Laura Bradford
Encyclopedia
Laura Bradford is a legislator in the U.S. state
of Colorado
. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2008, Bradford represents House District 55, which encompasses northern portions of Mesa County
and northern Grand Junction
.
and raised in Stephen
, after moving to Montana
and working at Yellowstone National Park
at the age of 18, Bradford settled in Colorado, living in Denver, Greeley, and Aspen, before moving to Grand Junction, Colorado
in 1981. Bradford has been married three times; she and her husband, Linton Mathews, have three children: Elizabeth, Meredith, and Preston.
After founding several sewing-related businesses, Bradford foudned ProSafe Products in 1987, a small business manufacturing fitted covers and garments for medical and dental applications. Her family opened a tree farm in 2006 on land near Collbran, Colorado
.
She joined the Women's Success Forum at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business in 1998, and was featured in the 1999 book Women Who Mean Business. She was a member of the Colorado Women's Economic Development Council from 1995 to 2000, and, in 1999, was appointed its chair by Gov. Bill Owens, and also sat on the Mesa County Revolving Loan Fund Administration Loan Review Committee.
An amateur musician,Bradford has been treasurer for the Messiah Choral Society and directed her church's English Handbell Choir. She has served in various positions with the Republican party, and became House District 55 chair in 2002.
in the November 2008 general election. Buescher was widely expected to become the next Speaker of the House if re-elected. Buescher's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post.
Bradford ran a campaign focused on fiscal and economic issues, particularly attempting to link Buescher with Gov. Bill Ritter and their support of a controversial mill levy freeze.
Buescher was targeted by flyers from Focus on the Family Action and other 527 groups during the campaign. Bradford was also criticized by outside groups as failing to support cancer screenings, a charge she rebutted by citing her own bout with cancer. Bradford aired television commercials responding to attacks from 527 groups, some of which were briefly taken off the air and revised after it was discovered that a photograph of Buescher, taken by a Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
reporter and used in the ad, was used without proper permission.
Bradford, running in a district with a 2:1 Republican voter registration advantage, received a late-minute boost from a visit by Republican presidential candidate John McCain
on election day. As returns came in, Bradford and Buescher traded leads, with Bradford leading at the end of the night. By the following day, Bradford's lead settled at about 600 votes, more than 1 percent of ballots cast. Buescher conceded defeat the day after the election.
After defeating Buescher, Bradford received a standing ovation when first meeting with the House Republican caucus later in the week.
The first bill introduced by Bradford was a measure to update laws governing Colorado's statewide voter registration database into compliance with federal regulations.
Bradford has announced her intention to support an expansion of the personal property tax exemption, a bill her opponent Buescher had promoted, and has publicly supported efforts to pass a version of Jessica's Law
in Colorado, mandating stricter sentencing for sex offenders, and is expected to introduce a version of the legislation with Reps. Frank McNulty
and Scott Tipton
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2008, Bradford represents House District 55, which encompasses northern portions of Mesa County
Mesa County, Colorado
Mesa County is the fourth most extensive and the eleventh most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including Grand Mesa. The county population was 146,723 at the 2010 United States Census. The...
and northern Grand Junction
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
.
Biography
Born in Crookston, MinnesotaCrookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
and raised in Stephen
Stephen, Minnesota
Stephen is a city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 658 at the 2010 census.Stephen was founded between 1875 through 1878. Stephen was the first town founded in Marshall County...
, after moving to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and working at Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
at the age of 18, Bradford settled in Colorado, living in Denver, Greeley, and Aspen, before moving to Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
in 1981. Bradford has been married three times; she and her husband, Linton Mathews, have three children: Elizabeth, Meredith, and Preston.
After founding several sewing-related businesses, Bradford foudned ProSafe Products in 1987, a small business manufacturing fitted covers and garments for medical and dental applications. Her family opened a tree farm in 2006 on land near Collbran, Colorado
Collbran, Colorado
Collbran is a Statutory Town in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Grand Junction Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 708 at the 2010 census. The town is located east of Grand Junction along Plateau Creek, at the upper end of the small cattle ranching valley...
.
She joined the Women's Success Forum at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business in 1998, and was featured in the 1999 book Women Who Mean Business. She was a member of the Colorado Women's Economic Development Council from 1995 to 2000, and, in 1999, was appointed its chair by Gov. Bill Owens, and also sat on the Mesa County Revolving Loan Fund Administration Loan Review Committee.
An amateur musician,Bradford has been treasurer for the Messiah Choral Society and directed her church's English Handbell Choir. She has served in various positions with the Republican party, and became House District 55 chair in 2002.
2008 election
Bradford began considering a run for the house seat, meeting with Republican leaders, in 2007, as did former state senator Ron Teck. When Teck declined to run in August 2008, Bradford was left as the leading contender for the seat. She had no opposition in the August 2008 Republican primary, but faced incumbent Democratic Rep. Bernie BuescherBernie Buescher
Bernie Buescher is the former secretary of state of Colorado. A Democrat, he was appointed to the office in 2009 by Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Republican Mike Coffman....
in the November 2008 general election. Buescher was widely expected to become the next Speaker of the House if re-elected. Buescher's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post.
Bradford ran a campaign focused on fiscal and economic issues, particularly attempting to link Buescher with Gov. Bill Ritter and their support of a controversial mill levy freeze.
Buescher was targeted by flyers from Focus on the Family Action and other 527 groups during the campaign. Bradford was also criticized by outside groups as failing to support cancer screenings, a charge she rebutted by citing her own bout with cancer. Bradford aired television commercials responding to attacks from 527 groups, some of which were briefly taken off the air and revised after it was discovered that a photograph of Buescher, taken by a Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel is the largest daily newspaper in western Colorado, with distribution in six counties.The Sentinel’s companion website, , was founded in 1996. Together, the news organization provides daily community, state, national and international news coverage.The Daily...
reporter and used in the ad, was used without proper permission.
Bradford, running in a district with a 2:1 Republican voter registration advantage, received a late-minute boost from a visit by Republican presidential candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
on election day. As returns came in, Bradford and Buescher traded leads, with Bradford leading at the end of the night. By the following day, Bradford's lead settled at about 600 votes, more than 1 percent of ballots cast. Buescher conceded defeat the day after the election.
After defeating Buescher, Bradford received a standing ovation when first meeting with the House Republican caucus later in the week.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 legislative session, Bradford was named to seats on the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the House Local Government Committee, where she was the ranking Republican member.The first bill introduced by Bradford was a measure to update laws governing Colorado's statewide voter registration database into compliance with federal regulations.
Bradford has announced her intention to support an expansion of the personal property tax exemption, a bill her opponent Buescher had promoted, and has publicly supported efforts to pass a version of Jessica's Law
Jessica's Law
Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to punish sex offenders and reduce their ability to re-offend...
in Colorado, mandating stricter sentencing for sex offenders, and is expected to introduce a version of the legislation with Reps. Frank McNulty
Frank McNulty (Colorado legislator)
Frank McNulty is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. First elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2006, McNulty represents House District 43, which centers around the community of Highlands Ranch. McNulty was elected Speaker of the House on November 9,...
and Scott Tipton
Scott Tipton
Scott R. Tipton is the U.S. Representative for . In November 2010, he defeated three-term incumbent Democrat John Salazar, whom he lost to in 2006 by a wide margin. He was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives and a co-owner of a pottery company in Cortez, Colorado...
.