Governor’s raceWalker Stapleton (R)

Jared Polis (D)

Colorado voters have a unique opportunity to elect as governor a man with a proven, indisputable record of good results.

During two terms as state treasurer, Walker Stapleton has stood up for hard-working Coloradans. His work benefits middle-class families and the working poor. In defending average Coloradans, Stapleton has protected the state’s economy from those who would pillage it to serve special interests.

Economically, Colorado consistently outperforms most other states. Stapleton’s stewardship of the treasury and defense of private-sector assets gets much of the credit.

Examples of Stapleton’s bold leadership:

? Led the defeat of a deceptive billion-dollar tax increase.

? Called out the Department of Transportation for claiming poverty while spending $150 million on new offices.

? Led the charge against socialized health care that would raise annual taxes $25 billion and impose a 10 percent income tax.

? Served as the lone voice of responsibility on the board of the state’s Public Employees Retirement Association, protecting public pensions and taxpayers.

? Spent eight years holding a variety of state agencies accountable for responsible stewardship of taxpayer assets.

Though Stapleton has learned public service on the job and by leading successful businesses, his academic credentials attest to his keen understanding of public finance. He earned an MBA from Harvard and a graduate degree in business economics from the London School of Economics.

In Stapleton’s Democratic opponent, Jared Polis, we find an affable businessman long known to one member of the board. We could not make peace with his left-wing agenda, which most Colorado Democrats and independents would consider extreme if they scrutinized it.

At the core of the Polis platform is socialized health care in the form of “Medicare-for-all.” It is at least as bad as the socialized medicine proposal voters stomped like a cigarette butt in 2016.

If Polis enacts his health care plan, he could bankrupt the state and average Colorado households. A recent economic study, backed by similar studies, proves we could not provide “Medicare-for-all” on a federal level if we more than doubled corporate and individual income taxes.

Other aspects of the Polis plan include a grab bag of well-intentioned promises that state government can give away shiny things. He would burden taxpayers with expenses they can’t afford in a state already too pricey for young adults and families.

All that, on top of anti-energy sentiments Polis has downplayed during the campaign. Back in 2014, Polis backed a ballot initiative to impose 2,000-foot setbacks on all oil and gas operations. He backed down at the urging of Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who saw the setbacks as a jobs killer that would destroy one of our largest economic sectors.

Polis means well but views society from the perspective of a man with hundreds of millions in personal wealth, which he has used lavishly to fund his campaign.

Stapleton will govern to benefit ordinary urban and rural residents of all demographics. The electorate mostly needs good results, and Stapleton delivers them. Elect Walker Stapleton, who has played a significant role in making Colorado the economic and cultural envy of the country.

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