Bill Owens
William F. Owens (born October 22, 1950) is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He currently serves as the 40th Governor of Colorado.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Owens holds a Master's degree in public administration from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.
Owens served as a member of Colorado state house of representatives from 1982 to 1988 and Colorado state treasurer from 1995 to 1999. Since 1999, he has served as the 40th Governor of Colorado. In the gubernatorial election of 1998, he defeated his Democratic opponent, Gail Schoettler, in a very close race (they both received about 49% of the vote). He won the 2002 election by a much wider margin, defeating the Democratic candidate, Rollie Heath 63%-33%, the greatest majority in Colorado history.
Follwing the retirement announcement of US Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004, Governor Owens briefly considered running for the open seat, but ultimately decided against it.
