Station:   KNUS, 710 AM

Guests:    Stapleton

Link:        http://dancaplis.podbean.com/

Date:        January 30, 2018

Topics:     Tancredo drops from Governor’s race, Conservative Track Record, Leader, Amendment 66, Single Payer Healthcare, PERA, Public Employees’ Retirement Association, GOP Primary, Outsider, Tom Tancredo endorsement, CO Treasurer,

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HOST DAN CAPLIS: : [00:00:00] […] and go to the VIP line, because we’re fortunate to have Walker Stapleton with us. Walker, leading candidate for Governor in Colorado. He’s on the GOP side, in that GOP primary. The big news of the day, of course, Tom Tancredo dropping out of that race. Walker, welcome back to 710 KNUS.

COLORADO TREASURER AND GOP CANDIDATE FOR COLORADO GOVERNOR, WALKER STAPLETON:: [00:00:17] Hey, Dan. Always good to be on with you.

CAPLIS: [00:00:19] Thank you. And hey, some days [are] better than others. A day like today, Tom Tancredo dropping out, I assume that’s only good news in the Stapleton camp?

STAPLETON:: [00:00:27] Well, I hope it — it’s only good news if we end up being Jared Polis in the fall, which has been my mission from day one and will continue to be my mission this race.

CAPLIS: [00:00:38] And what impact do you think it has, Walker, on this GOP primary to have Tom Tancredo drop out?

STAPLETON:: [00:00:44] Well look, Tom is a well-known brand in Republican politics. He’s been around for decades. I consider Tom a friend. He’s always supported me in the past in both my races for Treasurer. He supported me in 2010, most notably, when I had a crowded primary to run, the first time I ran for statewide office. And I’m sure I’ll reach out to Tom, here, when the dust settles. But obviously, he is — his exit from the race gives an opportunity to everybody else who’s who’s still in the race.

CAPLIS: [00:01:15] Well, I think it enormously helps the prospects of winning in the general, because Tom — my take on Tom supporters, Walker, is that they’re intensely loyal, for good reason. And if Tom was to run a primary and lose, you know, there would be a danger of a lot of good people staying home.

STAPLETON:: [00:01:33] Yeah.

CAPLIS: [00:01:33] And I think that danger now is really softened. And if Tom was to run the primary and win, we all know that there would be the challenge, then, in the general. So, I think the chances of winning the general went up today. And that is no knock on Tom, at all.

STAPLETON:: [00:01:49] Yeah. That — you know, from the standpoint of our campaign, it doesn’t change all that much. I have been speaking about the threat that matters since I entered the race. And the threat that matters to me — and the threat that matters as a father of three kids, all under the age of 10 — is the prospect of having Jared Polis as the next Governor of Colorado. Make — you know, make no bones about it. That is the threat that really matters to the economic future of this state, to the quality of life that we want to have for future generations in Colorado. And his point of view on different issues, from the energy industry to health care could not be more diametrically opposed to my own. So, that’s what I’m going to continue to focus my campaign on. We’re going to continue to try and raise the resources necessary not only to win on our side but ultimately take on Jared Polis. And that’s — I think that’s the most appropriate way for me to run my campaign.

CAPLIS: [00:02:41] Well, sure. And it seems to me that the greatest challenge on the conservative side is to unite what’s broadly referred to as ‘the establishment’ in the Tea Party. And so, how do you now — with Tom dropping out of the race — are you going to do anything in particular to try to take advantage of that development and bring people together?

STAPLETON:: [00:03:04] Well, you know, I think I’ve got a very strong record that speaks for itself, as a conservative fighter that’s that’s been on the front lines of every important economic policy battle we’ve really had in this state over the last couple of years. I’ve led the fight — I was the leader of the fight against Amendment 66, the largest tax increase in Colorado history, against a guy who’s running for Democrat on the Governor’s side. We beat that two-to-one. Last fall, I was leader of the effort against a single payer healthcare system that multiple candidates, Dan, on the Democratic side see as the future of healthcare. We beat that almost five-to-one. And as you know very well, I’ve been the longest and largest voice for reforming PERA, which is the biggest debt we have in state government. So, I think I have a great track record as a conservative leader in this state, in the treasurer’s office for the last the last seven years. I’m the only person in this crowded race that’s run twice for statewide office and won both times. And when I first ran and when Tom first endorsed us, we didn’t have the support of a single person in the legislature, not a single past Governor — literally nobody. We were the outsider. We had the support of Tea Parties and Tom Tancredo. So, you know, it’s funny how things things change.

CAPLIS: [00:04:16] Yeah. Well, hey –.

STAPLETON:: [00:04:16] –Or the perception of things change. I should say that.

CAPLIS: [00:04:20] Yeah. Well, no, [I] really appreciate the time today. I think there is no question that the popular wisdom today is that your campaign benefits greatly from this. I know your campaign is on a roll in multiple ways. So, [I] look forward to the next –.

STAPLETON:: [00:04:34] [inaudible] point out that we’ve got — we have county commissioners all across the state, many of whom you know, who are supporting our candidacy. And that means a ton to me because these people are on the front lines, dealing with the frustrations of working with the state government here in Denver that that doesn’t really respond well towards what’s going on in rural Colorado.

CAPLIS: [00:04:51] No. Amen to that, my brother! So, hey, [I] appreciate the time today.

STAPLETON:: [00:04:54] Thank you. Dan!

CAPLIS: [00:04:55] Thank you, Walker! You take care! That is Walker Stapleton, candidate for Governor, of course, reacting to the big news today: Tom Tancredo out of the race.