When John was twelve years old, his mom and dad loaded up their possessions and their five kids into the family Vista Cruiser and drove west, seeking opportunity. Like so many people before them, and so many people today, John’s family believed in the fundamental promise of American life, especially American life in the West: that anyone can work hard, get a good education, a good job, and create a good life for themselves and their children.
Rise Up
Today, many Americans, and many Coloradans, have doubts about that fundamental promise. Middle class wages have stagnated for decades, and Coloradans, even Coloradans in the middle of their careers, are working multiple jobs to stay afloat. Meanwhile, the income of the wealthiest 1% of Americans has more than tripled, and Donald Trump and Cory Gardner have just given massive tax breaks to billionaires and huge corporations.
As President Obama’s chief federal prosecutor in Colorado, John fought for working Americans by standing up to corporate bullies and bad actors. Giant investment banks like Citibank, J.P. Morgan, and Wells Fargo committed grave misconduct that cost millions of Americans their homes, retirements, and jobs. John was in charge of the national group of prosecutors that worked to hold those banks accountable. They won tens of billions of dollars in damages for the American taxpayer. Right here in Colorado, John won the largest financial penalty in Colorado history in a case against Citibank.
As Colorado’s next U.S. Senator, John will work to make sure our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top:
- That starts with scrapping and re-writing the 2017 Trump tax cut law that was a debt-exploding handout to giant companies and the Wealthiest 1%. Billionaires and corporations need to pay their fair share, and middle class Americans deserve a tax break.
- John will reverse Republican damage to the Dodd-Frank financial law and will promote a regulatory system that prevents the excesses and outright frauds that fueled the 2008 financial crisis.
- John will fight for every worker’s right to organize, join a union, and collectively bargain. He will be a steadfast opponent of so-called “right to work” laws that are actually a way to reduce worker bargaining power and lower wages.
- John will work to bring more good jobs to Colorado: jobs that pay at least a living wage, that enable Coloradans to build a career, and that don’t force people to work more than one job to get by.
- John will push for federal infrastructure investments that include high-speed rural broadband and building a stronger power transmission grid to support a clean energy economy. In addition, fixing our roads, repairing and upgrading our airports, schools and other public facilities, and expanding our public transportation infrastructure will be priorities. These initiatives will foster a strong economy that allows all parts of Colorado to share in the successes of our great state.