Democrat Denise Burgess announced Thursday that she ended her campaign for Colorado's contested Senate seat only days after initially announcing her bid.
In a statement emailed to supporters, Burgess gave no explanation for her departure from the campaign but stated that she would be committed to seeing Democrats take the seat in 2020.
"As of this afternoon, I decided to end my campaign for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate," Burgess wrote. "But make no mistake about it, I am going to keep working to make sure Democrats win back the Senate seat and that Democrats all across the state are elected next November."
RIP the Senate campaign of Denise Burgess, Sept. 16, 2019 - Sept. 19, 2019. pic.twitter.com/rLkC2SbuKC
— Alex Burness (@alex_burness) September 19, 2019
In a statement to local news affiliate 9News, Burgess pointed to a lack of grassroots support for her candidacy.
“We really thought we had big momentum,” Burgess told 9News. “We did not.”
Democratic US Senate candidate Denise Burgess has ended her campaign after four days, following @ColoradoSun questions about her unpaid taxes. Burgess insisted that wasn't the reason. "We really thought we had big momentum," Burgess told me. "We did not." #copolitics #9NEWS
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) September 19, 2019
Her announcement came days after the Colorado Sun published an investigation that revealed four federal tax liens against her properties related to her construction management business and other business ventures, at least one of which reportedly is outstanding.
Burgess's campaign previously had pledged in a statement to resolve the remaining tax issues by 2020.
“The company has paid all state obligations and has made arrangements to pay the remainder of the federal taxes by 2020,” the statement said. “Overcoming obstacles and building a successful small business makes Denise uniquely qualified to be a champion for other small businesses and their workers in the Senate.”
