August William Ritter Jr. is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 41stGovernor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the district attorney for Denver before his election in 2006. Ritter was the first native-born person to be elected as Governor of Colorado since 1975, as well as being the first Democratic officeholder in 50 years to serve with a Democratic majority in the Colorado General Assembly. Ritter did not run for a second term in 2010. Ritter announced that he would not run for a second term due to family reasons. He supported fellow Democrat John Hickenlooper, who was elected to the governorship.
In 1990, Ritter took a position in the United States Attorney's office. He returned to the Deputy District Attorney's office two years later. In 1993, Ritter was appointed as Denver's District Attorney. As DA, he created one of the nation's first drug courts, as well as taking on white collar crime in metropolitan Denver. He worked extensively on the prosecution of sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as criminals targeting senior citizens. Ritter advised United States Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft on affairs after the September 11 attacks.
Charity work
Ritter served on the Denver Foundation's Human Services Committee, the Mile High United Way Board, and the Denver Public Schools' Commission on Secondary School Reform. In 1987, Ritter and his wife Jeannie moved to Zambia as missionaries for the Catholic Church. They opened a food distribution and education center. Upon their return to the Denver area in 1989, Governor Roy Romer appointed Ritter to the DA's office, citing his missionary work as an "important factor" in the decision. During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Ritter's campaign and the press often noted his work in Zambia.
Governorship
Murder attempt
On July 16, 2007, 33-year-old Aaron Snyder stormed the Capitol while holding a pistol and threatening to kill Governor Ritter. He was shot and killed outside Ritter's offices by State Trooper Jay Hemphill.
Popularity
At the start of his term, Ritter was relatively popular with rural Coloradans, who in the past have tended to vote for Republican candidates. Ritter's rural roots and construction work background may have appealed to them, as he was a self-made man. His popularity also extended to the Democratic strongholds in Colorado: the voters of the continental divideski resorts such as Aspen and Vail, as well as the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. An August 2007 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed Ritter's approval rating at 60%, while 36% were disapproving and 4% remained undecided. By July 2008, however, Ritter's approvals had begun a sharp decline, with a Rasmussen poll showing his approvals at 45%. His numbers failed to improve—an April 2009 poll by Public Policy Polling showed the governor's approvals had declined to 41%, with 49% disapproving of his performance. More significantly, the same poll also showed Ritter trailing his most likely 2010 opponent, former U.S. Representative Scott McInnis, by 7 points. Though Ritter cited family reasons in his January 2010 announcement that he had decided not to run for re-election, he was dogged by rumors that his poor polling numbers led Democratic power brokers to force him out of the race.
Political positions
As a member of the Democratic Party, Ritter supports a "semi-progressive" agenda, emphasizing universal health care, environmental protection, housing subsidy and welfare increases, and other stances aligned with the left wing of the Democratic Party. During his first campaign, more progressive state Democratic leaders encouraged other candidates, including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, to pursue the Governorship, because of concerns over Ritter's anti-abortion stance. Others believed that Ritter would win more votes in the "purple state", as opposed to Republican opponents. Hickenlooper did not pursue the office in 2006 and he eventually supported Ritter. Ritter opposes same-sex marriage in another culturally conservative position. Ritter pledged that, as governor, he would not act to overturn abortion laws and he would veto any bill prohibiting abortion that did not provide for an exception for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies. Ritter further stated that he would restore state funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning and would reverse the veto of a bill that would have allowed pharmacists to dispense the emergency contraception known as the morning-after pill. Ritter also staked out moderate positions on business and labor issues, vetoing legislation in 2007 that would have made it easier for workers to form unions, and, mid-term, naming moderate RepublicanDon Marostica his director of economic development. In September 2010, Ritter was one of seven governors to receive a grade of F in the Cato Institute's fiscal-policy report card.
Plea bargains
Controversy arose during the campaign over Ritter's use of plea bargains while serving as DA. Ritter had plea bargained 97% of cases that were brought to his office. However, controversy surfaced regarding plea bargains Ritter had made as DA that prevented the deportation of both legal and illegal immigrants who had been charged with drug, assault, and other crimes. Both illegal immigration and drug use were hot topics in the race for governor, raising further controversy. Ritter has defended his office's use of plea bargains, stating that "Our priority was to try the most serious cases."
Post-gubernatorial career
Since February 2011, Ritter has served as the director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.
Family
Bill and Jeannie Ritter married in 1983. They have four children: August III, Abe, Sam, and Tally. Jeannie is a substitute teacher in the Denver Public Schools District. The majority of Ritter's extended family lives in Colorado. His mother Ethel was a resident of Strasburg at the time of her death.
