Jon Biggerstaff Won’t Be Bought

Jon Biggerstaff, The Progressive Democrat for Colorado Senate, District 33

There’s a problem with our Democrats in Denver County. It’s not something that’s talked about a lot, but over the past few years the safe blue districts in Denver have elected Democrats who’ve gone on to oppose core party platform planks. Indeed, some of the most conservative voting Democrats got elected right here in Denver County.

It might seem strange but this problem isn’t complicated; it comes down to one single issue — money. Here’s how many Democrats in Denver County have been getting elected over the last few years:

Step 1: Line up donors

Step 2: Raise so much money that no one dares to challenge you in the primary election

Step 3: Win the primary by default

Step 4: Win the general election by a landslide due to lack of Republican opposition.

The problem with this tried-and-true strategy lies in step 2. These donors are often insurance companies, banks, oil and gas companies, etc. These companies aren’t in the business of giving away money; they expect returns on their investment and it just so happens investing in politicians yields some of the best returns money can buy.

Our politicians from safe districts who you’d expect would always be on our side instead end up having to return the favor to those corporate donors. Corporations didn’t want paid family leave, so Denver Democrats killed it. Oil and gas companies wanted to make it harder for municipalities to ban fracking, and Denver Democrats had their back. Businesses didn’t want to pay the standard time-and-a-half overtime pay to their employees, and Denver Democrats came to their rescue. Don’t even get me started on the privatization of public schools!

My name is Jon Biggerstaff and I’m a different kind of Democrat running for Colorado State Senate in Northeast Denver County (District 33). My campaign has refused all special interest money — even from groups we agree with. I’m tired of Democrats pretending that corporations shelling out millions of dollars to our local politicians doesn’t influence their votes. As Democrats, it’s up to us to stand up for the underserved; to be the voice for the single mother struggling with healthcare costs, the voice for the restaurant “manager” working 60 hours a week with no overtime pay because their employer is exploiting a loophole. As your Colorado Senator, you can be confident that these people are my number one concern, because no outside interests paid to get me elected.

Colorado should be leading the way in progressive politics and our voters often do, as we saw with the end of marijuana prohibition. I’m not afraid to stand up to Republicans, and I’m not afraid of corporations because my campaign isn’t predicated on appeasing them for money. We need stronger protections for workers, including a minimum wage that is a living wage and paid family leave for all Coloradans. We need a mechanism for publicly financed elections so that politicians don’t have to sell out to corporations to get elected. I will protect our public neighborhood schools that are constantly under assault from faux-Democrat groups like DfER looking to make a buck off our children.

In Colorado over the last six years, only the top 1% have seen their income increase. The rest of us have seen our wages stagnate or drop, all while the cost of living increases rapidly. I want to be your progressive voice in the Colorado Senate so we can even the social and economic scales that have, for so long, been tipped in the direction of the wealthy.