Messenger: Walker Stapleton

Candidate: Walker Stapleton

Contest: Governor

Affiliation: R

Date delivered: May 15, 2018

Click here for message

Message type: tv ad

Message tone: positive

About the message: In this introductory TV ad, Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton refers to his eight years as state treasurer, support of President Donald Trump's tax cuts, opposition to so-called sanctuary cities and more. He is one of four candidates vying for the GOP nomination in the June 26 primary.

A left-leaning blog initially pointed out that Stapleton wasn't the only state treasurer to support Trump's tax-cut plan.

And a 9News Truth Test reiterates that issue, as well as others. It notes that Stapleton's claim that he shot down a massive tax cut and defeated a singler-payer health plan are overstatements, since both issues were rejected by voters.

The claim about being the only state treasurer to support the tax cut has led Stapleton's opponents to accuse him of lying. He hasn't changed the claim; in fact, he's defended it. Asked in a 9News debate if he'd learned anything about making the false claim, he replied, "No. No. I actually have not. Because I don't think the semantics of being 'one of or the first' or 'the first' are really meaningful. In another Truth Test, 9News noted that Stapleton "re-writes his own history," ignoring that the ad says he was the "only" state treasurer to support the tax cuts.

The ads began airing May 16 on cable, and are airing on most other TV stations around the state.

About the messenger: Walker Stapleton is a Republican who has served as state treasurer since 2010. He won the four-way GOP June 26 gubernatorial primary.

The messenger's money: Stapleton raised nearly $2.4 million through June 27, including $1 millionof his own money. He's supported by the independent spending committee Better Colorado Now, Coloradans for Fiscal Responsibility, Colorado Campaign for Jobs and Opportunity and Real Colorado Conservatives.