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Brandon Shaffer
Brandon Shaffer is a former Democratic member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 17 from 2005 to 2013. He served as Senate Majority Leader and Senate President.
On February 14, 2013, Shaffer was appointed as vice chairman of the Colorado Parole Board by Gov. John Hickenlooper. In June 2013, officials announced that Hickenlooper appointed Shaffer as chairman of the Parole Board.[1][2]
Biography
Shaffer studied Naval Science at the University of California-Berkeley, and earned his B.A. in political science from Stanford University in 1993 and his J.D. from the University of Colorado in 2001. His professional experience includes working as an intern for Governor Roy Romer and the Commission on National and Community Service, an attorney and an English teacher for the YMCA in Yokosuka, Japan.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Shaffer served on the following 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 the following 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]
Initiative rights
Shaffer co-sponsored legislation introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives on March 24 that would have:
- Required 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.[4]
Elections
2012
- See also: U.S. Congress 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 to 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 Democratic primary on June 26, 2012. He and Doug Aden (Constitution Party) were defeated by incumbent Cory Gardner (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 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
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Shaffer was elected to the 17th District Seat in the Colorado State Senate, defeating opponent Katie Witt (R).[7]
Shaffer raised $131,551 for his campaign, while Witt raised $28,587.[8]
| Colorado State Senate, District 17 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Brandon Shaffer (D)
|
43,054 | |||
| Katie Witt (R) | 26,544 | |||
Campaign themes
2012
Shaffer's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[9]
- 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."
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Shaffer and his wife, Jessica, have two children.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Brandon + Shaffer + Colorado + Senate
See also
- Colorado State Legislature
- Colorado State Senate
- Colorado Senate Committees
- Colorado state legislative districts
External links
- Sen. Shaffer's personal website
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Brandon Shaffer
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008 2006 2004
- Facebook page
- Brandon Shaffer on LinkedIn
Footnotes
- ↑ Denver Post, "Governor appoints former Senate President Brandon Shaffer to Colorado Parole Board," February 14, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "Shaffer to become Colorado Parole Board chairman," June 12, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013
- ↑ Colorado News Agency, "State pension rescue plan passes Senate; critics say it does too little," Jan 29, 2010
- ↑ Speaker Carroll aims to end ballot fraud, March 24, 2009
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Journal-Advocate (Sterling, CO, "Brandon Shaffer stops in Sterling day after announcing congressional bid," July 7, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "Unofficial election results," June 26, 2012
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, " Official 2008 General election results," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Funds raised by 2008 Senate candidates," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ shafferforcolorado.com, "Issues," accessed December 10, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Colorado State Senate - District 17 2005–2013 |
Succeeded by Matt Jones (D) |
