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July 14, 2009 11:55 PM UTC

Big Numbers from Stapleton for Treasurer

  • 46 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Walker Roberts Stapleton, one of three Republicans taking a run at State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, announced very strong fundraising numbers yesterday. According to a press release:

Setting a record fundraising quarter for a non-incumbent candidate for State Treasurer, Republican businessman Walker Stapleton raised $138,211 – with two-thirds of donors being Colorado residents.  The three-month effort leaves the Stapleton campaign with more than $126,000 cash on hand as Stapleton prepares to take on the incumbent Democrat.

The Stapleton campaign set the new fundraising record despite the challenges of a difficult economic climate and limitations on donations due to Amendment 54.  Stapleton credits the results to his strong, pro-taxpayer message and growing dissatisfaction with one-party rule at the State Capitol.

The “pro-taxpayer message” stuff is more than a little bit silly coming from this blueblood, but $138,000 is a ton of money for any quarter in a race for something like State Treasurer…even for someone who is a relative of George W. Bush. These numbers certainly put Stapleton in the driver’s seat for the GOP nomination and may very well end any thoughts that J.J. Ament and Muhammad Ali Hasan once had of running for the nomination themselves.

Comments

46 thoughts on “Big Numbers from Stapleton for Treasurer

  1. “I am severely conflicted in the best way,” he writes. “Deep down in my heart, I know I would do a tremendous job as a state treasurer – empowering TABOR, re-shuffling our investment portfolio, and getting a monorail system built with little taxpayer involvement…However, the idea of becoming a great film director…could not be more attractive. If I could do both, I would love to – it’s all a matter of decisions.”

    http://www.westword.com/2009-0…  

  2. Cary Kennedy is great, but honestly, state treasurer is one of the least powerful jobs, carrying the most minimal room for partisan political game in the state, despite involving considerable political and personal liability risk if you do something wrong.

    This job could easily be done by a senior civil servant.  There is very little policy making involved.

    1. Remember, State Treasurer has traditionally been a stepping stone to Governor in Colorado. This race is important not necessarily for who does the job in 2010, but where that person will be in 2014. Both Kennedy and Stapleton would be at the top of the list for Governor in 2014 if they won.

  3. The Treasurer manages our State’s portfolio which puts that person in a position to allocate state funds into safer and more secure investments thus lessening the states overall loss’ with the economic downturn.

    The Treasurer is also on the board for PERA.  Considering how much money they have lost over the past couple years without any leadership from Cary Kennedy to fix the problem, we as taxpayers will bear the responsibility to bail them out.  IT is time for new leadership within that office.

    We all tout the importance of having “real world” experience with our candidates and it seems to me by reading Stapleton’s bio he would be very well suited to run the State Treasury.

    At first glance this looks very promising.

      1. Her self-proclaimed goal was 100k for the quarter yet she barely raised 60.  Explains a lot about her goals for the state and crappy performance reality.  Walker Stapleton outraised her 2 to 1 with the most raised EVER in a quarter for this office.  Clearly Republicans are ready to back someone who can win and will do the job well.  Independents too.  And I’ll bet even Dems.

          1. Cary Kennedy, election cycle to date:

            $101,363.00

            give or take a couple hundred non-itemized, returned and in-kind.

            Sounds like Mary Smith has got some ‘splainin’ to do. Either she can’t add or she’s just making things up — which is it?

    1. His real world experience is owning a couple of properties in the Sonoma Valley through a family trust.

      He pays himself almost 330k a year in a company that earns only $580k despite only being a 10% shareholder of the publicly traded company.  

      The real estate has a cap rate of 3% which is not a good commercial real estate return.  He would be fired in the real world for a Cap rate like that.

      He is fortunate of two things: though the company is “public,” his family owns 70% of it–which means he can’t be fired and 2nd, that he’s rich enough to be able to waste money–unfortunately if he is treasurer that state doesn’t have money to burn.

      I think we’ve all had enough of Bushes using family connections to parlay their mediocre business experience in to intolerable government failure.

      1. Your facts are dead wrong, loser.  When you have the courage to write in your own name come on back.  Until then don’t bother slinging mud from your hole.

        1. he’s posting on Colorado Pols, where you tell him to go, then tell him (and 4/5 of the posters here) to leave.  I hope you are not on Mr. Stapleton’s payroll, or rather I do.  

              1. You liberal conspiracy goobers crack me up.  I’m a donor to his campaign which hardly makes me a “plant” – that’s the best part about not hiding behind some loser handle like 1234Denver (not that creative, btw); anyone can simply check the filings.  

    2. a good way to choose a fund manager for a pension and other state investments?

      My understanding is that progressives made the position elective primarily to reduce the ability to the Governor to engage in corrupt looting of state funds for personal gain, but it isn’t obvious that voters are well suited to choosing someone for that task.

      1. The voters do a hell of a job choosing a Treasurer.

        They do so every four years.

        Are you really saying that the voters are ill-suited to the job of choosing a treasurer, or that you don’t agree with who the voters bhoose?  That’s a whole different issue.

        I trust the voters.  They might not always get what they want, but they always get what they ask for.

  4. I wasn’t blaming. Merely pointing out the fact that there are VERY important things the treasurer does and can do.

    Sorry to come across that way!

  5. and we know how good that family is when it comes to managing finances. Dear Lord, don’t let them anywhere near our state’s money.

  6. His family owns less then half the company.  It is profitable in spite of the economy and has distributed over $20 million in Metro PCS, (a successful telecom investment) to shareholders over the past year.

    Since it is a public company with an independent board of directors they determine his salary, not Stapleton.  Under SEC regulations he has nothing to do with it.

    Check your facts or cite them so we know you are just sprouting mindless drivel.  

    And a Masters in economics and an MBA are credentials that most politicians aren’t even close to having these days.

    I don’t believe Kennedy has EVER had a job in the private sector!

    1. You guys sure know a lot about Stapleton’s company – on both sides. Cap rates? Metro PCS?

      We don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but maybe Doppleganger and The Angry Trucker should run for Treasurer.

      1. and a trust-funder running a family-owned business doesn’t count.  He hasn’t a clue about how to create, propose, and successfully enact public policy that benefits citizens across a complete socio-economic spectrum. He’s never served in any kind of earned service capacity.

        Cary Kennedy, meanwhile, has worked on Ref C, Amendment 23, the BEST program (which leverages already-existing funds for school construction at no cost to taxpayers), cleaned up the states’ finances,improved transparency, and maintained a top credit rating in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the great depression.

        and for those of you playing the home game- Kennedy earned both a master’s from Columbia and a law degee from DU.

  7. How has Cary Kennedy cleaned up the state’s finances, or increased transparency?  I like facts.

    And she is on record complaining about the “constitutional restraints” we have with Tabor, Gallagher, (and for those of you playing the home game) Amendment 23 which you so dutifully noted she help pass.

    Having been involved in the passage of public policy is great, but only when it’s good public policy.

    1. And she is on record complaining about the “constitutional restraints” we have with Tabor, Gallagher, (and for those of you playing the home game) Amendment 23 which you so dutifully noted she help pass.

    2. there’s a nifty little website that points out among the actions Kennedy has taken to protect our state’s finances:

      * Guaranteeing that state funds were not tied to the subprime market.

      * Avoiding holdings of collateralized debt obligations or derivatives.

      * Terminating a loan that put a third of Colorado’s investment pool in the hands of one bank – a step Cary took 7 months before the banking crisis hit.

      As for transparency, try the STAR report, also online:

      http://www.colorado.gov/treasury/

      And another handy fact: Standard & Poor’s affirmed the state’s ‘AA’ issuer credit rating. It also upheld the highest rating for Colorado’s short term notes (SP-1+). Moody’s affirmed the state’s Aa3 rating and MIG 1 (the highest rating) for Colorado short term notes.

      I’d put that up against the Bush family record on public policy any day.

    3. there’s a nifty little website that points out among the actions Kennedy has taken to protect our state’s finances:

      * Guaranteeing that state funds were not tied to the subprime market.

      * Avoiding holdings of collateralized debt obligations or derivatives.

      * Terminating a loan that put a third of Colorado’s investment pool in the hands of one bank – a step Cary took 7 months before the banking crisis hit.

      As for transparency, try the STAR report, also online:

      http://www.colorado.gov/treasury/

      And another handy fact: Standard & Poor’s affirmed the state’s ‘AA’ issuer credit rating. It also upheld the highest rating for Colorado’s short term notes (SP-1+). Moody’s affirmed the state’s Aa3 rating and MIG 1 (the highest rating) for Colorado short term notes.

      I’d put that up against the Bush family record on public policy any day.

  8. It is definitely an excellent quarter of fundraising for him – congrats to the Stapleton team – great to see Republicans doing well and it’s a great sign for our good Party

    Walker’s good fundraising has no impact on my personal decision regarding the race – we got a terrific gameplan organized and I’m not worried about finding the funds to make it operate well – the Mustang is sitting in the driveway and the keys are on the coffee table

    Nonetheless – I’m enjoying visiting with Republicans statewide and developing my latest films – decision in the fall

    Peace and love all!

  9. For The Republicans: a trustfunder who spent $100,000 of his own money on a state house race and didn’t even win,

    OR a trustfunder who has made terrible real estate investments and only derives his credibility (?) from the Bush name.

    For the Democrats:  A smart, talented woman with degrees from Columbia and DU who got into politics to try and increase funding for public education, who eventually rose to the Treasurer’s office, and once there secured the state’s investments against the impending economic crisis, continued to increase funding for schools to do so, and in the interim fought against stupid budget restrictions like TABOR and A23.

    The more I think about it, the more this race (like just about all of the others in 2010) is a foregone conclusion.

    1. Only challenged Republican to carry Eagle County – highest Republican totals in Summit and Lake by substantial margins

      22,000 doors knocked on – Vail Daily endorsement – and hospitalized for exhaustion after the election – 47% in HD56

      HD56 is one of our good State’s most Democratic districts

      if we can get 47% there, then we can get 55% statewide – check the numbers – don’t really know if any other Republicans can say that…. Trustfunders included  

  10. We now have our republican nominee for Treasurer. There is absolutely no reason why J.J. should disruptively wage a primary now.  He’s a ‘party over person’ kind of guy.  

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