U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet should be re-elected. He has led by example and consistently demonstrated that his idea of a senator’s role is not to posture but to get things done.
That thinking has been in evidence throughout his remarkable career. After working as a government lawyer, Bennet made the leap to the private sector – and Colorado – working for investor Phil Anschutz. He served as chief of staff for then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper until chosen to be superintendent of Denver schools. Four years later, then-Gov. Bill Ritter picked Bennet to succeed U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar when President Obama named Salazar secretary of the Interior. In 2010, Bennet was elected senator.
His path has been marked by excellence at every turn. He made a fortune with and for Anschutz. He cut Denver’s budget by 10 percent without laying off anyone. As superintendent, he turned around failing schools and boosted the number of students rated proficient in math and reading by 6 percent.
In the Senate, Bennet has consistently worked both sides of the aisle in his constituents’ and his country’s interest, while his challenger, Darryl Glenn, dismisses the very idea of reaching across the aisle.
Bennet’s approach is better for Colorado. Re-elect Sen. Michael Bennet.
Gail Schwartz is ready to represent the 3rd Congressional District. She has spent her lifetime working to preserve and protect Colorado’s land, water and natural resources and to build strong communities. She is an independent leader accomplished at working with diverse constituencies. Her experience in business, housing, education and public service has prepared her well to represent this sprawling district.
She has made her own way from an early age. She has waited tables, raised a family, was a partner in a successful engineering and design business, and ran housing authorities in Pitkin County.
In 1995, she was appointed to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. She has also served on the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents and been elected twice to the Colorado Senate, representing approximately one-third of the counties in the 3rd CD.
Schwartz is an accomplished legislator having carried hundreds of bills with 95 percent bipartisan support. In the state Senate, she has held leadership positions, and in 2008 sponsored Building Excellent Schools Today, the BEST Act that provides grant funding for construction or renovation of schools.
In Congress, she will back adequate funding for national parks and public lands, work to fund education and to increase rural broadband access. She will support outdoor recreation and clean energy jobs and help those hurt by declines in other industries.
We thank Rep. Scott Tipton for the work he did on monument status for Chimney Rock, permanent protections for the Hermosa Creek Watershed and for Good Samaritan legislation to help clean up abandoned mine sites.
But Tipton’s caucus has been obstructionist and impeded progress at every turn on public lands protection. It denies climate change and stays committed to coal. We need new leadership to break the partisan gridlock in Congress.
Vote for Gail Schwartz.
