In his Capital Matters piece today, “Colorado’s Tax Revolution Continues,” Ben Murrey details the unusually fiscally sane direction of what is, by any account, a blue state. But he expresses frustration with Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis:

While the measure received the support of Governor Jared Polis, it undoubtedly would have won without it. Likewise, Polis surely would have won his reelection bid had he stayed silent on the measure. Only outright opposing it would have hurt him politically. He was smart enough not to do that, but he also never volunteered his support for reducing income taxes. He broke with his party and supported income-tax cuts only when backed into a corner.
When the Independence Institute — the center-right public-policy think tank where I serve as fiscal-policy-center director — put Proposition 116 on the ballot in 2020, Polis remained silent on the measure until the Colorado Springs Gazette asked him whether he would support it. He replied via text message: “Sure! [A]n income tax cut is broad-based relief and not only helps families get by in a challenging time but also helps our economy grow.”…When Polis voiced his support of income-tax cuts, he received recognition — including from me — at the state and national levels. But he has not yet shown true leadership on the issue; his support for tax cuts has been in response to the actions of others. With his reelection now secured, the governor will have the opportunity to show true leadership on income-tax reform during his second term.

That’s all entirely fair. I’d just also note that, for a Democrat — I realize we’re grading on a massive curve here — Polis is exceptionally reasonable when it comes to size-of-government issues. I was a sophomore in college in Colorado Springs when Polis was first elected, and was consistently happily surprised by how his record stacked up vis-à-vis most other Democratic governors. Polis has always had a heterodox libertarian streak — while serving in Congress, he was the only Democrat in the House Liberty Caucus, and penned op-eds for the libertarian publication Reason arguing that libertarians should vote Democrat. (A dubious proposition, to be sure; but it’s the thought that counts). Reason’s Nick Gillespie called him “the most libertarian governor in America.” Polis sought to loosen Colorado’s pandemic mandates sooner than most other blue states, and told an audience in 2021 that the state’s income tax “should be zero.” He backs school choice — a courageous move as the member of a party closely linked to teachers unions — and even founded two charter schools himself. Reason reported:

“The fact is we did something simple,” Polis said during his victory speech on Tuesday night. “We focused on issues that really affect people’s lives and we delivered real results. We focused on lowering costs and more freedom. We led with rational data-driven COVID policies that supported personal freedom and responsibility and resulted in Colorado having the ninth-lowest COVID death rate in the entire nation”… “I respect freedom,” Polis told Reason in July 2022. “It’s great because you’re free to be the way you want. That’s the way it should be.”

None of that is to disagree with any of Murrey’s critiques of the governor’s lackluster support for tax reform. Polis is, after all, still a Democrat. But by his party’s standards, Coloradoans could do a lot worse.