Betsy Markey

Last updated
Markey meeting with constituents in Eastern Colorado Betsy Markey CO.jpg
Markey meeting with constituents in Eastern Colorado

In June 2007, Markey filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and formally announced her intention to run in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District against Marilyn Musgrave. She quickly garnered numerous key supporters including many past and present elected officials.

The 4th District had been in Republican hands since 1973. It was generally considered a safe Republican district, but Musgrave was considered potentially vulnerable. The three-term incumbent had never been able to establish a secure footing in the district, in part because her Democratic opponents attacked her for her focus on social issues (such as the Federal Marriage Amendment) and her allegedly poor constituent services. After winning the open 4th District seat fairly easily in 2002, Musgrave had only narrowly held on in 2004 and 2006.

Another factor that made Democrats hopeful of defeating Musgrave was the district's demographics. The 4th is a large and mostly rural district. While the rural counties are some of the most Republican counties in Colorado, the district's politics were dominated by two counties--Larimer and Weld—home to Fort Collins and Greeley, respectively. These two counties have only a third of the district's land, but cast 85 percent of its vote. In 2004 and 2006, Musgrave had been able to win by running up the votes in Weld County.

In the 2008 election, Markey won by an unexpectedly wide margin, taking 56% of the vote to Musgrave's 44% the third largest margin of victory for a congressional challenger in the 2008 cycle. While Markey lost most of the rural counties in the district by margins of 2-to-1 or more, she crushed Musgrave in Larimer County, winning it by 36,500 votes. She also won Weld County by seven points. [10] [11]

2010

Markey was challenged by Republican nominee, state Representative Cory Gardner, American Constitutional Party nominee Doug Aden, and Independent Ken "Wasko" Waszkiewicz.

The race was rated as a toss-up per polling aggregation and was cited as one of the most competitive races in the nation. [12] [13] [14] Markey was defeated in her reelection bid in 2010, [15] taking only 41% of the vote to Gardner's 52%.

Post-congressional career

After her defeat, Markey became Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Homeland Security. She resigned that position in January 2013. [16] [17] In June 2013, she announced that she was running for Colorado State Treasurer in the 2014 elections. [18] She won the Democratic nomination, but lost the general election to incumbent Walker Stapleton.

In January 2016, she was appointed as regional administrator for the Small Business Administration. [19]

In December 2018, she was appointed as director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and Trade. [20] She announced her resignation in March 2021.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Betsy Markey, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . Accessed February 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ "SYSCOM USA Inc - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. ↑ "State economic development head Markey stepping down". Loveland Reporter-Herald. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  4. ↑ Representative Betsy Markey (CO) Project Vote Smart.
  5. ↑ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2009-01-14). "Roll Call 16 Roll Call 16, Bill Number: H. R. 2, 111th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2009-01-28). "Roll Call 46 Roll Call 46, Bill Number: H. R. 1, 111th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2009-06-26). "Roll Call 477 Roll Call 477, Bill Number: H. R. 2454, 111th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (2010-03-21). "Roll Call 165 Roll Call 165, Bill Number: H. R. 3590, 111th Congress, 2nd Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Obama, Barack (November 17, 2020). A Promise Land. United States: Crown. pp. 427, 591. ISBN   978-1-5247-6316-9.
  10. ↑ Fender, Jessica. Markey's double-digit win stunned own staff. The Denver Post. 6 November 2008.
  11. ↑ Whaley, Monte. Markey unseats Musgrave: Democratic challenger thrashes three-term incumbent in evolving, sprawling district. The Denver Post. 5 November 2008.
  12. ↑ Zeleny, Jeff. Democrats See Hopes for West Dim in Colorado. The New York Times. 8 May 2010
  13. ↑ Battle for the House Real Clear Politics.
  14. ↑ Benenson, Bob. 10 Most Vulnerable: Still a Freshman Affair, Roll Call , May 17, 2010.
  15. ↑ Casey, Chris. 4th CD: Gardner says his message of less taxes, more jobs resonated with voters Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine , The Greeley Tribune, November 2, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Back in Colorado, Betsy Markey Being Recruited for Treasurer - Colorado Pols". coloradopols.com. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  17. ↑ Hood, Grace. "Betsy's Back And Ready To Serve, Again" . Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  18. ↑ "Betsy Markey, former congresswoman, running for Colorado treasurer". The Denver Post. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  19. ↑ "Betsy Markey Appointed Regional Administrator of SBA's Colorado-based Region VIII | The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov". 2019-04-06. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  20. ↑ "Colorado Gov.-elect Jared Polis appoints Betsy Markey as new economic-development director".
Betsy Markey
Rep Betsy Markey Portrait.JPG
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Intergovernmental Affairs
In office
2011–2013
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the  U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 4th congressional district
2009-2011		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.