Does your state lean blue or lean red? Check out our new report, highlighting partisan control of state government from 1992-2013.
Brandon Shaffer
| Brandon Shaffer | ||
 | ||
| Colorado State Senate, District 17 | ||
| Former Member | ||
| In office | ||
| 2005 - 2013 | ||
| Party | Democratic | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | 8 years | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Stanford University | |
| J.D. | University of Colorado, 2001 | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Legislator | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Personal website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
.png){kind=avatar} |
The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
On February 14, 2013, Shaffer was appointed as vice chairman of the Colorado Parole Board by Gov. John Hickenlooper. His appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate.[1]
Shaffer studied Naval Science at the University of California-Berkeley. He earned his BA in Political Science from Stanford University in 1993. He went on to receive his JD from the University of Colorado in 2001.
Shaffer was an Intern for Governor Roy Romer. He has also worked as an Intern for the Commission on National and Community Service. He has worked as an attorney and also served in the United States Navy from 1993 to 1997. He then worked as an English Teacher for Yokosuka Young Men's Christian Association in Japan in 1997.
On July 4, 2011, Shaffer announced he would run for U.S. Representative from Colorado's 4th congressional district in the November 2012 general election. He lost to incumbent Cory Gardner on November 6, 2012.[2]
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Shaffer served on these committees:
- Executive Committee of the Legislative Council, Colorado General Assembly, Chair
- Legislative Council Committee, Colorado General Assembly, Chair
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Shaffer served on these committees:
- Legislative Council Committee, Colorado General Assembly, Vice-Chair
- Executive Committee of the Legislative Council, Colorado General Assembly, Vice Chair
Issues
Sponsored legislation
Shaffer's sponsored legislation includes:
- SB 10-001 - Modifications to Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) Fund [3]
Campaign themes
2012
Shaffer's campaign website listed the following issues:[4]
- Jobs & Economy
- Excerpt: "The economy must be our first priority. Too many Americans have been out of work for too long, waiting for Congress to act. Brandon will bring Colorado Solutions to Washington to rebuild the middle class and get the economy back on track."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Brandon’s mother taught in public schools for nearly 20 years, and his wife, Jessicca, teaches at their children’s elementary school in Longmont. Brandon believes that public education is the foundation of a brighter future for our kids and our country."
- Budget
- Excerpt: "Colorado Solutions means taking a balanced approach. Brandon helped to craft a balanced budget in Colorado every year since he was first elected in 2004. Brandon understands we must work together to fix our nation’s budget problems."
Elections
2012
Shaffer announced on July 4, 2011, that he would run in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Colorado's 4th District. He said he ran for the same reason he decided to make a bid for state senate in 2004: because the Colorado he returned after graduating from college at Stanford University was "a different place than the Colorado [he] grew up in."[5] He also suggested that legislators in Washington had "forgotten why they're out there... that is to work for us."[5] He ran unopposed in the June 26, 2012, Democratic primary. He faced incumbent Cory Gardner (R) and Doug Aden (Constitution Party) in the general election on November 6, 2012, and lost.[6][7]
| U.S. House, Colorado, District 4 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democrat | Brandon Shaffer | 36.8% | 125,715 | |
| Republican |  Cory Gardner Incumbent |
58.4% | 199,842 | |
| Libertarian | Josh Gilliland | 3.1% | 10,674 | |
| Constitution | Doug Aden | 1.7% | 5,845 | |
| Total Votes | 342,076 | |||
| Source: Colorado Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Shaffer was elected to the 17th District Seat in the Colorado State Senate, defeating opponent Katie Witt (R).[8]
Shaffer raised $131,551 for his campaign, while Witt raised $28,587.[9]
| Colorado State Senate, District 17 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Brandon Shaffer (D)
|
43,054 | |||
| Katie Witt (R) | 26,544 | |||
Campaign donors
2012
Shaffer did not win election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Shaffer's campaign committee raised a total of $905,776 and spent $895,693.[10]
| U.S. House, Colorado District 4, 2012 - Brandon Shaffer Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $905,776 |
| Total Spent | $895,693 |
| Total Raised by Election Winner | $2,295,600 |
| Total Spent by Election Winner | $1,849,386 |
| Top contributors to Brandon Shaffer's campaign committee | |
| Service Employees International Union | $10,500 |
| Bachus & Schanker | $10,000 |
| International Assn of Fire Fighters | $10,000 |
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $10,000 |
| Peak PAC | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Retired | $69,900 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $65,950 |
| Public Sector Unions | $28,000 |
| Industrial Unions | $25,300 |
| Misc Unions | $23,250 |
2010 (Off-cycle)
| Colorado State Senate 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Brandon Shaffer's campaign in 2010 | |
| Colorado Professional Fire Fighters | $4,000 |
| Public Education Cmte | $2,000 |
| Colorado Education Association | $1,000 |
| Total Raised in 2010 | $14,025 |
2008
In 2008, Shaffer collected $131,551 in donations.[11]
His five largest contributors in 2008 were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Of New York | $3,648 |
| Colorado Association Of Realtors | $4,250 |
| Jefferson County Education Association | $4,250 |
| Food & Commercial Workers Local 7 | $4,250 |
| Colorado Education Association | $4,250 |
Policies
Initiative rights
Shaffer co-sponsored legislation introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives on March 24 that would:
- Require that petition drive management companies who hire paid circulators go through a licensing process.
- Circulators would be required to go through a government-sponsored training procedure before they would be allowed to collect signatures legally.[12]
Personal
Shaffer and his wife, Jessica, have two children.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Brandon + Shaffer + Colorado + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Brandon Shaffer News Feed
- Civil Unions In Colorado Recognized At Midnight - Huffington Post
- Judicial Center embodies Ralph Carr's ideals - The Colorado Statesman
- 2013 Governor's Awards for Historic Preservation Ceremony at the Capitol ... - Wall Street Journal (press release)
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- Campaign website
- Sen. Shaffer's personal website
- Official Colorado State Senate website of Senator Brandon Schaffer
- Project Vote Smart legislative profile
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Brandon Shaffer
- Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008 2006 2004
- Facebook page
- Brandon Shaffer on LinkedIn
References
- ↑ Denver Post, "Governor appoints former Senate President Brandon Shaffer to Colorado Parole Board," February 14, 2013
- ↑ Politico "2012 House Race Results"
- ↑ Colorado News Agency, "State pension rescue plan passes Senate; critics say it does too little," Jan 29, 2010
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Journal-Advocate (Sterling, CO, "Brandon Shaffer stops in Sterling day after announcing congressional bid," July 7, 2011.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, - 2012 Primary Candidate List
- ↑ Associated Press - Unofficial election results
- ↑ 2008 election results, Colorado
- ↑ Colorado Senate spending, 2008
- ↑ Open Secrets "Brandon Shaffer 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 19, 2013
- ↑ 2008 contributions to Brandon Shaffer
- ↑ Speaker Carroll aims to end ballot fraud, March 24, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Colorado State Senate - District 17 2005–2013 |
Succeeded by Matt Jones (D) |
| |||||
| |||||||||||||||||
- President of the Senate
- Former member, Colorado State Senate
- Senator termed out, 2012
- State Senate incumbent retired, 2012
- Colorado
- Democratic Party
- 2012 challenger
- U.S. House candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (defeated)
- State Senate running for U.S. House, 2012
- State legislative article unique news needing double-check
