Keystone – Republican Marc Holtzman was back on the campaign trail Wednesday, vowing to continue carrying his conservative message while fighting to secure a spot on the primary ballot.
“The issues at stake are not just about my campaign and one candidate having access to a ballot, it’s about the future of Colorado and it’s about where as governor I want to lead this state,” Holtzman told a gathering of county commissioners.
Holtzman joined sole Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter and state Rep. Jim Sullivan, a stand-in for Holtzman’s GOP rival, U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, at a statewide candidates forum sponsored by the county commissioners group Colorado Counties Inc.
The men did not debate one another, but Holtzman and Ritter used their speeches to differentiate themselves on economic policy. Ritter sounded the theme of a government “investment mentality,” and Holtzman keyed on tax cuts.
Ritter told the crowd of 90 that voters framed the debate for the governor’s race last fall when they approved Referendum C, which allows the state to keep an estimated $4.25 billion over five years that would have otherwise been returned to taxpayers.
Both Republican candidates, Ritter said, opposed the measure.
“I think they ought to have to say, No. 1, where they would have found the $400 (million) to $500 million that we would have had to cut out of the budget or what parts of the things that we were able to add to didn’t deserve the money,” Ritter said.
“If you can get your vision to come true without having funding for it, you might get a chapter in the Bible,” he added.
Holtzman touted his plan to cut taxes by $1.2 billion. He said he wants to refund the difference between the $3.1 billion refund estimate lawmakers made when they approved putting Referendum C on the ballot and the current $4.25 billion estimate.
“We want to return that money to working families in Colorado. I believe that that in itself will be the biggest stimulant to working families and to growth and to encouraging our full potential in every respect,” Holtzman said.
Sullivan said Beauprez “has a great record as far as taxes.” Beauprez has a 100 percent rating from the American Conservative Union and was named a hero of the taxpayer by Americans for Tax Reform, Sullivan said.
“He takes a strong look at how we collect, budget and spend our tax dollars in Colorado,” Sullivan said. “I don’t want a governor with training wheels.”
Staff writer Chris Frates
can be reached at cfrates@denverpost.comor 303-820-1633.
