Bill Ritter (politician)
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| Bill Ritter | |
 Ritter campaigning in 2006 |
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| Succeeeding: | Bill Owens (R) |
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| Born: | September 6, 1956 Denver, Colorado |
| Political party: | Democrat |
| Profession: | Attorney |
| Spouse: | Jeannie Ritter |
| Religion: | Catholic |
August William Ritter, Jr. (born September 6, 1956) is an American Democratic politician from Colorado, the former District Attorney for Denver County, and the current Governor-elect for the state of Colorado. He will become the first native-born governor of the state in 35 years upon inauguration in January, as well as the being the first to serve with Democratic Party alignment in the General Assembly in 50 years.
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[edit] Early life and childhood
Ritter was born in Denver and raised on a farm in far eastern Aurora among his 11 brothers and sisters (he was born sixth). His father, Bill, was a heavy equipment operator in the construction industry. His mother, Ethel, was a homemaker until the family began to struggle economically and she found work as a bookkeeper when Ritter was a young teenager. At 14 years old, he went to work full time in the construction industry, and joined a local labor union. He continued to work in the construction field, which ended up financing his college education (along with student loans). He enrolled in Colorado State University and completed a bachelors degree, and then pursued a degree at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder. By 1981, he had earned a law degree and was hired as a Deputy District Attorney for the City and County of Denver.
[edit] Career in law and jurisprudence
In 1990, Ritter took on a position in the US Attorney's office, and returned to the Deputy DA's office two years later. In 1993, Ritter was appointed as Denver's District Attorney. As DA, he created one of the nation's first drug courts, as well as taking on white collar crime in metropolitan Denver. He worked extensively on the prosecution of sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as criminals offending senior citizens.
Ritter is responsible for creating the first Victims Services Network in the United States. He advised United States Attorney General John Ashcroft on affairs after September 11, 2001. During his time as DA in Denver, he served as Vice President of the National Association of District Attorneys, Chairman of the American Prosecutors Research Institute, and a board member for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
[edit] Charity and humanitarian work
Ritter has served as Chairman of the Board of Promoting Anti-Violence through Education (PAVE), the Denver Foundation's Human Services Committee, the Mile High United Way Board, and the Denver Public Schools' Commission on Secondary School Reform.
[edit] Missionary work
In 1987, Ritter and his family traveled to Zambia as Catholic lay missionaries, where they worked for three years in food distribution and health education. After the Ritters' return to the US, then-Gov. Roy Romer appointed Ritter as Denver’s district attorney, citing his service in Africa as an important part of the decision. Ritter's campaign site during the 2006 Colorado gubernatorial race emphasized his missionary work [1].
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Plea bargains
Controversy arose during the campaign over Ritter's use of plea bargains while in office. As DA, Ritter plea bargained 97% of cases which were brought to his office [2] (near the national average). However, controversy surfaced regarding plea bargains that prevented the deportation of both legal and illegal immigrants charged with drug, assault, and other crimes [3]. Both illegal immigration and drug use were hot topics in the race for governor, raising further controversy. Ritter has defended the plea bargains, stating that "Our priority was to try the most serious cases." [4]
[edit] Family
Bill and Jeannie Ritter married in 1984. They have four children, August (20), Abe (18), Sam (15), and Tally (13). Jeannie is a substitute teacher in the Denver Public Schools District. The majority of Ritter's extended family lives in Colorado. His mother Ethel(82) is a resident of Strasburg, Colorado, as well as his youngest brother Christopher(40) and nephew Justin (15) and niece Rebecca (12).
[edit] 2006 gubernatorial campaign
- Main article: Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006
In the beginning of March 2006, Ritter's last Democratic opponent, State Rep. Gary Lindstrom, dropped out of the race, leaving Ritter to unite the party by default. Party leaders held a rally in front of the State Capitol in support of Ritter. Ritter selected child welfare advocate Barbara O'Brien as a running mate, shortly prior to the rally, in February 2006. Ritter was overwhelmingly nominated at the 2006 Colorado Democratic Convention in Greeley in May. Following both of the major political conventions, a weaker Republican candidate, Marc Holtzman, dropped out of the election. Ritter was left to battle Republican Bob Beauprez in a critical election year for both parties nationally. Ritter went on to win the governorship with 56% of the vote.
[edit] Pre-election polling
| Source | Date | Ritter (D) | Beauprez (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | November 2, 2006 | 57% | 35% |
| Zogby/WSJ | October 31, 2006 | 46.4% | 46.6% |
| Rasmussen | October 29, 2006 | 51% | 39% |
| Survey USA | October 23, 2006 | 56% | 38% |
| Zogby/WSJ | October 19, 2006 | 46.7% | 44.7% |
| Mason Dixon | October 7, 2006 | 50% | 35% |
| Survey USA | September 28, 2006 | 55% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | September 26, 2006 | 50% | 34% |
| Rocky Mountain News | September 18, 2006 | 50% | 33% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 47.5% | 38.9% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 46.0% | 38.7% |
| Survey USA | August 17, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | August 11, 2006* | 48% | 39% |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 42.8% | 40.9% |
| Mason Dixon | July 17, 2006 | 42% | 35% |
| Rasmussen | July 10, 2006** | 42% | 37% |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 44.2% | 36.1% |
| Rasmussen | June 8, 2006 | 43% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | May 5, 2006 | 37% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | April 5, 2006*** | 41% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | February 25, 2006**** | 40% | 33% |
| Rasmussen | January 26, 2006 | 38% | 39% |
Notes: Text in dark grey indicates current poll, Bolded indicates leader, * First poll post-head to head debate between Ritter and Beauprez, post-primary election, ** First poll post-Holtzman dropout, *** First poll post-Lindstrom dropout, ****First poll post-Hickenlooper elimination, Zogby/WSJ (Wall Street Journal) poll is disputable
[edit] Political stances
Ritter is a member of the Democratic Party, and supports a somewhat progressive agenda. More liberal state Democrats encouraged other candidates, such as Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, to pursue the office of Governor, due to concerns over Ritter's pro-life stance. Others argued that Ritter would win more votes in the "purple state" of Colorado, as opposed to Republican opponents. Hickenlooper did not pursue the office in 2006, and eventually supported Ritter. As governor, Ritter has pledged that overturning abortion laws would not be part of his agenda, and has stated that he would veto any bill prohibiting abortion that did not provide for an exception for rape, incest or fetal anomalies [5]. Ritter has further stated that he would restore state funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning, and would reverse the veto of a bill that would have allowed pharmacists to dispense the emergency contraception known as the morning-after pill.
[edit] Issues
[edit] Results
| 2006 gubernatorial election, Colorado | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Bill Ritter | 778,510 | 56% | n/a | |
| Republican | Bob Beauprez | 565,871 | 41% | n/a | |
| Libertarian | Dawn Winkler | 20,494 | 1% | n/a | |
| Constitution | Clyde Harkins | 8,968 | 1% | n/a | |
| Independent | Paul Fiorino | 9,615 | 1% | n/a | |
| Independent | Charles "Chuck" Sylvester | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
[edit] Popularity
Ritter is popular with rural Coloradans, who in the past have tended to vote for Republican candidates (particularly Front Range voters). This may stem from Ritter's perceived rural roots. His popularity also extends to the Democratic strongholds in Colorado; the continental divide ski resorts such as Aspen and Vail, as well as the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. Ritter's chief rival for office, Bob Beauprez, shares a similar background, but may have suffered from the lack of a widely recognized in-state political history, having only chaired the state Republican Party, and having served most visibly in the U.S. Congress. Denver's bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention may also have played a role in the election.
[edit] External links
- Official campaign site
- The Denver Post: Profile: Bill Ritter
- Comprehensive coverage of the Bill Ritter campaign at the Cherry Creek News
- Democratic Party of Colorado
- The Democratic National Committee
- The State of Colorado
| Governors of Colorado |
 |
|---|---|
| Routt • Pitkin • Grant • Eaton • A. Adams • Cooper • Routt • Waite • McIntire • A. Adams • Thomas • Orman • Peabody • A. Adams • McDonald • Buchtel • Shafroth • E. Ammons • Carlson • Gunter • Shoup • Sweet • Morley • W. Adams • E. Johnson • Talbot • T. Ammons • Carr • Vivian • Knous • W. Johnson • Thornton • E. Johnson • McNichols • Love • Vanderhoof • Lamm • Romer • Owens |
