LPS GOES WILD School district gets into ‘spirit’ at Wildlife Experience
AVS AND AV-NOTS
SENIOR CHOICES
FLEURISH | PG 15
SPECIAL SECTION | PG 16-19
A guide for active older adults
Team’s ‘Better Halves’ host fundraiser for special kids
SCHOOL | PG 10
S O U T H
M E T R O
VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 21 • APRIL 13, 2017
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Prosecuting a campaign for governor DA Brauchler sets his sights as law-and-order conservative
District Attorney George Brauchler announced his candidacy for governor last week, casting himself as a distinctly “Colorado conservative.”
Photo courtesy of Brauchler for Governor
I am going to remain the most accessible, transparent public official that you can find. - District Attorney George Brauchler, candidate for governor
D
istrict Attorney George Brauchler pledges not to forget his current job as he launches his long-rumored candidacy for what may be his next one. “I’m never going to put myself in a position to not do a grade-A job,” he said. “I’m convinced I can do both well, but if something’s going to give, it’ll be the campaign. It won’t be the job.” Brauchler, a two-term lead prosecutor in the 18th Judicial District, announced last week he would seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2018. The decision follows years of clamoring for the attorney to see i er fi e ern r r senat r in t e a e is risin r file as a r se t r an critic of Democratic Gov. John
Hickenlooper. e fi ial as e me a recurring newsmaker in recent years from his hands-on role in prosecuting the 2012 Aurora theater shooter and his outspoken advocacy for the death penalty in face of political opposition. Party insi ers first m lle ra ler as a potential governor in 2013 when he offered a blistering reproach of Hickenlooper after the latter granted a “temporary reprieve” to a convicted murderer in the 18th District. It is a decision that Brauchler is ertain t re erse i e fills Hickenlooper’s shoes. “On day one, I’m going to give force to that jury’s [death penalty] verdict that [underwent] 17 years of post-conviction appellate review,” he said of Nathan Dunlap, who was convicted in 1993 of murdering four people in an Aurora restaurant.
History of leadership
Brauchler’s history of leaders i t in t e militar and the District Attorney’s Offi e as ell as is res l e n the rule of law are his strongest selling points as a potential governor, according to the candidate. He believes eight years of Hickenlooper have created a management vacuum that has left Colorado in desperate need of direction. “Our laws are on the books and we are either going to adhere to them, amend them or repeal them. We will not ignore them,” the longtime prosecutor said. “Maybe that’s a product of my perspective and understanding of the law. But more than that, it is my background as a leader that translates to being governor.” Brauchler’s position within the Republican Party was not
always so promising. In a move that sent short-term ripples through the GOP, he waged an unsuccessful primary challenge against incumbent Republican District Attorney Carol Chambers in 2008, before his dark-horse primary win against Chambers’ heir apparent for the same seat four years later. He was re-elected in 2016 without a Democratic challenger in the Republican-leaning judicial district. The Parker resident, 47, considers his tenure in Colorado’s most populous and diverse judicial district to be excellent preparation for assuming the state’s i est fi e at s m re e says, his efforts to create open government in the 18th would ntin e in t e ern r s fi e “You can get information on Continued on page 8