YOUR AD HERE »

McInnis enters governor’s race

John ColsonGlenwood Springs correspondentAspen, CO Colorado
Scott McInnis
ALL |

GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Former Republican congressman Scott McInnis, a native of Glenwood Springs now living in Grand Junction, on Wednesday filed the paperwork to create a campaign committee and start raising money for his bid to become Colorado’s next governor.In an announcement, McInnis reported that once again, his first campaign contribution came from Rifle businessman Harold Piper. Piper is reported to have been the first to contribute to each of McInnis’ campaigns, first for the Colorado Assembly in 1982, then for U.S. Congress in 1992.”Our challenge is to demonstrate the vision and leadership to move Colorado forward, and the experience and skills to take the common-sense steps we must take to create jobs, jump start our economy and restore basic fiscal discipline,” McInnis said in announcing his committee’s formation.”We need a commitment to restraint in spending taxpayers’ money, not just rushing to cut anything when tough times hit,” McInnis continued. “We need to strengthen taxpayer protections, not tear them apart. And we need a climate where Colorado is once again a magnet for small business and entrepreneurs, not a state that demonizes companies that offer family-sustaining jobs – and tax revenue.” McInnis, who served in Congress from 1993 to 2005 and has been signaling for a couple of months that he was re-entering politics, said that he already has been “traveling the state extensively” to drum up support.A graduate of Glenwood Springs High School, McInnis earned a bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in 1975 and a law degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1980, according to his online biography.He worked as a police officer in Glenwood Springs prior to entering politics, and his first elected political job was a 10-year stint in the Colorado Assembly, from 1983 to 1993. That was followed by a dozen years in Washington, D.C. representing the 3rd Congressional District, which covers most of the Western Slope. He currently is working as a lawyer for the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Grand Junction.McInnis is the second Republican to enter the race against incumbent Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter, according to the Denver Post. Evergreen businessman Dan Maes announced his bid in March.jcolson@postindependent.com