has earned their respect. He has provided assurances that he will not mount a campaign to gut the protections of federal law. Beauprez also is pro-life, but as is his way, he takes the most extreme view of the issue, declining even to make exceptions for rape and incest.
Ritter speaks with assurance on subjects that will loom large for Colorado over the decades ahead, water and energy chief among them. He believes the state must better serve agriculture and ranching interests in western Colorado and the eastern plains. By investing in wind energy development and “biofuels,” such as ethanol made from corn, Ritter would work to expand the job base for Coloradans in what he calls a “new energy economy.”
His bid to become governor first caught our eye in 2005, when state officials were rallying to restore Colorado’s fiscal stability. Gov. Owens answered the call, as did Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. GOP leader Bruce Benson was there, as were legislative chiefs Joan Fitz-Gerald and Andrew Romanoff. University of Colorado president Hank Brown campaigned for fiscal reform on his own time.
These leaders used their influence to promote Referendum C, a compromise measure that achieved state financial objectives and earned voter approval. Without C, the state would have slashed $365 million in programs this year alone, and more next year.
Ritter worked for Referendum C. Beauprez stood apart, in feeble opposition.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
BY: kwtree
IN: Colorado’s Chris Wright Flunks First Big Test As Energy Secretary
BY: davebarnes
IN: Colorado’s Chris Wright Flunks First Big Test As Energy Secretary
BY: Chickenheed
IN: Colorado Dems Hammer Out Major Gun Safety Compromise
BY: curiousstranger
IN: Colorado’s Chris Wright Flunks First Big Test As Energy Secretary
BY: Pam Bennett
IN: Presidents Day 2025 Open Thread
BY: ParkHill
IN: Presidents Day 2025 Open Thread
BY: 2Jung2Die
IN: Presidents Day 2025 Open Thread
BY: Early Worm
IN: Presidents Day 2025 Open Thread
BY: Ben Folds5
IN: Colorado’s Chris Wright Flunks First Big Test As Energy Secretary
BY: JohnInDenver
IN: Colorado’s Chris Wright Flunks First Big Test As Energy Secretary
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!
Endorsements by the Post and Rocky should ensure that Bill Ritter will be our next governor.
Congrats to the new governor probably are in order.
But the editorial writers should hang their heads in shame. Not because they chose the wrong man. They endorsed the best candidate, flawed as he may be.
I’ve read a lot of endorsements over the years, and Ritter will go down in history for being backed by the shallowest editorials I’ve seen in a long time.
Take Post’s editorial. It is simply a reprint of the Ritter press releases, speeches and web site, all of which say nothing.
Whoever wrote that editorial could make a lot more money writing direct mail pieces for credit card companies and mortgage bankers. All fluff, no substance. Lots of empty promises that can’t and won’t be kept, because no governor could ever live up to them.
So while I’ll continue to support Ritter, I am disappointed by the depth of those who wrote the editorials endorsing him.