COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado's best-known anti-tax crusader and convicted felon, Douglas Bruce, is running for Congress.
Bruce is petitioning to join the race for Colorado's 5th Congressional District, he confirmed to 9NEWS Tuesday.
The 74-year-old Republican is joining a crowded field vying for retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn's seat. To make it on the ballot for the state's June primary, Bruce needs to collect 1,500 signatures on a petition.
He's up against the likes of conservative podcast host Jeff Crank and Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams.
The race has already gotten contentious, with Williams using party resources to promote his candidacy and attack rivals.
Bruce's campaign platform, posted on the website forcongress.douglasbruce.com, highlights his top priorities, including deporting "illegal aliens," banning "sanctuary cities," stopping "genital mutilation" and defending gun owners.
His campaign website reads, "America is under attack! We must act!"
According to his platform, acting also involves "respect[ing] Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump," defunding the "Left," drilling for oil and cutting welfare dollars.
Bruce told 9NEWS he’ll self-fund his campaign and won’t accept donations.
Bruce has a long history in Colorado politics as a conservative activist, elected official and convicted felon.
The man behind Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) later went to prison for tax fraud and money laundering.
Bruce lost two bids for state Senate in 1996 and 2000 before being elected as an El Paso County commissioner in 2004. He made it to the state Capitol in 2008, when a vacancy committee appointed him to fill an opening in the House of Representatives. Thus began a short, contentious term marked by the first censure in the history of the legislature, which came after Bruce kicked a news photographer on his first day as a state legislator.
In 2011, Bruce was arrested for felony tax evasion. After a series of court battles, he was convicted in 2012 of tax evasion, filing a false tax return and trying to influence a public servant. Bruce served 104 days in jail, but he went back behind bars a few years later. In 2016, he was convicted of violating probation and served 180 days of a new two-year sentence.
The anti-tax advocate has continued his political activism over the years. Most recently, he spoke out against Proposition HH, a failed 2023 ballot measure to reduce property tax rates using TABOR funds.
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