A second Colorado lawmaker with deep ties to public education is considering a run for the governor’s mansion in 2018.
State Sen. Michael Merrifield of Colorado Springs confirmed to Chalkbeat he is weighing joining what could a crowded Democratic primary as a voice for the party’s progressive wing.
One of Merrifield’s Democratic colleagues from the Senate Education Committee is also considering a run — outgoing Sen. Michael Johnston, the standard bearer for the state’s education reform movement. The two lawmakers often clashed on policies such as linking teacher evaluations to student academic growth.
Others who have been mentioned as potential Democratic candidates include former U.S. Sen. and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and former state treasurer Cary Kennedy.
Merrifield, a former music teacher who has served on both the House and Senate education committees, said he’s been encouraged to run by Democrats across the state after November’s election.
“I think the state party has been far too Denver-centric for a number of years,” he said, suggesting the state’s Democrats have abandoned rural parts of the state and labor organizations. “I think Democrats need to get back to their roots.”
Merrifield, 69, said he believes he can rally the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Colorado that supported U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders during the presidential primaries. Sanders won the Colorado presidential caucus.
“Many of those names being bandied about will have difficulty arousing excitement from the base,” he said. “And that’s one thing that I’ve always been able to do in all of my races: get support from unions, and teachers, and mom and pop business owners.”
Merrifield is considered among the most liberal of Democrat lawmakers in the General Assembly. But his Senate district is split almost evenly among Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.
On education issues, Merrifield has staunchly opposed numerous education reform efforts and has proposed bills to slash the amount of standardized testing in schools.
What would a Merrifield governorship mean for the state’s public schools?
“It’d be a wonderful thing for public education, with a capital P-U-B-L-I-C education,” he said. “It’d not be a very good thing for those who want to privatize, corporatize, ‘voucherize’ and ‘charterize’ public education.”
Merrifield said he didn’t know when he’d make a decision. Among the factors he’s raising is whether he can raise the kind of money needed to mount a statewide campaign.
“It would be a huge undertaking,” Merrifield said. “I think so far, what I’m seeing is a path. Not a well-beaten path, but a path through the forest.”
ColoradoPolitics.com first reported Merrifield’s potential gubernatorial run.