2018 CO Governor's race: on Budget & Economy

Greg Lopez: Wants to champion and advocate for small business

What I can do is champion and advocate for the small-business community. Every community has a small-business component. As governor. I'll be able to understand the relationship the State of Colorado has with the Small Business Administration. We receive grants that Colorado has to match so we can provide training and counseling and access to understanding about building a small business. A lot of that comes from the governor's budget itself. Source: Westword.com blog on 2018 Colorado governor race May 23, 2018

Walker Stapleton: Balanced budgets in private career & then as state treasurer

I decided to run for governor because I think I am in the unique position of having had a successful career in the private sector, making payroll, balancing budgets and creating jobs, but have also had front-line experience on important economic policy decisions as state treasurer. These experiences have given me an insight into both the public and private perspective of public policy and how there can often be conflicts between the two. Source: Westword.com on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race Apr 13, 2018

George Brauchler: Requested pay cut & budget cut as County Commissioner

Requested that the Boards of County Commissioners cut my salary to the lowest in Colorado, despite responsibility for the largest office in the most populous jurisdiction. Although our caseload has increased significantly, the office budget grew less than the budgets of the State of Colorado, the Public Defender's Office, the Attorney General's Office, the Treasurer's Office and the District Attorneys' Offices in Denver, Boulder and others. Source: 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial campaign website george2018.com Jul 12, 2017

Victor Mitchell: To save jobs, we must halt any kind of tax increase

Feeling he could accomplish more for Colorado and the business community outside the legislature, he turned his attention to founding an organization, Save Colorado Jobs, that lead the statewide campaign to defeat Prop 103 in 2011, a ballot measure that would have increased both the state income and sales tax rates, and been the largest tax increase in Colorado's history. Source: 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial campaign website vic4gov.com Jul 2, 2017

Victor Mitchell: In an over regulated Colorado, regulations need to be cut

Colorado has become horribly over regulated, on day one I plan to bring in a team of the smartest best brightest people who work in private industry here in Colorado. And those people are gonna be tasked with one thing which is to go through all our regulations and determine which ones can either be cut entirely or need to be materially modified. This is very important because this is stifling innovation and this is stifling the ability for young people to take on vocational carriers. Source: 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial campaign website vic4gov.com Jul 2, 2017

Victor Mitchell: Cutting regulations will promote small businesses

Mitchell loaned his campaign $3 million to get started, but he's vague about where he'll get the donors to pay that back to himself, plus millions more he would need to make it to Election Day. Mitchell said, "We've put in $3 million; hopefully it gets paid back, but if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. It's a down payment on the future of Colorado. Obviously, I'm not a Bush. I'm not a Romney. I wasn't born on third base. I'm a self-made guy, and I love this state." [Mitchell's opponent state Treasurer Walker] Stapleton is a cousin to the Bush White House families. Pressed on the subject, Mitchell said he didn't vote for Donald Trump, his party's nominee. He instead cast a ballot for Evan McMullin, the independent candidate. Mitchell said his governing priorities include "dramatically cutting all our regulations" and promoting entrepreneurship. Source: ColoradoPolitics.com on 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race Jun 13, 2017

Doug Robinson: Problems should be fixed by spending less, not raising taxes

When it comes to major state issues, Robinson said the state's roads need a major fix--but he opposes a statewide sales tax hike put forward by his own party's legislative leaders. Instead, he believes the state can find money in the existing budget-- a move Democratic lawmakers suggest would lead to significant cuts in education, public safety and health care. "Our budget is a mess," he said. "I fundamentally think we don't have a revenue problem--we have a spending problem." Source: Denver Post on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race Apr 25, 2017

Doug Robinson: Use our budget more effectively, instead of raising taxes

Q: What do you want to do about Colorado's budget?

A: Many people say we need to raise taxes, we need to have more resources. And as I've studied this, Colorado spends more per capita than almost all of our surrounding states. Wyoming is an exception, because of their small population and their industries and so forth. But to me, it's not that our state budget isn't big enough. It's looking at how we're spending it.

Source: Westword.com on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race Apr 25, 2017

Doug Robinson: State budget is a mess; improve it by cutting spending

Robinson is yet another candidate with business experience who touts his status as an outsider in Colorado politics. A recently-retired investment banker, Robinson played a key role in running the anti-recreational marijuana lobbying group Smart Colorado. When it comes to the issues facing Colorado, Robinson told the Denver Post he'd focus on the state budget, which he called "a mess" and wants to improve by cutting spending. Source: Colorado Times-Recorder on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race Apr 17, 2017

Cary Kennedy: Balanced budget after citizens vote on taxes

When I was CFO in Denver, Denver was recognized as one of the best financially run cities in the country. And also, Forbes, for the first time, recognized Denver as the number-one city in the country to do business. I worked with the mayor and worked with local businesses to streamline our taxes, to ensure that they have the opportunity to be more successful, to be competitive. So keeping our taxes low is something that's important to me, and it will be important to me as governor--making sure we have our budget balanced. Our citizens have the final say, and I support the right of our citizens to vote on taxes. But we also need to make sure that we have a budget that allows us to make the investment in our communities that pays long-term returns on those investments. That's investing in education, and it also allows us to invest in modern infrastructure that allows us to keep up with the demands of a growing economy. Source: Westword.com on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race Mar 30, 2017

The above quotations are from 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Budget & Economy. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by John Hickenlooper on Budget & Economy. Click here for more quotes by Mike Johnston on Budget & Economy.
*Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:*
*Gubernatorial Debates 2020:* DE: vs.Carney(incumbent) vs.Williams(D) IN: vs.Holcomb(incumbent) vs.Melton(D) vs.Myers(D) MO: Parson(incumbent) vs.Galloway(D) vs.Neely(R) MT: Bullock(retiring) vs.Fox(R) vs.Perry(R) vs.Gianforte(R) vs.~~Stapleton~~(R) vs.Olszewski(R) vs.Neill(D) vs.Schreiner(D) vs.Cooney(D) vs.Williams(D) NC: Cooper(incumbent) vs.Forest(R) vs.Grange(R) ND: Burgum(incumbent) vs.Coachman(R) vs.Lenz(D) NH: Sununu(incumbent) vs.Volinsky(D) vs. fsFeltes(D) PR: Rossello(D) vs.Garced(D) vs.Pierluisi(D) UT: Herbert(retiring) vs.Huntsman(R) vs.Cox(R) vs.Burningham(R) vs.Newton(D) vs.Hughes(R) VT: Scott(incumbent) vs.Holcombe(D) vs.Zuckerman(D) WA: Inslee(incumbent) vs.Bryant(R) vs.Fortunato(R) WV: Justice(incumbent) vs.Folk(R) vs.Thrasher(R) vs.Vanover(D) vs.Smith(D) vs.Ron Stollings(D)	*Gubernatorial Debates 2021:* NJ: Murphy(D) vs.Ciattarelli(R) VA: Northam(D,term-limited) vs.Herring(D) vs.Chase(R) vs.Fairfax(D) *Gubernatorial Debates 2019:* KY: Bevin(R) vs.~~Goforth~~(R,lost primary) vs.~~Adkins~~(D,lost primary) vs.Beshear(D) vs.~~Edelen~~(D,lost primary) LA: Edwards(D) vs.Rispone(R) vs.Abraham(R) vs.~~Kennedy~~(R,declined) MS: ~~Bryant~~(R,retiring) vs.Foster(R) vs.Hood(D) vs.Reeves(R) vs.Waller(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org! Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Apr 07, 2021