Going West - John Walsh's Story

When John was twelve years old, his mom, dad, and brothers and sisters loaded into their Vista Cruiser and headed West. His parents sought new opportunities like so many generations before, and so many to come. They settled in Denver, where the Rocky Mountains rise up from the plains.

Growing up in Colorado, John discovered his love for the mountains, rock and ice climbing, backpacking, skiing, and hiking.

He is a proud graduate of Colorado public schools. He graduated from Cherry Creek High and worked his way to Stanford Law School. There, John met his wife Lisa, who is still the smartest attorney he knows.

In his personal and professional life, John Walsh has always tried to do what’s right. As an attorney, that meant standing up for everyday Americans and holding wrongdoers accountable. John wants every child and every family to have the same chance to succeed that he, his brothers, and his sisters had when they sped down I-70 so many years ago.

After law school, John became a prosecutor at the height of the financial excesses of the 80’s and 90’s. He took on criminals cheating seniors out of their retirement. He went after the people who caused the savings and loans crisis. And he held public officials, including state governors, accountable for their misconduct.

John and Lisa raised their three kids in Colorado, and sent them to East High School in Denver. To give back, John has been involved in community organizations and groups of all kinds, and helped start a non-profit, Invest in Kids, which has helped thousands of vulnerable children and families start off right and improve their lives through early childhood education and quality health care.

And John got to serve his community again when President Barack Obama nominated him to be United States Attorney for Colorado, the chief federal law enforcement official in Colorado.

As one of Colorado’s longest-serving United States Attorneys, John led the effort in Colorado and nationally to hold big banks like Citibank accountable for their misconduct that led to the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. He won record cases against big drug companies that defrauded Coloradans. And he worked with President Obama and Attorney General Holder to reform our criminal justice system.

Now John Walsh is running for the United States Senate. He’s passionately committed to representing Coloradans on the issues that matter to them the most, and he’s devoted his career fighting back against those who would get in the way of a fair shot for all Coloradans. That’s simply what we deserve from our Senator.