Brandon Bocchino
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Brandon Bocchino (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 30, 2020.
Bocchino completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Brandon Bocchino was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended Ball State University and Texas Tech University for undergraduate study. His career experience includes working as a guest services manager with the Broadmoor Resort. He has been affiliated with the political action committee Battleground Texas and with the Colorado Democratic Party.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020
Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)
Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Incumbent Doug Lamborn defeated Jillian Freeland, Ed Duffett, Marcus Murphy, and Rebecca Keltie in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Doug Lamborn (R) | 57.6 | 249,013 |
 | Jillian Freeland (D)  | 37.4 | 161,600 | |
 | Ed Duffett (L) | 3.4 | 14,777 | |
 | Marcus Murphy (Independent) | 0.9 | 3,708 | |
 | Rebecca Keltie (Unity Party) | 0.8 | 3,309 | |
| Total votes: 432,407 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Doug Lunde (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Jillian Freeland advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jillian Freeland | 100.0 | 76,033 |
| Total votes: 76,033 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brandon Bocchino (D)
- Ryan Lucas (D)
- George English (D)
- Brian Ebinger (D)
- Mario Sanchez (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Incumbent Doug Lamborn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doug Lamborn | 100.0 | 104,302 |
| Total votes: 104,302 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Doug Lunde advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on April 13, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Doug Lunde (L) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Unity Party convention
Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5
Rebecca Keltie advanced from the Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on April 4, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Rebecca Keltie (Unity Party) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released December 5, 2019 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brandon Bocchino completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bocchino's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Pro-LGBTQ+, Pro Consumer Protections, and all about how to make Colorado pristine and prosperous for all. The American electoral system needs more protection and security against the growing litany of sophisticated threats from our adversaries. Ideas on reforming affordable housing, legalization of cannabis, capital gains tax, and conservation of wilderness areas. Pro green energy and energy independence as a nation. Desperately wish to institute immigration reform and adopt legislation granting citizenship to over 11 million undocumented persons living in the United States. Syria committed and wish to visit the troops serving in week one if possible. Supportive of our intelligence community and their invaluable service to our nation. Education reform; increasing the amount allocated per student as well as increasing the range of resources open to state teachers including salary/wage increases.
- Building bridges not burning them; bi-partisan infrastructure bill in my first year.
- Education; increase on per student spending
- Keeping Wilderness Wild! Protecting the pristine while utilizing what we can use for prosperity.
Infrastructure, Education, Cannabis/Drug Enforcement Reform, Voting Rights, Immigration, Foreign Policy in regards to nuclear deterrence
I look up to anyone who's able to look adversity in the face and push past it. While I have a plethora of historical figures I look up to, not too many I admire are still living unfortunately. Charlie Chaplin, Eric Blair (George Orwell), Robin Williams, & Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) are all individuals I find time to reflect about and who have personality traits I admire.
Books: All the Presidents' Bankers- Nomi Prins; Profit over People- Noam Chomsky; Shortest Way Home- Pete Buttigieg; A Higher Loyalty- James Comey; Trumpocracy- David Frum
Being able to have the public's trust. Honesty, intelligence, the ability to articulate to many different crowds and the patience to explain legal lingo to anyone needing further details. The ability to articulate your disdain for certain legislation without insulting the people on the other side.
I am an amazing listener and my memory skills are impeccable. My ability to recall small details from vast, prolonged conversations is definitely useful in trials and hearings. I actually enjoy reading reports and find the facts fascinating. I craft my legislation around the facts and numbers because unlike people the numbers can not lie.
Upholding the values and ethics of this office. To represent the people of your district to the very best of your abilities. To be honest to your constituents about the problems the nation faces and to come up with solutions based in your own community reflective of your own community and then bringing that together with the solutions from your colleagues communities. This creates a feasible national solution to our issues providing the largest scope of ideas and impacts. It's why Democracy works.
A legacy of honesty, respect, and success. A legacy of bridging the gap and getting bills passed putting America's infrastructure to work. Even with all this hate which will pass, I want to get successful & informed bills approved and ready for our children and future generations.
9/11. I was 8 years old and in the 2nd grade when the United States was shocked and horrified by the attacks of 9/11. I remember a sense of apprehension as you can tell the mood across teachers and school staff seemed anxious. Living south of Dallas, there was apparently a fear that the attacks might happen here too and I remember parents discussing that after school. A fear of future attacks. A fear of the unknown. You knew the world was going to change forever even as a kid in grade school.
My very first job was working at Target as a cashier then guest services agent. I held the job for 3 years from when I was 15-18. I also worked part time at a German Market called Inge's helping serve food and handout flyers.
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. Besides being an epic classic and rare example of literature during the Bubonic Plague outbreak in Europe, I may be related to the author. Apparently, my last name is a derivative of Boccaccio and somewhere down the line Giovanni makes an appearance in the family tree.
I believe my father had a trace all the way back to 917 ad. Venetia well before Giovanni.
I believe my father had a trace all the way back to 917 ad. Venetia well before Giovanni.
Skips from Regular Show. I also wouldn't mind being "L" from Deathnote or Sherlock Holmes.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn- The Beastie Boys
Family. I never knew my grandfather on my mother's side due to his obtuse and hateful/racist views on life. My great grandfather on my mother's side was buried in his KKK robes and that is extremely grotesque. I have a lot of work to do to repay the world for having to endure the hate my past relatives have hurled at many. My own parents are saints. They love all and respect all, but just a stones throw to a few generations back and the family tree immediately turns rotten. Also, there were several family feuds raging throughout my childhood which always captivated me. I never understood how the whole world was suppose to get along when my own family couldn't, and I always found comfort in my parents love for one another, until they divorced. However, I still have faith. That faith was oddly reinforced/restored at my Aunt's recent funeral. It was my first time seeing family in years after leaving and it was most certainly welcome.
Firstly it is interesting to note the two-year terms. This allows new faces and ideas to recycle much faster than in the Senate. It is also susceptible to gerrymandering, which the Senate is not. If gerrymandering is perfected, like under Republican strategist Thomas Hofeller, the recycling of faces/ideas can be immediately halted, like in North Carolina for example (just look at the 2018 election results). The House also has the sole constitutional power of impeachment which made winning the House back for Democrats a priority in 2018.
I absolutely believe any/all experience in government and politics is beneficial prior to winning any given office. However, I don't believe it is necessary. That's what makes the House of Representatives so interesting in the fact you have a much broader background of politicians serving.
Implementing democracy in the 21st century. Our technology has allowed able-bodied dictators who understand the power they posses to become extremely dangerous. From hybrid warfare out of Putin's Russia to domestic dissent sparked by uniquely targeted foreign propaganda maintaining America's institutions under this duress will be the most difficult undertaking, but it must be done for humanities sake. Democracy by nature moves slow; compared to dictators democracy is a tortoise and they are the hare, and while the hare is quick, fast and often pulls ahead, due to its hot headed character it quickly finds itself at odds with its own goals. The tortoise, composed and calm eventually wins, but it takes a special kind of time/patience that I feel Americans are running short on to prevail.
I would very much find myself at home on the House Intelligence Committee. Conservation & Forestry, Transportation, Housing & Urban Development, any subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee.
I do feel that 2 years is an appropriate term length. It allows for broader representation and for more Americans to see the system, run as candidates, and participate in government. This reinforces our institutions and keeps the people having faith that the system is fair and works.
I'm very much open to voluntarily signing on to a 3 term limit. 6 years in the US House of Representatives would give ample enough time to pass the legislation wanted/needed for projects to advance while ensuring they work/ figure out all the potential problems so future legislatures will have little no work to do in order to maintain your additions to the great American experiment.
I don't know if I'd be for joining the party leadership. That would definitely be a question for after my first term in office and if I make it to a second (not doubting my ability, just being a realist; my district is +14 Republican on Cook). I'd want to really test myself against Congress first and see how well I do before making a spear shot for the leadership.
I personally like Jared Polis, our governor here in Colorado, but I also worked for him and campaigned for him. Same for Wendy Davis who's personality I also enjoyed working for. I'll say one politician I won't take pointers from is Neil Marchbanks. Fine individual, however from my experience volunteering for him in 2014 the morale was low, the positivity dead, and the smack talk high.
When I owned a glass art studio, I also sold CBD products created by Discovery CBD in El Paso County, Colorado. I'd have parents come in and they would talk at length about how CBD was helping their children's epilepsy and muscle spasms. Medically, this is unproven. However, just hearing their heartbreaking stories of anguish, dread, fear to go to sleep, fear of their child's safety would also keep me up at night. I feel their pain. An enormous emotional avalanche of pain from parents desperate to find answers and solutions trying to save their children and babies from possible death. It's a race against time as well as societal norms since many institutions/laws would frown on parents giving children CBD and using cannabis products for medical use. It's frustrating and has driven me to fight for them and empower them because nobody deserves to have their child's life held over a metaphorical cliff side teeter totter while politicians plot revenge on one another.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on December 5, 2019
Senators
Michael Bennet (D)
Representatives
District 1
Diana DeGette (D)
District 2
Joe Neguse (D)
District 3
Jeff Hurd (R)
District 4
Lauren Boebert (R)
District 5
Jeff Crank (R)
District 6
Jason Crow (D)
District 7
District 8
Gabe Evans (R)
Democratic Party (6)
Republican Party (4)
