Jon Caldara hates bullies.

As President of Independence Institute, he has dedicated his professional life to stop bullies who use the coercive power of government to force their values on those who don’t share them, and to take from others.

Jon is the Sunday editorial columnist for The Denver Gazette, The Colorado Springs Gazette, and Colorado Politics. His current affairs television program, Devil’s Advocate with Jon Caldara, airs on Colorado Public Television Channel 12, Friday nights at 8:30. You can hear him hosting radio talk shows on Denver’s 630 KHOW and 850 KOA.

Jon’s greatest pride is being father of three amazing children; daughter Parker, who died of cancer in 2001, daughter Piper who came along to save him in 2002, and wild-man Chance born in 2004 who, either because or despite of his Down Syndrome, is the frat brother Jon never had.

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Past political doings include:

• Jon Caldara started his political career in 1994 when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Regional Transportation District, one of the largest governments in Colorado, later becoming Chairman of the board.
• For four years Caldara was a columnist for The Boulder Daily Camera.
• From 2016 to 2020, he was a columnist for The Denver Post.

Caldara is a veteran of many political battles, running campaigns against tax and debt increases and for freedom-based reforms:

• He fought the 1997’s Guide the Ride transit tax increase;
• 1998’s Referendum B, a billion statewide tax increase;
• 2000’s Amendment 23, the unfunded spending mandate for K-12 schools;
• 2001’s monorail questions;
• 2004’s RTD’s Fastracks tax increase;
• 2005’s attack on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Referenda C and D and 2013’s Amendment 66, a progression income tax increase.
• In 2008 he led the effort for Amendment 49, a ban on deducting union dues from public paychecks.
• In 2010 he championed Amendment 63, the Health Care Freedom Act.
• In 2014 he brought forward Proposition 104 which made school district negotiations with unions open to the public.
• In 2020, his Proposition 116 permanently lowered Colorado’s flat income tax to 4.55%.

Among his many recognitions, 5280 Magazine twice named him one of the top 10 most influential men in Denver. Westword awarded Caldara Denver’s Best Media Manipulator. The Denver Post put Caldara on their list of people to watch. The State Policy Network honored him with the Thomas Roe Award. The Colorado Jaycees named him Outstanding Young Coloradan. Of course that was when he was young, so likely he can’t even remember it.