DENVER – George Brauchler, the 18th Judicial District Attorney currently running for governor of Colorado, is switching his focus to instead run for attorney general.
Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski confirmed Brauchler’s decision Monday morning. Brauchler said last week that he was considering the switch following current Attorney General Cynthia Coffman’s decision to run for governor.
In an email to supporters Monday morning, Brauchler said the decision to drop his bid for governor was a difficult one but he wanted to become attorney general to prevent the position from falling into the hands "of someone who would use it to advance extreme ideological positions."
"I have been humbled by the many statements encouraging me to step away from the Governor’s race and take on the difficult task of mounting the defense of this pivotal position with less than a year on the campaign calendar and piles of money already raised by those seeking to take this office in a drastically new direction," Brauchler said. "I have been asked to redirect my passion for improving Colorado as Governor to instead protecting Colorado by fighting for the position of Attorney General."
Brauchler led the field of Republican candidates for governor in third-quarter fundraising, bringing in $104,000 in individual contributions. But he ended the quarter with $10,000 less cash-on-hand than Doug Robinson.
In the attorney general’s race, five Democrats have already declared, including Phil Weiser, the former dean of CU Law School; Michael Dougherty, the assistant district attorney for the 1st Judicial District; state Rep. Joe Salazar, Denver attorney Brad Levin, and former prosecutor Amy Padden.