A letter in the Oct. 27 Herald claims that most of attorney general candidate Phil Weiser’s campaign contributions come from out of state. The letter demands that he “come clean” on the source of his donations.
All of Mr. Weiser’s contributions are publicly available on the Colorado secretary of state’s website. I reviewed the SOS website to determine the source of Mr. Weiser’s contributions. First, I looked at the Major Contributor reports. Only about 20 percent of these came from out of state. A sample of smaller contributions shows that even fewer of these contributions came from out of state, perhaps 15 percent. So, the accusation is false.
We have also seen advertisements from Mr. Weiser’s opponent claiming that having no prosecutorial experience makes Mr. Weiser unqualified for the position. Our own 6th Judicial District Attorney, Christian Champagne, has pointed out that the AG does not personally prosecute crimes. Rather, the AG has a staff of 300 attorneys who handle such cases. The mission of the AG’s office is “to provide professional, ethical and independent legal services to the state of Colorado and its citizens, to promote respect for law and access to the justice system, to ensure the fair and open exercise of government, and to protect and advance the public interest.”
A candidate who has clerked for two U.S. Supreme Court justices, worked in the U.S. Justice Department and directed the UC law school is ideally suited for this position. So, the best choice in this election is Phil Weiser.
John Porco
Pagosa Springs
