Press Kit

Jared Polis is an independent leader with a proven track record of turning big ideas into real results in business, non-profits, and government. Polis co-founded his first company, American Information Systems while still in college. The company, a success, was then followed by the launch of two more companies, bluemountain.com and Proflowers.com, one of the fastest-growing online start-ups. In 2000, Polis was honored as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst and Young and one of Success Magazine’s top ten young entrepreneurs, and later co-founded Techstars a start-up accelerator, and mentored and co-founded several other start-ups.

In a 2000 statewide election, Polis was elected to the Colorado State Board of Education, where his peers later selected him to serve as the first Democratic Chairman of the Board in more than two decades. Jared Polis has spent most of his life working to improve and invest in our schools. He founded several non-profit public schools serving at-risk children: the New America School, where he served as superintendent, and which extends the benefits of English literacy and high school liberal arts education to new immigrants; and the Academy of Urban Learning, which educates teens who are homeless or from unstable living environments .

Elected to Congress in 2008, Polis is a recognized leader on education, immigration, civil rights, environment and technology issues. He helped craft the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act which replaced No Child Left Behind Act, and has served in various leadership capacities including as Vice-Chairman of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Caucus, and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan US-Mexico Friendship Caucus, bi-partisan Nutritional Supplement Caucus, bi-partisan Blockchain Caucus, and bi-partisan Outdoor Recreation Caucus.

In running for Governor of Colorado, Polis plans to take the state into the future by making it energy independent with 100% renewable energy by 2040; improving education and delivering full day Kindergarten and preschool across the state; and building an inclusive economy where employees of all levels make more, not just CEOs.

As governor, my goal is to accomplish our statewide clean energy transition by 2040 while saving people money on their utility bills and creating green energy jobs in Colorado that can never be outsourced. 

For our climate, for our national security, for our health, and for our economic growth we need a bold goal of 100% renewable energy. Many cities in Colorado already have ambitious goals, like Pueblo which is committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035, and Aspen which became the third city in the country to already achieve 100% renewable.

Click to download the full white paper and read the details of my plan.

As Governor, within two years I will bring together a winning coalition to establish universal full day Kindergarten and Preschool in every community across our state. 

High-quality, full-day kindergarten and preschool promote school readiness, close achievement gaps, and support the healthy development of all children. Access to preschool and kindergarten would also save parents’ money on day-care and allow parents the flexibility to go back to work sooner, not only helping families pay rent and put food on the table, but also generating additional tax revenue for the state and decreasing reliance on public assistance programs.

Click to download the full white paper and read the details of my plan.

Every election cycle we hear from politicians promising to “strengthen our economy” but all they offer are vague plans and platitudes. I am running for Governor of Colorado for the opportunity to turn big ideas into real results. I know Colorado can lead the way in building an economy that works for everybody, not just those at the top and I have a plan to do it. 

As a progressive of course I support raising the minimum wage, family medical leave and ensuring that employers follow our laws; but we need fresh ideas to do more to address the rising income disparity and ensure that workers share in the value that they help create.

My goal as Governor is to make Colorado first in the nation for companies that share their profits and success with their workers, just as I did with the companies I started. Colorado’s vibrant economy can work for everybody, and profit sharing and employee ownership programs will help us get there.

Click to download the full white paper and read the details of my plan.

Paid for by Polis for Colorado

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