Attorney General Race: Differences Between Brauchler and Weiser

DENVER, CO – Voters making a selection in the Colorado Attorney General's race will have to scan the down-ballot real-estate to make their choice. But the two major-party candidates running for the role of the state's top lawyer – George Brauchler, Republican, and Phil Weiser, Democrat – are starkly different. The direction of the state's AG office may change with the election of either of them.

Brauchler, a law-and-order-style district attorney in Arapahoe County, is running on his life as a Colorado native, veteran and prosecutor, saying he wants to focus the AG's office on Colorado and the state's people and problems. Weiser, a first-time candidate and former Dean of CU's law school and a former member of presidents Obama and Clinton's Department of Justice teams, made the decision to run after the election of President Donald Trump and the national role attorneys general play in U.S. policy.

Brauchler may have his eyes on a bigger state or national political future. He had been running for Governor, but jumped into the AG race when it became clear that Cynthia Coffman, the current Attorney General, was mounting an (unsuccessful) bid in the GOP's Governor primary race. Perhaps because Coffman hesitated so long, she had no other opposition and Brauchler won the primary uncontested.

Weiser fought a tough primary battle with populist Democratic State Rep. Joe Salazar, winning by a mere 5,000 votes. He gained momentum out of the gate by raising $1 million right away and has been acknowledged as a superior fundraiser.

Brauchler has lined up the endorsements of multiple sheriff's and fellow district attorneys around the state, including metro Denver DAs like Pete Weir in Jefferson County and Dave Young in Adams County, although District Attorney Beth McCann in Denver County has remained neutral. Brauchler is also gaining newspaper endorsements, such as the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Pueblo Chieftain and Colorado Springs Gazette.

Brauchler has taken an aggressive campaign approach against Weiser criticizing him for his "lack of courtroom experience." About $3 million from the Republican Attorneys General Association has paid for for videos like this and this. In ads, Brauchler's campaign calls Weiser "a career academic who's never prosecuted a case in his life, never put a criminal behind bars."

Meanwhile, Weiser has been slow to respond, finally getting an ad out this month created by one of Gov. Hickenlooper's former campaign team. The ad involves Weiser rolling a whiteboard around the state and calls the AG's office "the people's lawyer." It touts Weiser's experience working at the Justice Department.

Weiser has snagged the endorsements of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, as well as Gov. Hickenlooper and former Colorado Senator (and before-that Attorney General) Ken Salazar – who convinced Weiser to run.

The Colorado Attorney General's Office under Cynthia Coffman's offices have focused on consumer protection and acting as state prosecutor at the appeals level. But she has also focused on mental health issues and school violence. Coffman's offices have joined other attorneys general in multi-state consumer law suits against opioid manufacturers, the tobacco companies and Uber. She has declined to join other AGs in multi-state lawsuits over DACA and other political issues.

If elected, Brauchler said he would not use the AG's office to push back on national policies, but focus on local issues. He listed his top three issues in an interview with the Denver Post as "protecting our communities from our increasing crime rate," "fighting federal overreach" and "a commitment to the Rule of Law." Weiser's answers were "defending the reproductive rights of women," defending Constitutional freedoms" and "protect[ing] our land, air, and water."

With Brauchler's experience and momentum, and the fact that the AG's office in Colorado tends to lean to the right, Weiser's chances may depend on a potential "Blue Wave" to wash all the way down the bottom of the ballot.

In their own words:

Find out what the candidates themselves say in the League of Women Voters Candidate Survey.

Attorney General

George Brauchler (Republican) As CO’s AG, I will defend Coloradans by enforcing our laws, rules, and regulations; I will be a guardian for the laws we impose upon ourselves, and our constitutional protections. It is a partisan process to choose an AG, but once elected, the AG should conduct the office in a non-partisan manner. I would uphold the laws which are constitutional, regardless of personal belief. If DC seeks to tell us how to govern ourselves on issues we have decided for ourselves, I will push back. READ MORE

Phil Weiser (Democrat) As Attorney General, I would be constitutionally and morally obligated to defend Colorado’s laws, even if I personally disagreed with them. I would also be legally and ethically committed to provide competent and respectful legal advice to our next Governor, even if I personally disagreed with a particular policy they are pursuing. That said, if I was convinced that a Colorado law violated the Constitution, I would be obligated to not defend and enforce it. READ MORE

Read other Q & As with the candidates:

Denver Post: Colorado Attorney General candidate Q&A

Colorado Sun: George Brauchler vs. Phil Weiser: Where Colorado’s attorney general candidates stand on the issues, from marijuana to the death penalty

Colorado Public Radio:Colorado Attorney General Race 2018: George Brauchler And Phil Weiser On The Issues

Correction: This article has been updated to correct one of the newspaper endorsements received by George Brauchler. The correct newspaper is the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

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