Investing in Colorado’s future.
Hi, I’m Jeff.
I’m running for Treasurer.
As Chair of Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee, I think every day about how to make sure our tax dollars get the best possible return.
Not many people really know what a state treasurer does. Essentially—and this is the very short version—our Treasurer manages various pots of money for the state, after the dollars come in and before they go out.
So here’s what I plan to do differently. Instead of parking your tax dollars in Wall Street securities and Washington T-bills, I’ll put your money to work right here at home where you can see and feel the difference:
Housing that working people can actually afford
Infrastructure that creates good-paying jobs and builds our economy
Clean energy that lowers your bills and fights global warming
While DC creates chaos, we can double down on helping Coloradans thrive. We’ll use our state’s fiscal resources to protect our land, water, and people, regardless of federal dysfunction. We’ll invest in small businesses, protect PERA, fix TABOR—and we’ll do all of it together. Because that’s just how we do things here in Colorado.
As always, if you have questions, ideas, or need a good Thai spot in Aurora, please text my personal cell at (303) 358-5551.
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Homegrown Coloradan
I grew up here in Colorado, and I remember when my parents paid off credit cards with credit cards to get their small business off the ground. Back then, even struggling families like ours could live in a good home in a great school district. For too many Coloradans today that’s of reach. By investing our state’s fiscal resources directly into our people, we can make a more affordable Colorado where everyone has the opportunity to work hard and earn a good life.
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Fiscal Track Record
I just led the state’s Joint Budget Committee through a billion dollars in cuts because of TABOR while protecting education, healthcare, and public safety. I’ve done the work to make government more efficient and effective, and I know all the nooks and crannies of our state’s finances. Before chairing the budget, I led a variety of committees across my nine years of legislative service—from appropriations, to finance, to sales and use tax simplification.
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Support Across Colorado
I’m proud to have support from folks across the entire state. From the San Luis Valley, to the Western Slope, the Eastern Plains, and all along the Front Range. That’s part of why I've been successful building diverse, bipartisan coalitions to pass laws that benefit all of Colorado. I’m proud to have endorsements from Ambassador Ken Salazar, President James Coleman, Commissioner Daneya Esgar, and so many others.
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Meet Jeff
Colorado raised, Colorado values
I grew up right here in Colorado, and it's shaped everything from my boots to my heart. With our frontier spirit and independent streak, we're a state that values self-reliance but knows when to come together. This balance between independence and community has guided my approach to making government work efficiently and effectively, ensuring our shared investments lead to shared prosperity for all Coloradans.
About a year ago Rie and I welcomed our son Kit. We're raising him with the same Colorado values we both grew up on. He's already developing a love for our mountains and an understandable frustration with traffic on I-70. Along with our floppy dog Walt, we enjoy long walks on the community trails here in Greenwood Village.
Values-led problem solving
A few years ago I earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard. It's one of the most religiously diverse schools in the country, with people of all faiths and none. My time there taught me to bring diverse groups of people together around shared values, whatever the source of those values.
Just this year, as Chair of Colorado's Joint Budget Committee, I balanced our state's $16.5 billion budget despite more than $1 billion in required cuts because of TABOR. Despite this challenge, we protected investments in education, public safety, and Medicaid, earning unanimous support from the bipartisan budget committee. The budget is a moral document that puts in dollars and cents exactly what we value and how much we value it. Good financial management isn't just about numbers—it's about values and priorities.
“Nice boots”
While earning my master's degree I met my wife, AnnMarie. She noticed my cowboy boots from across the room, came over and said, "Nice boots." Feeling out of place and thinking she had just insulted me, I shot back, "Look, I'm from Colorado, so I can wear cowboy boots." Without missing a beat, AnnMarie replied, "Yeah, I'm from Colorado too, and I like your boots."
Naturally my only option was to marry her.
The NICU parent club
Everyone says kids change your life. Our 1-year old son Kit came into the world at just over 2 lbs, very suddenly and very unexpectedly 2.5 months early. (At 29 weeks exactly, for you fellow NICU parents.)
After 65 days in the NICU, Kit came home the same day we heard the 2024 budget in the Senate. I gave a tribute on the Senate floor expressing my gratitude to Kit’s wonderful caregivers at Rose Medical Center. And then promptly left to go get my baby!
To mark Kit’s 1st birthday in January 2025, I introduced legislation to extend Colorado family leave to cover NICU stays. It doesn’t cost Colorado tax payers even one more cent, but it’s a small way we can come together to support NICU families—and provide clarity for their employers—during one of the hardest periods of their lives.
Endorsements
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Ambassador Ken Salazar
San Luis Valley
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President James Coleman
Denver
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Commissioner Rachel Zenzinger
Arvada
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President Steve Fenberg
Boulder
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Commissioner Rhonda Fields
Aurora
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Hon. Daneya Esgar
Pueblo
A background you can bank on
Leadership
Chair, Joint Budget Committee
Senate Majority Whip
House Majority Whip
Chair, Senate Finance Committee
Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee
Chair, Senate Education Committee
Chair, Joint Technology Committee
Chair, Sales and Use Tax Simplification Task Force
Chair, NCSL Smart Cities Foundation
Chair, Colorado Sportsmen’s Caucus
Chair, Aerospace and Defense Caucus
Vice Chair, Senate Transportation & Energy Committee
Ideas Challenge Finalist, The NewDEAL
If you want to really nerd out on the budget…
My nontoxic approach to politics has been acknowledged by one of Colorado’s harshest critics… Kyle Clark!
Legislator of the year or equivalent
Legislative Accomplishments
Recent Leadership (2022-Present)
Chair of the Joint Budget Committee
Balanced Colorado's $16.5 billion budget while protecting education, healthcare, and public safety despite facing over $1 billion in TABOR-mandated cuts
Fully funded public K-12 education to Amendment 23 levels for the first time in more than a decade
Managed through post-pandemic fiscal challenges while preserving critical state services
Affordable Housing Solutions
Created the Middle Income Housing Authority (MIHA) to keep Colorado livable for teachers, nurses, firefighters, and middle-income workers
Passed the first-in-the-nation Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit to increase affordable home ownership opportunities
Led investments in housing programs that support working families across the state
Financial Oversight and Transparency
Championed performance audits for state programs to ensure taxpayer dollars deliver results
Led efforts to make Colorado's budgeting process more transparent and accessible to citizens
Applied private-sector financial metrics to evaluate program effectiveness and return on investment
Pandemic Response (2020-2022)
Economic Recovery Leadership
Sponsored the Restaurant Recovery Act helping small businesses survive during COVID
Created a $25 million small business grant program to preserve jobs and support local economies
Passed legislation to protect workers and businesses during an unprecedented economic crisis
Worker Support
Authored Colorado's comprehensive paid sick leave policy ensuring every Colorado employee earns six days of paid sick leave annually
Co-sponsored a family and medical leave insurance program for all Colorado workers
Created protections for frontline workers during the pandemic
State House & Senate (2017-2020)
Education Investment
Sponsored historic Full-Day Kindergarten legislation that passed the Senate unanimously
Created the Colorado Imagination Library, providing monthly books to children ages 0-5
Expanded concurrent enrollment programs letting high school students earn college credit
Innovation and Infrastructure
Co-sponsored bipartisan transportation package investing billions in roads, bridges, and transit
Authored landmark autonomous vehicle legislation positioning Colorado at the forefront of this technology
Sponsored legislation to improve vehicle safety through advanced crash avoidance technologies
Fiscal Responsibility
Sponsored legislation creating a "Return on Investment Report" showing costs, debt loads, and earnings for every degree at every public Colorado college and university
Led efforts to ensure economic development incentives delivered promised results
Climate Action
Sponsored legislation to cut Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030
Supported clean energy development creating jobs while protecting our environment
Worked with utilities to expand renewable energy generation
Making a difference beyond legislation
Protecting military lives
While working for U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, I received a letter from a Colorado soldier whose friend was killed by an IED while in a Humvee gunner's seat. He asked about automated turrets (CROWS) that would have saved his friend's life.
I discovered Congress was about to eliminate this program despite field commanders praising its effectiveness. Working across party lines, I helped save and expand the program. Today, thousands of these systems protect our military personnel overseas.
Advancing equality with faith communities
When President Obama prepared to sign an executive order banning LGBTQ+ discrimination by federal contractors, he faced pressure to include a religious exemption that would have weakened the protections.
As Associate Vice President at Union Theological Seminary, I brought together diverse faith leaders—Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish—who opposed the exemption. Our coalition argued that people of faith should be exemplary, not exempted. Our work helped ensure the order protected LGBTQ+ Americans without loopholes.