Democratic entrepreneur Rutt Bridges launched his campaign for governor Wednesday during a private, semi-formal soiree at his Cherry Hills Village home.
Bridges plans to file his campaign paperwork this morning.
“I’m basically telling a bunch of my close friends and family that I’m in the race,” said the 53-year-old political neophyte, who would not say why he is running nor reveal his campaign message.
“That’s not a conversation I’m willing to have yet,” he said. Bridges made millions developing a software program that analyzes sound reflections from the earth to identify likely oil and gas deposits.
After dabbling in venture capital, he founded Denver’s centrist Bighorn Center for Public Policy – a $4 million experiment in finding nonpartisan solutions to the issues facing Colorado.
The think tank recently removed from its website a statement about Bighorn’s backing of school vouchers – a political hot button, especially among Democrats.
Bridges said the language was “misleading” and didn’t clarify that the center doesn’t support universal vouchers. Rather, he said, it supports “pilot programs for vouchers for failing schools.” The statement’s removal, he said, is temporary and has nothing to do with his campaign.
Last year, Bridges spent 10 days seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, then bowed out to make way for state Attorney General Ken Salazar, who won the seat.
Bridges became the public face behind the effort to reform the state’s spending limits. He initially vowed to take the issue to last November’s ballot, then backed off. He also – along with three other Democratic millionaires – spent big money last year winning back the statehouse for his party.
Bridges will begin fundraising for his gubernatorial run today and plans, at least initially, not to use his own money.
He described his campaign strategy Wednesday as follows: “To get more than 50 percent of the vote.”
