Jared Polis

Jared Polis Bio

Jared Schutz Polis (born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist who has served as the 43rd governor of Colorado since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Polis is the first openly gay man elected governor of a U.S. state and the first Jewish governor of Colorado. Before becoming governor, he served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education and represented Colorado’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms. He is also a successful tech entrepreneur who founded or co-founded several internet companies before entering public service.

Early Life and Background

Jared Schutz Polis was born on May 12, 1975, at Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado. He is the son of Stephen Schutz and Susan Polis Schutz, the founders of the greeting card and book publisher Blue Mountain Arts. Raised in a creative and entrepreneurial household, Polis spent part of his youth in San Diego, California, where he attended La Jolla Country Day School. He graduated from the school in three years with multiple honors, showing early signs of academic ambition and drive.

Polis went on to attend Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics in 1996. During his time at Princeton, he wrote a 157-page senior thesis titled “Paradigm Shift: Politics in the Information Age” under the supervision of political scientist Carol M. Swain. He was active on campus, serving as communications director of the undergraduate student government and participating in Model Congress, Phi Gamma Delta, and the Princeton Juggling Club. In 2000, he legally changed his surname to his mother’s family name, Polis, both to support a fundraiser and because he preferred the name.

Path to US Politics

Before entering politics, Polis built a career as a technology entrepreneur. While still in college, he co-founded American Information Systems (AIS), Inc., an internet access provider that was later sold in 1998. In 1996, he co-founded the free electronic greeting card website bluemountain.com, which was sold to Excite@Home in 1999. He also founded ProFlowers, an online florist, in 1998. The company later became Provide Commerce, Inc., went public on NASDAQ in 2003, and was acquired by Liberty Media Corporation in 2005 for $477 million. In 2006, Polis and other investors founded TechStars in Boulder, Colorado, which grew into a global venture capital firm.

Polis’s entry into public life began in 2000, when he was elected at-large to the Colorado State Board of Education. His election was one of the closest in Colorado history, as he defeated incumbent Ben Alexander by just 90 votes out of 1.6 million cast. He served a single six-year term until 2007, holding positions as both chairman and vice chairman of the board during his tenure. He was also part of a group known as the “Gang of Four,” wealthy Coloradans who supported Democratic candidates in statewide races and helped shift the state’s politics toward the Democratic Party.

Jared Polis Career

Early Career (2000–2008)

Polis’s early political career centered on education policy and ethics reform in Colorado. While serving on the State Board of Education, he co-chaired the 2006 campaign for Amendment 41, a ballot measure that banned gifts by registered lobbyists to government officials and created an independent ethics commission. The amendment was approved by 62.3% of Colorado voters. He also co-chaired a successful 2006 Boulder Valley School District bond measure, the largest school bond proposal in Colorado that year.

His business success gave him the resources to become a major political donor and organizer. He was part of the “Gang of Four,” along with Pat Stryker, Rutt Bridges, and Tim Gill, who played a significant role in funding Democratic campaigns in Colorado. By 2008, Polis was ready to run for federal office, leveraging his business experience and political network to mount a competitive congressional campaign.

Congressional Breakthrough (2009–2018)

In 2008, Polis won a heavily contested Democratic primary election for Colorado’s 2nd congressional district and went on to win the general election with 63% of the vote, succeeding Mark Udall. He made history as the first openly gay man elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. He was reelected four more times, winning in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016, each time with at least 56% of the vote.

During his time in Congress, Polis focused on technology, education, and civil liberties. He pushed for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, sponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act, and supported efforts to ban conversion therapy. He also championed internet freedom, opposing legislation like SOPA and PIPA, and co-sponsored Aaron’s Law in response to the prosecution of internet activist Aaron Swartz. In 2014, Polis became the first member of Congress to accept campaign donations in Bitcoin.

Governorship Era (2019–Present)

Polis was elected governor of Colorado on November 6, 2018, defeating Republican nominee Walker Stapleton with 53.4% of the vote. He was sworn in on January 8, 2019, leading a transition team called Boldly Forward. In 2022, he won reelection in a landslide, defeating Republican Heidi Ganahl. As governor, Polis has signed legislation banning conversion therapy for minors, protecting abortion and gender-affirming care access, and requiring public schools to use transgender students’ preferred names.

Polis has also taken independent stances within his party. In 2021, he pardoned 1,351 Coloradans convicted of marijuana possession. In 2022, he made Colorado the first state to allow residents to pay state taxes with Bitcoin. He has been described as both progressive and libertarian-leaning, advocating for school choice, free trade, and cannabis legalization. He was named the “most libertarian governor in America” by Reason magazine in 2022.

Notable Events and Milestones

Polis has achieved several historic firsts in American politics. In 2008, he became the first openly gay man elected to Congress as a non-incumbent, and in 2011, he became the first openly gay parent in Congress. In 2018, he became both the first openly gay man elected governor of a U.S. state and the first Jewish governor of Colorado. In 2021, he became the first governor of a U.S. state in a same-sex marriage, and in 2022, he became the first openly gay man and first governor in a same-sex marriage elected to a second gubernatorial term.

Jared Polis Career Wins

Throughout his career in elected office, Jared Polis has compiled a strong record of victories at the state and federal levels, winning every major election he has contested since 2000.

Congressional and Gubernatorial Wins

Polis won his first congressional race in 2008 with 63% of the vote and was reelected four times with margins between 56% and 57%. In 2018, he won the Colorado governorship with 53.4% of the vote, and in 2022, he won reelection in a landslide against Republican Heidi Ganahl. He has never lost a general election for the offices he has held.

Other Achievements

In addition to his electoral victories, Polis has achieved major policy milestones, including the passage of Amendment 41 in 2006, which established ethics rules for Colorado officials. He also helped pass a $296.8 million school bond in the Boulder Valley School District in 2006, the largest in the district’s history. As governor, he has signed landmark legislation on LGBTQ rights, abortion access, and marijuana justice.

Jared Polis Family

Family Background and Lineage

Jared Polis is the son of Stephen Schutz and Susan Polis Schutz, who founded Blue Mountain Arts, a well-known greeting card and book publishing company. Growing up in this entrepreneurial and creative household shaped his early interest in business and the arts. In 2000, he legally adopted his mother’s maiden name, Polis, becoming part of a family tradition tied to publishing and the creative industries.

Personal Life

Polis married his longtime partner, Marlon Reis, in September 2021 in a small Jewish Renewal ceremony at the University of Colorado Boulder, from which Reis graduated. The couple has two children: a son born in 2011 and a daughter born in 2014. Polis is Jewish and has spoken publicly about the importance of his faith and family life. He is also known for his love of video games, professional sports teams including the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Broncos, and his admiration for pop musician Taylor Swift.