All voter registration statistics are as of Oct. 1, 2022, and provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.
Redistricting commission ratings for congres sional districts are based on election perfor mance in the 2016 U.S. Senate and presidential races, the four top statewide election results in 2018, and the 2020 presidential and Senate election results.
Some experts believe those numbers may overestimate Democratic advantage by as much as 5%.
BY ERNEST LUNING ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.comRepublicans are hoping to end a drought in major statewide races this year in Colorado, where the GOP hasn’t notched a statewide win since 2014.
The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet is ranked among the most competitive in the country this year.
Going into the election, the chamber is evenly divided, with Vice President Ka mala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote, so if either party nets one seat, it would shift the balance of power.
The congressional races profiled in this voter guide are considered to be the most competitive and could determine control of U.S. House, where Republi cans need to flip five seats to take the gavel from Democrats.
Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and for mer five-term congressman from Boul der, is seeking a second term.
Republican Heidi Ganahl of Lone Tree, a University of Colorado regent at-large, is challenging him.
Statewide voter registration: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999
Phone number: 970-921-9779
Email: info@polisforcolorado.com Website: https://polisforcolorado.com/ Mailing address: P.O. Box 36006, Denver, CO 80236
Twitter handle: @polisforco and @jaredpolis Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ PolisForColorado/ Instagram: @jaredpolis Education: bachelor’s degree in politics, Princeton University
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
As governor, I am focused on doing what’s right for Colorado. We have kept Colorado moving forward through tough times, but there is more hard work ahead, which is why it’s nearly im possible to name one program.
Over the next four years, I will keep delivering on the issues that matter most to Coloradans. We will continue to create more opportunities for Colo radans by growing good jobs and ensur ing people hold onto more of their hard earned money.
We will bring housing costs down by reducing regulations and barriers to new housing. We will continue to strengthen our response to wildfires, preserve our clean air and water, and protect our future from climate change. We will protect our families from violence and crime, and continue expanding our free doms so Coloradans can choose to lead the life each person wants to live.
There are more challenges headed our way, but I am committed to making sure Colorado’s brightest days are ahead.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
One of my administration’s top priori
ties is cutting costs and helping Colora dans keep more of the money they earn. We’ve proven that this administration can deliver cuts on major costs for Col oradans by capping the cost of insulin, saving families money with free kinder garten, and cutting taxes for thousands of small businesses and completely eliminating state tax on social security income for seniors.
We will continue to take immediate action to save people money, while re ducing the cost of major expenses like education, health care and housing.
Crime is unacceptable and I have a plan to improve public safety across Colorado. We are helping local police and sheriff departments hire, train and retain law enforcement officers, while also increasing penalties for trafficking fentanyl and other serious crimes.
We must also do more to prevent crime from happening by improving behavior al health response, early intervention and diversion, addiction recovery, and programs to reduce recidivism.
Thirdly, we remain committed to our aggressive climate goals, including put ting Colorado on a path toward lower cost, reliable clean energy with a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040. We are working to improve our air quality for Coloradans by spurring the transition to lower cost renewable energy, while im proving Colorado’s response to wildfires and other climate threats.
Phone number: 720-805-8683
Email: Heidi@heidiforgov.com Website: www.heidiforgov.com
Mailing address: Heidi for Governor, P.O. Box 754, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
FROM
Twitter handle: @heidiganahl Facebook: www.facebook.com/heidiganahl Instagram: @heidiganahl Education: bachelor’s degree in marketing, University of Colorado Boulder; master’s degree in health care administration, University of Denver
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
The first thing I will do is replace as many people on the various boards and commissions throughout our state as possible.
We have bureaucrats who hate farm ers and ranchers sitting on the very boards that oversee those industries.
We have parole board members who re fuse to enforce truth in sentencing and are contributing to our horrible recidi vism rate.
We cannot continue to use these pow erful positions as an avenue of political activism. I will also undo as many exec utive orders as possible.
I will start by ending our health ex ecutive order, which was used to lock down and mandate Coloradans.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
Crime, cost of living and kids.
Colorado’s crime wave was brought on by soft on crime policies that prioritize criminals.
I will return to law and order by ap pointing judges who respect truth in sentencing and replacing parole board members who do not.
I will end our sanctuary state status, which will help stop the flow of fentan yl.
I will make possession of any amount of this deadly poison a felony. And, I will give law enforcement the resources they need.
I will lower our inflation rate and cost of living by reining in our government bloat and record high spending. I will get our energy workers back to work and embrace an all-of-the above ap proach.
Finally, our kids are in crisis. We need to give power back to parents in a powerful partnership with teachers. We need to ensure transparency in cur riculum. And, we need to provide real school choice.
Democrat Phil Weiser is seeking a sec ond term. His Republican challenger is John Kellner, a first-term district attor ney in the 18th Judicial District, cover ing Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lin coln counties.
Statewide voter registration numbers: Demo crats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliat ed: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999
Email: TeamPhil@PhilforColorado.com
Website: https://www.philforcolorado.com/ Mailing address: P.O. Box 13644, Denver, CO 80201
Twitter: @pweiser
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phil forColorado/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phil forcolorado/
Education: bachelor’s degree in political science, Swarthmore College; law degree, New York University School of Law
I will work to protect victims, advance public safety and combat fentanyl. My office has held accountable those who harm victims — including drug cartels, human traffickers, and clergy who prey on children — and enforced the Victims Rights Act.
I also secured over $520 million for Colorado from big pharmaceutical com panies to address the opioid crisis and am working around the state to ensure these funds are invested effectively.
I will continue to support improving police recruitment and retention, pro viding better mental health services for law enforcement, and improving offi cer training, investing effectively the millions I fought for at the Legislature. And I will continue to advocate for and advance responsible gun safety laws — implementing Colorado’s “red-flag” law, encouraging safe gun storage, and en suring domestic abusers cannot access firearms.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
My top priorities are defending the rights of all Coloradans; improving public safety; and protecting our land, air, and water.
First, I will continue to protect con sumers and defend our civil rights, in cluding access to affordable, safe abor tion care.
On protecting consumers, I have re covered over $230 million for Colora dans defrauded by irresponsible actors, including an $8.4 million action against CenturyLink for misleading fees.
On public safety, I will continue to bring complex, organized crime cases, including prosecuting drug cartels, and push for sound legislation, such as laws passed recently to combat catalytic con verter theft and provide resources to fight fentanyl.
Lastly, I will continue to defend our air quality, protect our water, and take on polluters.
Phone: 703-474-8259
Email: info@johnkellner.com
Website: https://www.johnkellner.com/ Mailing address: P.O. Box 461798, Aurora, CO
80046
Twitter: @KellnerforCO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kellner ForColorado/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john kellnerco/
Education: bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, Spanish, University of Florida Warrington College of Business; law degree, University of Colorado
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
My first program when elected will be Building A Safer Colorado For All. Through this, we will fight Colorado’s crime wave, which has hit a 25-year high and will work to implement tough er penalties for repeat offenders.
We will also stand up for Colorado’s citizens by taking the fight against the deadly poison fentanyl to the federal government, if necessary, regardless of which political party is in power.
We will support our law enforcement officers in giving them access to the best possible training available and we will help Colorado recover from the $100 million in fraudulent unemploy ment claims.
Now, hard working Coloradans are forced to foot the bill of replenishing the unemployment fund. We will fight to hold the scammers and fraudsters accountable.
Together, we will build a safer Colora do for all.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
I will fight to turn the Colorado crime wave around through these three prior ities:
Supporting common-sense public
safety laws. It is not common sense to support any legislation that would de criminalize fentanyl and through these types of failed policies, the fentanyl overdose rate in Colorado has spiked to the second highest in the nation.
We need to put tougher penalties in effect for any amount of fentanyl.
This brings us to the second priority, which is tackling trafficking of fentanyl and addressing the issue of it flowing through our southern borders.
Lastly, I will do all I can to protect our state’s water and our rights to it. Agriculture and ranching are import ant parts of Colorado’s economic infra structure and without water, they can no longer produce their crops and live stock.
We are facing some big discussions when it comes to the Colorado Water Compact in the coming years and it is a priority of mine to continue to learn all I can about it and preserving Colorado’s water sources.
Democrat Jena Griswold of Louisville is seeking a second term. Republican Pam Anderson of Wheat Ridge, a for mer Jefferson County clerk, is challeng ing her.
Statewide voter registration numbers: Demo crats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliat ed: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999
Phone: 720-739-1274
Email: jena@jenaforcolorado.com
Website: www.jenaforcolorado.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 270218, Louisville, CO 80027
Twitter: @JenaGriswold Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ Jenaforcolorado Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ jenagriswold/
Education: bachelor’s degree in politics and Spanish literature, Whitman College; law school, University of Pennsylvania
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
Colorado’s elections are the nation’s gold standard for security and access. As secretary of state, I have made vot ing more accessible for all Coloradans, but we must always continue to inno vate.
In a second term, I will continue to protect the right to vote of every eligi
FROM
ble person and increase election ac cess. We hope to further expand Auto matic Voter Registration (AVR), which has already registered over 350,000 eligible Republican, Democrat and un affiliated voters and increased our elec tion security.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
First, ensuring that Colorado’s elec tions continue to be safe and secure, and that our security evolves with new emerging threats.
Second, expanding voting access. As secretary of state, I will always prior itize ensuring that eligible Coloradans have access to voting.
And finally modernization. Keeping Colorado’s elections and business ser vices up to date is essential to ensuring they’re both secure and accessible.
Email: andersonforsos@gmail.com
Website: www.andersonforsos.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1916, Wheat Ridge, CO 80034
Twitter: @andersoncosos Facebook: www.facebook.com/Anderson COSoS
Instagram: www.instagram.com/anderson cosos
Education: bachelor’s degree in history, California Lutheran University and University of Colorado Denver; master’s degree in public administration, University of Colorado Denver
Restore confidence and trust for all Coloradans.
We need to restore trust in the Secre tary of State’s Office. If elected, my first step I will take will be to establish a professional code of ethics to eliminate the hyper-partisanship and politics that have eroded trust.
I will insulate the professional staff from political influence and restore focus on the mission of the agency to serve Coloradans as a fair referee with out bias.
I will increase transparency and elim inate the use of nondisclosure agree ments for departing personnel.
I will also work in a bipartisan way with the Legislature, on behalf of all voters, to pass legislation that will pro hibit elected officials from using public funds for ads with any candidate’s im age, couched as voter outreach.
Finally, I will institute a citizen elec tion academy that will provide Colo radans an opportunity to take some of the same courses that election officials do and incentivize and encourage citi zens to learn about and participate in democracy as a trained election official.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
Increase the reimbursement for fed eral and state elections to the counties that currently are severely underfund ed.
The funding amount the secretary of state is supposed to reimburse to coun ties following each statewide election have not changed since 2012. It is crit ical to support voters’ choices, access,
and integrity by supporting public funding of elections.
My opponent promised to address this in 2019. Not only has she broken her commitment to support county and local government for years, but she has also initiated several underfunded mandates in the General Assembly that have increased the cost of our elections, while taking full credit for the work.
My opponent has siphoned more than $4 million in federal funds (over 50% of the COVID relief funds) for televi sion ads that should be used to directly support secure and accessible elections administered by the county clerks.
This has either taken the place or de layed critical projects for years.
I will audit that spending and realign the priorities away from investment in politics and restoring the mission of ac cessible and safe elections.
I will require and advocate that no less than 75% of any federal funding are applied directly to support the opera tions and mandated programs.
I will restore stability in leadership for the agency.
Over the past four years, there has been three deputy secretaries of state, four chiefs of staff, at least four commu nication directors, and three legislative liaisons.
This lack of leadership is just one measure of the poor performance that impacts our voters, businesses, chari ties and nonprofits all over the state.
As a former county clerk and business owner, I will use my master’s in pub lic administration to bring my proven record of professionalism to prioritize the focus on the service and mission of the agency, and lead with that in mind and not prioritize my political career. I believe the secretary of state is a seri ous job, and is a destination, not a step pingstone.
Democrat Dave Young, a former state lawmaker from Greeley, is seeking a second term. Republican Lang Sias, a state lawmaker from Arvada, is chal lenging him.
Statewide voter registration numbers: Demo crats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliat ed: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999
Phone: 970-573-6302
Email: dave@daveyoungforcolorado.com Website: https://www.daveyoungforcolorado. com/ Mailing address: P.O. Box 58, Greeley, CO 80632-0058
Twitter: @DaveYoungCO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dav eYoungForColorado Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dav eyoungforco/ Education: bachelor’s degree in mathemat ics, Colorado State University; master’s degree in information and learning technologies, University of Colorado Denver
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
The first program I will work on will be the Colorado SecureSavings pro gram.
This program will help 1 million Col oradans working in the private sector save for a sustainable and dignified re tirement, while saving taxpayers nearly $18 billion over the next 15 years. We are launching the pilot program this October and will roll it out officially in January.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
My top priority if reelected is to pro tect taxpayer dollars and ensure we are making smart, safe and transparent in vestments that help all Coloradans.
Second, is to return more than $1 bil lion in unclaimed property to the peo ple of Colorado.
So far in my term, we have returned more than $143 million in unclaimed property to almost 90,000 Coloradans. We accomplished this by clearing the backlog of claims, simplifying the claims process, and launching a pro gram that proactively returns funds.
And third is to continue to build on the Colorado SecureSavings Program as well as the CLIMBER program, which helps local businesses recover from the pandemic and fight inflation.
The program invests nearly $250 mil lion in small-business loans to ensure companies can keep staff, raise wages, and keep their doors open.
Phone: 720-727-1575
Email: siasforcoloradotreasurer@gmail.com
Website: https://siasforcolorado.com/
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2646, Denver, CO 80205
Twitter: @LangSias
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sias cotreasurer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sias cotreasurer/
Education: bachelor’s degree, Vassar College; master’s degree, London School of Economics; law degree, University of Michigan Law School
What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?
Single-party rule has driven Colora do’s cost of living far too high.
Compared to the beginning of 2021, our average family is paying over $950 more each month, just to maintain their standard of living. That leads the nation.
We need checks and balances. I will restore balance to our statewide eco nomic leadership.
This isn’t about one program, it’s about leadership and an efficient mind set that prioritizes taxpayers.
What are your top three priorities for the office?
1. Work with anyone, from either par ty, committed to lowering costs for fam ilies and small businesses.
I’ll advocate for rigorous cost-benefit analysis of major economic regulations, and transparency and accountability for the actual results of spending.
I will also defend our right to vote on tax increases and tax refunds.
My opponent used the treasurer’s of fice to try to abolish our TABOR tax refunds, including the $750 you just received, forever.
I believe TABOR helps hold our politi cians accountable.
2. As a PERA Board member, work to improve PERA’s financial position, while balancing the interests of PERA members and taxpayers.
I was a leader in passing 2018 bipar tisan reforms that averted disaster for PERA members, taxpayers and the state — reforms my opponent voted against. The reforms put PERA on a better tra jectory, but it will take responsible leadership to achieve 100% funding.
3. Efficiently oversee treasury depart ment programs, focusing on saving tax payer dollars.
My opponent has been exaggerating the success and prospects of programs he manages, and has inflated the size of his department by nearly 50% since 2019.
All voter registration statistics are as of Oct. 1 and provided by the Secretary of State’s Office. Redistrict ing commission ratings for congres sional districts are based on election performance in the 2016 U.S. Senate and presidential races, the four top statewide election results in 2018, and the 2020 presidential and Senate election results. Some experts believe those numbers may overestimate Democratic advantage by as much as 5%.
BY ERNEST LUNING ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.comRepublicans are hoping to end a drought in major state wide races this year in Colo rado, where the GOP hasn’t notched a statewide win since 2014.
The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet is ranked among the most competitive in the coun try this year.
Going into the election, the chamber is evenly divided, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-break ing vote, so if either party nets one seat, it would shift the bal ance of power.
The congressional races pro filed in this voter guide are considered to be the most com petitive and could determine control of U.S. House, where Republicans need to flip five seats to take the gavel from Democrats.
Democrat Michael Bennet of Denver, who was appointed to the seat in 2010 and has been reelected twice, is seeking a third full term.
Republican Joe O’Dea of Greenwood Village, a construc tion company owner, is chal lenging him.
Statewide voter registration num bers: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republi
cans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800
Total active voters: 3,759,999
Email: info@michaelbennet.com
Campaign website: www.michael bennet.com
Mailing address: Bennet for Colo rado, P.O. Box 3078, Denver, CO 80202
Twitter handle: @MichaelBennet Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/michaelbennet/ Instagram: https://www.instagram. com/michaelbennet/ Education: bachelor’s degree in history, Wesleyan University; J.D. from Yale Law School
My first bill will be to repeal the Trump tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and cor porations and make perma nent the expanded Child Tax Credit, which we passed last year to benefit 90% of Colorado kids, cut child poverty almost in half, and cut hunger by a quarter.
Over the past 20 years, Wash ington has spent $5 trillion cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, and another $5 trillion fighting two 20-year wars in the Middle East. Meanwhile, income in equality rose, economic mobil ity fell, and our infrastructure degraded.
Our priority should be creat ing more economic opportu nity and security for working families. The best place to start
5
“For 40 years, Congress has cut taxes for the wealthiest people and corporations, hoping they would magically trickle down to every one else. They haven’t. Instead, income inequality is greater than at any time since the Great Depression. Economic mobility is low. Our democracy cannot withstand another decade of an economy that doesn’t provide opportunity for working Coloradans.”
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet
is making permanent my ex panded Child Tax Credit.
For decades, we’ve had an en ergy policy that’s been bad for consumers, lousy for America’s energy security, and terrible at reducing emissions.
It’s subjected families to price spikes at the pump, accelerat ed climate change, and en riched dictators like Vladimir Putin. We desperately needed change, and the Inflation Re duction Act delivered it.
It established a responsi ble energy policy that draws on our abundant resources — including solar, wind and natural gas — to lower costs for families, slash carbon pol lution, and secure our energy independence.
It’s the largest investment ever to deploy clean energy, revitalize clean energy manu facturing, and help rural com munities transition.
Our tax code is a mirror of Washington’s misplaced prior ities.
For 40 years, Congress has cut taxes for the wealthiest people and corporations, hop ing they would magically trick le down to everyone else. They haven’t.
Instead, income inequality is greater than at any time since the Great Depression.
Economic mobility is low. Our democracy cannot with stand another decade of an economy that doesn’t provide opportunity for working Colo radans.
We began to turn the page on these failed economic policies with the Inflation Reduction Act, which established a 15% minimum corporate tax to en sure companies like Amazon aren’t paying a lower rate than teachers and firefighters.
We have to go further by ending Trump’s tax giveaways for the wealthiest Americans and cutting taxes for working Coloradans, like my expanded Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
Making our tax code more fair is critical to build an econ omy that grows for everyone, not just the wealthiest few.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs de cision overturning Roe v. Wade?
The Supreme Court’s decision stripped the American people of the first fundamental, con stitutional freedom since Re construction.
I’m grateful to live in a state where women’s access to abor tion is protected, but this can’t be a state-level issue. We need to codify abortion access at the federal level so every woman in America has the same access to reproductive health care as women in Colorado.
I’ve always stood firm to pro tect a woman’s right to choose.
You cannot say the same for my opponent. He voted for a ballot measure that would have imposed a statewide abortion ban in Colorado with no excep tions for rape or incest.
We cannot allow my oppo nent to win and give the Re publican Party the majority they need to pass a national abortion ban.
Email: info@joeodea.com
Website: www.joeodea.com
Mailing address: 4950 S. Yosemite St., Suite F2-225, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
We need a government-wide focus that embraces American energy production of all kinds — wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas and oil.
The first piece of legislation I will pursue would promote a smarter regulatory approach to address the soaring cost of energy that’s driving inflation.
We need reforms that lever age innovation to continue to drive down carbon emissions to address climate change.
At the forefront of this na tional push, America needs a bold approach to permitting reform to get all sources of energy producing in a more robust, clean, and sustainable way.
Expanding energy produc tion is one of the most import ant things we can do to attack
America’s inflation crisis.
Higher energy prices are the primary driver of inflation, making food, gas, and manu facturing more expensive.
We can become a stronger country and help struggling families by reversing Biden’s war on energy.
I won’t stop until we have a government-wide focus — and permitting reform to back it — that restores American energy dominance.
With a substantial portion of spending cuts, we should drive down the deficit. We need to get the deficit back to pre-pan demic levels, and work in a concerted way to fully balance the budget over time.
The other part is reprioritiz ing federal spending.
We should zero-out the 87,000 new IRS agents and cut the federal bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and make a massive investment in border
security — including a border wall — and hire more police to protect our neighborhoods and schools instead.
Climate change is real and humans contribute to it.
We need a government-wide focus that embraces American energy production of all kinds — wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas and oil.
We need a smart regulatory approach that leverages in novation to continue to drive down carbon emissions to ad dress climate change.
At the forefront of this na tional push, America needs a bold approach to permitting reform to get all sources of energy producing in a more robust, clean, and sustainable way.
Expanding energy produc tion is one of the most im portant things we can do to attack America’s inflation cri sis. Higher energy prices are the primary driver of inflation, making food, gas, and manu facturing more expensive.
We can become a stronger country and help struggling families by reversing Biden’s war on energy. I won’t stop un til we have a government-wide focus — and permitting re form to back it — that restores American energy dominance.
Washington isn’t focused on working people. And those pol icies have deep consequences.
Out-of-control inflation, taxa tion, and red tape are destroy ing the value of work in our country.
When everything costs more, your paycheck is worth less, and your work is devalued. That’s wrong. Out-of-control debt at the federal level is a moral issue.
We are saddling our kids and grandkids with huge debts that will only be paid for with huge tax increases. Washing ton needs to look at borrowing money the same way a busi ness does and the same way a family does.
We can’t say yes to every thing. We have to prioritize and only borrow when we know how we’re going to pay it back. Otherwise, we’re just raising taxes on our kids.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs de cision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I support Roe vs. Wade and I oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn it.
I don’t support a ban on abor tion. I would vote to codify a woman’s right to choose in the first five months of pregnancy, as well as in the case of rape, incest and medical necessity.
“Out-of-control debt at the federal level is a moral issue. We are saddling our kids and grandkids with huge debts that will only be paid for with huge tax increases. Washington needs to look at borrowing money the same way a business does and the same way a family does. We can’t say yes to everything.”
Joe O’Dea
All voter registration statistics are as of Oct. 1 and provided by the Secretary of State’s Office. Redistricting commission ratings for congressio nal districts are based on election performance in the 2016 U.S. Senate and presidential races, the four top statewide election results in 2018 and the 2020 presidential and senate election results; some experts believe those numbers may overestimate Democratic advantage by as much as 5%.
BY ERNEST LUNING ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.comThe congressional races profiled in this voter guide are considered to be the most competitive and could determine control of U.S. House, where Republi cans need to flip five seats to take the gavel from Democrats.
Incumbent Republican Lauren Boe bert of Silt is seeking a second term. Her challenger is Adam Frisch, a busi nessman and former Aspen City Council member.
The district includes all or parts of 27 counties on the Western Slope and across southern Colorado, including Pueblo County and the San Luis Valley. Its electorate favors Republicans by 9.3 percentage points.
Democrats: 115,070 Republicans: 149,882 Unaffiliated: 213,276 Total active voters: 487,094
Phone: 970-355-4833
Email: adam@adamforcolorado.com Website: www.adamforcolorado.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 371, Woody Creek, CO 81656
Twitter handle: @adamforcolorado Facebook page: www.facebook.com/adam forcolorado
Instagram: @adamforcolorado
Education: bachelor’s degree in economics, University of Colorado Boulder
What’s the first legislation you’ll introduce if elected?
My first legislation would focus on protecting the 3rd Congressional Dis trict’s waters and watersheds.
We need to provide the resources for local authorities to manage forest and watershed health, expand storage ca pacity, and prevent outside forces from making decisions about the fate of Col orado’s water.
What is your top spending priori ty?
My spending priority is funding to manage forests and watersheds, keep them healthy, expand storage capacity, and deal with the consequences of the drought through increased conserva tion and water infrastructure.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
I support an all-of-the-above energy policy. Colorado produces the cleanest
energy with the highest environmen tal standards, and we should continue to be an energy leader. We also need to address emissions, and should work to transition to lower carbon fuel sources, be it natural gas and renewables, going forward.
We need to keep more money in peo ple’s pockets by lowering the tax bur den on lower and middle class Ameri can families. I support policies like the Child Tax Credit in the American Res cue Plan Act that let parents keep more of their hard-earned dollars and cut child poverty rates in half. We also need to streamline our nation’s tax code to make it easier for families and business es to file taxes and keep more of their paycheck.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
No American’s freedoms should be dependent on which state or ZIP code they live in. I believe Congress should enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal statute to protect reproduc tive rights and private health decisions.
Phone: 202-225-4761
Email: info@laurenforcolorado.com
Website: www.laurenforfreedom.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 752, Rifle, CO 81650 Twitter: @laurenboebert Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ laurenboebert
Instagram: @laurenboebertco Education: attended Rifle High School
Boebert’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
Democrat Brittany Pettersen of Lake wood and Republican Erik Aadland of Pine are running for the open seat, which has been represented since 2007 by Democrat Ed Perlmutter, who is re
tiring after this term.
The district includes all or parts of Jef ferson County, Broomfield and six coun ties as far south as Custer County, plus tiny slivers of a few surrounding coun ties. Its electorate favors Democrats by 6.9 percentage points.
Democrats: 140,822 Republicans: 125,150 Un affiliated: 236,589 Total active voters: 511,650
Phone: 720-837-1562
Email: info@brittanypettersen.com Website: www.brittanypettersen.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 150887, Lakewood, CO 80215
Twitter handle: @pettersen4co Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ brittanypettersenforcolorado Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brit tanypettersen/
Education: bachelor’s degree in political science, Metro State University of Denver
What’s the first legislation you’ll introduce if elected?
Our No. 1 priority must be protect ing our democracy because we cannot work on the urgent needs of our country without it.
I will support the passage of the Elec toral Vote Count Act and For the People Act. We saw significant vulnerabilities in our system when the Jan. 6 insurrec tion attempted to overturn a free and fair election, and we must address these gaps to ensure a functioning democracy.
My next priorities will be continuing to help our state recover from the pan demic and the economic fallout.
We must continue focusing on helping families address rising costs by invest ing in critical services so many people rely on like early childhood education, child care services, higher education, workforce training in critical shortage areas, housing supply and access to cap
ital for small businesses.
In order to continue to address our supply chain issues that have led to ris ing costs, we need to continue to invest in moving goods and services and bring ing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. I will also fight to protect Social Securi ty and Medicare for our seniors.
Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face, and I am committed to championing legislation to help com munities deal with the current impacts of the climate crisis and ensure we mit igate its worst effects.
I support a rapid transition to renew able energy like wind, solar, geothermal and other emerging clean technologies. I believe the federal government must play a role in building the energy grid needed to support our state’s future en ergy and transmission needs.
The wealthiest and largest corpora tions continue to avoid paying taxes while the rest of us are stuck footing the bill. As a state senator, I worked to close offshore tax havens for corporations who were dodging taxes to give millions back to our public schools.
I will continue to fight for tax fairness to support working families and invest back in our schools, roads and small businesses.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I believe that deciding if and when someone wants to start a family is one of the most personal decisions to make and nobody, especially politicians, should make that choice that belongs between a woman and her doctor.
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, we have seen the world cruel world Republicans have created with the dire impacts of draconian abortion bans. I have worked to increase access to contraception and protect abortion rights here in Colora do, and in Congress, will vote to protect those rights for everyone.
Phone: 720-464-4488
Email: staff@aadlandforcolorado.com
Website: AadlandForColorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 630552, Littleton, CO 80163
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/Aadland forCO
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ aadlandforcolorado
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aad landforcolorado/
Education: bachelor’s degree in philosophy, U.S. Military Academy; master’s degree in depth psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
cisions that should only be between a woman and her doctor.
I want to introduce legislation requir ing the federal government to operate on a balanced budget.
Resolving our debt and spending cri sis, while protecting essential programs such as Social Security and Medicare, is crucial to the future of our country.
What is your top spending priori ty?
I will advocate for Congress to recom mit to public safety. This starts with securing our southern border and stop ping the flow of deadly Chinese-man ufactured fentanyl into our communi ties.
In addition, we must deal with outof-control crime by restoring respect for law enforcement and ending all at tempts to defund the police.
We must protect our environment while restoring sound energy policy and American energy independence.
If we steward our natural resources responsibly, we can seek sustainability without diminishing national security, the economy, living standards, or global power and competitive advantage.
Wise use of existing sources of ener gy, coupled with well-researched, mar ket-proven emerging technologies, will enhance lifestyles for everyone while preserving our planet for future gener ations.
We must lower taxes, not raise them. History shows that lowering taxes is a proven boost to the economy.
Lowering taxes keeps money in the hands of the people who earned it so that they can decide how to best spend their hard-earned dollars.
It acknowledges the truth that while individuals and businesses are incen tivized to spend their money wisely, government is not.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Important and life-changing decisions should be made at the individual level.
Congress should take no action at all regarding abortion at the federal level.
I will not support any federal legisla tion on abortion whatsoever.
Democrat Yadira Caraveo of Thorn ton and Republican Barb Kirkmeyer of Brighton, both state lawmakers, are running in the newly created district, which was added to Colorado’s delega tion due to population growth follow ing the 2020 Census.
The district covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties, including Thornton, Northglenn, Commerce City, Berthoud, Brighton, Johnstown and Greeley.
It favors Democrats by 1.3 percentage points.
Democrats: 114,419 Republicans: 101,154 Un affiliated: 195,591 Total active voters: 419,684
Email: info@caraveoforcongress.com
Website: www.caraveoforcongress.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 953, Eastlake, CO 80614
Twitter handle: @yadiracaraveo Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ caraveoforcongress Instagram: @caraveoforcongress
Education: bachelor’s degree, Regis Uni versity; M.D., University of Colorado School of Medicine
What’s the first legislation you’ll introduce if elected?
I will focus on legislation that helps working families make ends meet.
I’d like to introduce a bill to cap skyhigh prescription drug costs, like I was able to do in Colorado by creating a prescription drug affordability board that caps the costs of the most expen sive prescription medications.
What is your top spending priori ty?
My priority is to lower costs for work ing families.
I will focus on closing tax loopholes to keep billionaires and huge corporations accountable, while continuing to find ways to help middle-class families save
money so that working parents don’t have to choose between taking care of their kids and making ends meet.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
The key to my approach is balance and moderation.
I believe in climate change, and I be lieve we need to pursue an all of the above policy approach to energy.
Thousands of families in the 8th Con gressional District are employed by the energy industry, and thousands are also affected by the realities of climate change.
I’ve worked to give localities more say in what types of industry they want near homes and schools.
In Congress, I’ll work to make sure we don’t lose current jobs and prepare our kids for high paying renewable energy jobs.
We need to level the playing field by ensuring the ultra-wealthy and large corporations are paying their fair share of taxes.
In the Legislature, I’ve cut taxes for working families and small businesses, and returned cash to the pockets of Col oradans during an expensive summer.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Congress should restore the right to an abortion established under Roe v. Wade into federal law. Government should never make private medical de
Phone number: 720-556-3294
Email: information@kirkmeyerforcongress. com
Website: www.KirkmeyerforCongress.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 468, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/Kirkmey er4CO
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ KirkmeyerforCongress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirk meyerforcongress/
Education: bachelor’s degree in physical education, University of Colorado Boulder
What’s the first legislation you’ll introduce if elected?
I would like to help overturn Joe Biden’s executive orders punishing en ergy workers, particularly the ban on oil and gas exploration on federal lands.
My priority is to stop deficit spend ing and start cutting the national debt. Runaway spending is fueling inflation and burdening future generations with massive debt, to the tune of $90,000 for every man, woman and child in Ameri ca. That’s just wrong.
As Weld County commissioner, I led an effort to zero out debt while cutting taxes. I’ll take that same zeal for bal anced budgets to Congress.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Supporting American energy devel opment and energy independence on the one hand and protecting the envi ronment on the other are not mutually exclusive goals.
The United States (and Colorado) have drastically reduced greenhouse gas emissions in recent decades. We should be proud of that. But there is no upside to shutting down American oil and gas development and making America de pendent upon foreign energy.
I will work to promote development of all forms of American energy.
Tax rates should be as low, flat and stable as reasonably possible to help foster economic and job growth in the United States. I am not generally sup portive of industry or company-specific tax credits and carve-outs that benefit certain companies at expense to others.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I’m proud to support a ban on abor tion after 15 weeks, with an exception for when the life of the mother is at stake. It’s just common sense. And it’s a clear contrast with my opponent, who has shown no willingness to back down from her extreme position supporting abortions, including taxpayer funding of abortions, up until the moment of birth.
All voter registration statistics are as of Oct. 1 and provided by the Secretary of State’s Office. Redistricting commis sion ratings are based on election per formance in the 2016 U.S. Senate and presidential races, the four top state wide election results in 2018 and the 2020 presidential and senate election results; some experts believe those numbers may overestimate Democratic advantage by as much as 5%.
The state Senate races profiled in this voter guide are considered to be the most competitive and will determine which party controls the chamber, which is currently at a 21-14 Democratic advantage.
The district is wholly contained within Pueblo County.
The incumbent is Sen. Nick Hinrichsen (D) who was appointed in February to fulfill the unexpired term of Senate President Leroy Garcia, who took a job with the Pentagon. The Colorado In dependent Redistricting Commission rated this district at a 5.1% Democratic advantage.
Democrats: 37,657 Republican: 25,985 Unaf filiated: 43,721 Total active voters: 109,352
Phone number: 720-346-2652
Email: nick@nickforcolorado.com
Website: nickforcolorado.com
Education: bachelor’s degree in political science and government; master’s degree, University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs
What will be your first legislation if elected?
I will look to amend the school finance act to better account for transportation barriers, which will increase funding for District 60; and to assign Urban/Rural/ Intermediate status based on pupils per square mile, rather than the overall number of pupils, which will increase funding for District 70.
What is your top spending priority
I successfully fought for an additional $36 million in public safety investments last year. I’ll continue to prioritize pub lic safety, schools, and economic devel opment investments.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
I fully support an approach that re sponsibly transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This transi tion should be built on incentive-based policy that returns the economic benefit of clean energy usage to the consumer, rather than strict mandates. Our cur rent solar energy incentives for home owners are a prime example of energy policy done right. We have more work to do in expanding incentives to the wind and geothermal markets.
We need to lower taxes for mid dle-class families and small businesses. That’s what I did last year, when I ran a bill that created a $100 million sales tax exemption for family restaurants hit hardest by the pandemic, and the bill that created the Colorado Cashback program that sent $750 checks to sin gle-filers, and $1,500 to joint-filers. For the average Colorado Family, that’s $422 more than they would have received un der TABOR.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I believe a woman should have the right to make her own medical deci sions without government interference. I am proud to have co-sponsored the Reproductive Health Equity Act.
Phone number: 719-252-3170
Email: Info@vote4varela.com Website: vote4varela.com
Colorado Politics hosts regular opinion columns from all sides of the aisle from the state's leading insiders and political experts, including Hal Bidlack, Jon Caldara, Miller Hudson, Paula Noonan, Kelly Sloan and Jimmy Sengenberger.
Mailing address: Committee to Elect Varela for SD 3, 1022 Fortino Blvd., P.O. Box 9532, Pueblo, CO 81008
Education: bachelor’s degree in sociology, minor in Chicano studies, Colorado State Uni versity Pueblo; master’s degree in social work, University of Southern California
I would like to carry legislation to re peal the newly enacted taxes on gaso line and delivery services, such as Ama zon and Door Dash. Inflation is hurting Pueblo families, and I want to do every thing I can to reduce the cost of living.
Clearly, fully funding our law enforce ment and criminal justice system is job one for state and local governments. The current crime wave is putting the safety of Colorado families and their property at risk. We have to stop the revolving door that allows career crimi nals and fentanyl dealers back onto our streets. That starts with fully funding a well-trained police force.
I support Colorado energy develop ment and common-sense environmen tal protections. These are not mutually exclusive goals. Let’s get Colorado’s en ergy workers back on the job and help America become energy independent once again. At the same time, Colorado has reduced its greenhouse gas emis sions substantially in recent decades. That’s great news! I am confident that innovation and technology will result in affordable, clean alternatives in the future. But current expensive, job-kill ing regulations that send Colorado’s oil and gas jobs overseas are deeply mis guided.
I oppose tax hikes. Colorado’s budget has grown by 20% in just the past few years, yet crime is on the rise, our roads are crumbling, and we’re not paying teachers enough. We need to better pri oritize our spending.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Abortion policy in Colorado should be decided by the voters, not the poli ticians. This is too divisive an issue to be subject to the whims of a new leg islature every two years. I will oppose changes to Colorado abortion policy unless they are subject to a vote of the people in the form of a ballot measure.
The district covers northwestern Col orado and the the north-central moun tain counties, including Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit. This is an open seat. The Colorado In dependent Redistricting Commission rated this district at a 6.6% Democratic advantage.
Phone number: 970-846-3054
Email: dylan@dylanroberts.org
Website: dylanroberts.org
Mailing address: Dylan Roberts for Colorado, P.O. Box 3542, Eagle, CO 81631
Education: bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental studies, Boston College; law degree, University of Colorado Law School
What will be your first legislation if elected?
If elected to the Colorado Senate, my first pieces of legislation will be focused on finding a sustainable source of fund ing for affordable housing development and protecting our water.
On housing, I will draft a bill that builds on the historic work we did this past session to invest state dollars into local workforce housing projects by incentivizing changes to land-use and zoning and ensuring the state can be a capital partner in local projects. On wa ter, in the face of drought and federal scrutiny of the Colorado River, we need to incentivize more conservation. I plan to introduce legislation that will allow water rights holders to invest in con servation efforts while not putting the entirety of their water rights at risk. We need to give our agriculture communi ty the tools and resources they need to maximize their water rights and con serve water for the future.
While budget decisions are challeng ing, affordable housing development will be my top spending priority.
We just led the largest single-year investment in affordable housing last year and we cannot let up now. The magnitude of the affordable housing crisis is felt across the state, and Col oradans and our local communities need sustainable, lasting and transfor mational funding to address the hous ing crisis. While the Legislature cannot solve the housing crisis on its own, we need to continue our historic progress making investments toward increasing our housing stock, expanding housing development tax credits, and incentiv izing local communities to rework their land use, zoning, and building codes to spur more affordable housing develop ment.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
In SD 8, we rely on our environment
and water to power our tourism and outdoor recreation based economy, so mitigating the impacts of climate change is of utmost importance to our long-term vitality. We also have been one of our state’s main energy produc ers through coal, oil and gas which is undergoing a transition in our region. We can do both: protect our climate and benefit economically from energy development in our region.
As a current representative of a tran sitioning community (Hayden), and if I win this race, the senator for many transitioning communities in north west Colorado, I plan to continue mak ing an equitable and locally focused transition for our communities a main priority. Just this year, I led the way in passing funding for just transition and worker supports (HB 22-1394), which delivers $15 million to communities im pacted by the energy transition to help fund capital projects, worker support programs, and economic diversification efforts. In 2021, I led HB 21-1324 which will allow green energy jobs to be cre ated right in the same communities where coal jobs currently exist.
Throughout my legislative career, I’ve made it a priority to lower taxes for working families, individuals and small businesses.
I’ve led the way passing legislation cutting taxes for small businesses and individuals to jumpstart rural business development, eliminating property taxes for child care facilities, and cre ating sustainable funding for housing and workforce development through a bill that allows counties to decide how to spend their lodging tax revenues. Tax increases, per TABOR, have to be approved by the voters and cannot be raised unilaterally by the legislature.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
As a father, husband, attorney, and citizen, I am deeply troubled by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Not only did this decision put this essential health care service into the hands of the states, it opened the opportunity for the Supreme Court to come after our other personal freedoms like marriage equality, the right to contraception, and our very democracy itself.
This decision outlines the stakes of this election: The Legislature is now the body that makes decisions about our personal freedoms. If elected, I will continue to stand up for a woman’s right to choose and our other personal liberties without government interfer ence or restriction.
Email: matt@MattSolomon.CO
Website: SolomonForColorado.com
Address: P.O. Box 5341, Eagle, CO 81631
Education: bachelor’s in sociology, Wofford College
Legislation that I would focus on once elected will be aimed at diversi fying our energy needs and working to bring a more diverse array of ener gy sources, such as nuclear, to areas of Colorado where coal and oil/natural gas jobs have left, to help revitalize the economies in these areas and help Colorado reach its sustainability goals. I have also been working with leaders in emergency medical services to draft legislation that supports and protects the industry and its professionals. Fi nally, I have been working with teach ers and educators to develop innovative ideas to support our education system.
We need to focus on being fiscally re sponsible. As Sen. Bob Rankin offers, “practice evidence-based spending.” We need to be prudent and judicial in how we spend taxpayer dollars. Addition ally, I will be focused on ensuring the revenue sources we currently have are sustainable and not hurting the people and businesses in Colorado. It is high time we ensure Colorado is not writing checks it cannot cash without creating new burdensome “fees” or raising taxes that only hurt the people of Colorado.
I think the key is for us to find equita ble policy that supports environmental and economic sustainability without prejudicial arbitrary or unattainable short-term goals that jeopardize our ability to provide affordable and reli able energy to the citizens of Colorado. Let’s set a standard, based on science and fact, then work together, utilizing all of the energy sources at our dispos al to meet this goal, including: nuclear, oil, natural gas, coal, solar, wind, water, hydrogen, geothermal, etc. Let’s bring industry and consumer advocates to the table, so everyone can participate in the process of creating sustainable standards that not only protect the en vironment and our way of life, but that can actually produce tangible solutions — with plans and not just a date.
As your senator, I swear an oath to the constitution and the laws of our great state. This includes the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. To me, any new fee, disguised as a tax, or tax needs to be presented to the voters for their approval. We have gotten away from following the law in the name of political expediency and scoring pet project victories. I hope to end this practice as member of the Gen eral Assembly.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
My position on Roe v. Wade is one of
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acceptance. A decision was made by the Supreme Court and the state of Col orado signed into law legislation autho rizing abortions. My personal belief is that an abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. That being said, I support a women’s right to choose — regarding all medical decisions in her life.
The district is located in southeastern Colorado Springs, including the Colo rado Springs Municipal Airport. This is an open seat. Republican Sen. Den nis Hisey, who was elected to represent Senate District 2 (Fountain) in 2018, moved to Senate District 11 in fall, 2021.
The Democrat, Rep. Tony Exum Sr., has served four terms in the state House.
The Colorado Independent Redistrict ing Commission rated this district at a 2.4% Democratic advantage.
Democrats: 20,794 Republicans: 19,215 Unaf filiated: 43,949 Total active voters: 86,397
Phone number: 719-661-4910
Email: exum3672@comcast.net
Website: tonyexum.com
Mailing address: 3672 Iguana Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80910
Education: bachelor’s degree in social science, University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo)
I have not yet decided which legisla tion I will introduce first. My top three priorities as a legislator have always been and will continue being: support ing public education, protecting the environment, and helping low-income families, people of color, and the elder ly live better lives. I listen when people tell me they want safer schools, better education, environmental protections, police accountability, and improved el der care, among other things; and I’ve run legislation addressing those issues. I believe my record proves that. I’m running again to continue doing this good work.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
I’m on the House’s Education Com mittee because supporting public edu cation is a high priority of mine: mak ing sure our schools are well-funded, our teachers are well-paid, our break fast and lunch services for students are healthy, affordable and filling, and our school buildings are well-maintained, safe and secure.
Public K-14 education including tech nical schools and public transportation.
Over the last few years, we in the Legislature have passed several major pieces of legislation to help combat against both the man-made causes and
the disastrous consequences of climate change. Climate change is affecting us now, so we’re investing more into wildfire mitigation, into water conser vation, into environmental protection and preservation, and into energy effi ciency with our buildings, appliances, and vehicles. I’ve helped to pass legisla tion addressing all of these issues. I will continue supporting good legislation to combat climate change, and I look for ward to doing more of this good work in the state senate.
To help avoid any future fiscal crisis Colorado may face, I would support re forming TABOR first, before I support ed repealing it. I would leave in the part requiring voter approval for any tax raise, because I believe we as legislators should be able to explain and justify to voters any tax increase we need to make for the state. But I would support removing those parts of TABOR which restrict year-over-year financial growth for our state and restrict our state gov ernment’s ability to spend collected revenues.
Protecting the reproductive rights of pregnant people is important to me. This is why I’ve supported and voted for legislation protecting a woman’s right to choose. In 2017, I voted for HR 17-1005, a resolution about ensuring ac cess to reproductive health care. And in 2022, I not only voted for but I also co sponsored HB 22-1279, the Reproduc tive Health Equity Act, which codified into state law that every individual has a fundamental right to use or refuse contraception and every pregnant per son has a fundamental right to contin ue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion.
Phone number: 719-351-2121
Email: dennishisey2@gmail.com Website: dennishisey.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 5840, Colorado Springs, CO 80931
Education: attended Oral Roberts University, Oregon State University
What will be your first legislation if elected?
That happened in 2019 but for 2023 I am looking at some legislation regard ing due process and accountability for law enforcement at the request of sev
eral local police chiefs and sheriffs.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
Transportation infrastructure that in cludes roads, bridges and tunnels. Col orado has fallen behind with a majori ty of our roads and bridges in poor to mediocre condition. We need to spend transportation dollars on asphalt, con crete, bridges and tunnels, not on pet projects.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Like every Coloradan I want clean air, pure water and healthy forest. I also support affordable energy for our fam ilies and businesses. The two are not mutually exclusive. There is a balance to be had and a measured progression that will lead us to a future that in cludes a healthy economy and a healthy environment.
What is your position on taxes?
Colorado’s budget has grown signifi cantly faster than the growth of popu lation and inflation. We need to get our spending under control, not ask the cit izens of Colorado to part with more of their hard-earned money.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Abortion is a settled question in Col orado for the foreseeable future due to legislation passed in 2022.
Phone number: 719-930-8262
Email: darylkuiper@gmail.com
Mailing address: 514 Lakewood Circle, Colora do Springs, CO 80910
Education: bachelor’s degree in mathemat ics, University of Colorado Boulder; master’s degree in mathematics, University of Nebraska Lincoln
I do not have any particular ax to grind. I think that in general we need less legislation, not more.
I do not want to spend more but less. We need less government and more fo cus on personal responsibility. I believe in people.
We need energy and climate protec tion, but many times they are at odds to each other. I would look at proposals and decide which provides the greater good or if there might be alternatives not yet promoted that might even be better, then I would work for that.
In general, I am not in favor of tax hikes. Tax hikes generally mean more government.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Misunderstood by many, the Supreme Court decision was spot-on. This is not a constitutional issue. Nowhere is it mentioned in the Constitution. As per the Constitution, it should be left to the states or the people. If at some time, someone decides at what age a fe tus becomes a human being, then the amendments to the Constitution be come applicable.
This district includes Larimer Coun ty, west of Fort Collins, including the towns of Estes Park and Loveland; and Boulder County west of the city limits of Boulder, including Lyons, Jamestown and Nederland. The incumbent is Sen. Rob Woodward, R-Loveland. The Colo rado Independent Redistricting Com mission rated this district with zero advantage for either party, the only seat in the General Assembly so rated.
Democrats: 30,232 Republicans: 33,255 Un affiliated: 55,041 Total active voters: 120,681
Phone number: 970-690-1747
Email: janiceforcolorado@gmail.com
Website: www.janiceforcolorado.com
Mailing address: 2037 Vancorum Circle, Loveland, CO 80538
Education: bachelor’s degree, industrial and systems engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
The first piece of legislation I plan to introduce will tackle homeowners’ in surance for those living in the wild
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land-urban interface. As wildfires have grown more destructive and fre quent, many living in the WUI are struggling to afford homeowners’ insur ance. Insurance companies have raised the rates for those living in places like Estes Park, Lyons and Nederland to the point where people who’ve lived there for many years are no longer able to in sure their homes against wildfire dam age. Instead, they are forced to settle for renters’ insurance, which only cov ers their belongings and not the home they’ve lived in for years or decades. My first bill will extend insurance coverage so insurance providers will no longer be allowed to effectively deny coverage to those living in our mountain com munities.
My top spending priority is public ed ucation. Colorado’s public schools are continually underfunded, which has led to our state being 45th on educa tion spending, 43rd in per pupil fund ing, and 49th in teacher wage com petitiveness. This affects the quality of our children’s education, their future career prospects, and Colorado’s abili ty to maintain a competitive workforce and economy. Our state budget is a moral document that reflects what the Legislature’s priorities are. Time and time again, the voters have support ed increasing our school’s budget, but lawmakers have prevented these funds from going to our schools where they belong. I want to bring the discussion of our state’s education funding back in front of the people so those most ef fected by these decisions can have their voices heard.
With worsening wildfires, droughts and heat waves, I support investing in alternatives to fossil fuels, as well as just-transition programs to support workers and communities during this process. Renewable energy from solar, wind, hydrogen and geothermal are key to keeping our air and water clean and preventing the worst effects of cli mate change. In the effort to transition to renewable energy, we cannot forget the workers in our current energy in dustries. Any policy seeking to invest in renewable energy must also invest in thorough transition and training pro grams so workers, and the communi ties built around these industries, will continue to have the economic security these industries provided.
As the cost of living has risen, work ing and retired families have struggled to afford housing, health care and ba sic necessities. Raising taxes on the working and middle class will only serve to make Colorado’s cost of living more unattainable. Tax increases on the ultra-wealthy and large corpora tions would help alleviate some of this pressure. A tax system that makes the wealthy pay their fair share would al low for a reduced tax burden on mid
dle-class Coloradans and support in vestments into our community that would benefit us all.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I am a strongly in support of a wom an’s right to choose and the preser vation of the right to safe and legal abortion access. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that placed the legal ity of abortion access in the hands of each individual state has put millions of women without access to reproduc tive health care. I am running to make sure that doesn’t happen here in Colo rado, as well. I will always support leg islation that protects people’s personal reproductive freedoms and the right to bodily autonomy.
Phone number: 303-866-4853
Website: WoodwardForColorado.com
Mailing address: 200 E. Colfax Ave., State Capitol, Denver, CO 80203
Education: bachelor’s degree in finance, Colorado State University; master’s degree in finance, DePaul University
What will be your first legislation if elected?
Expand my SB 22-118 to encourage geothermal energy because recent pol icy decisions are driving up costs to Colorado working families, and these decisions could have devastating con sequences.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
The state government’s core respon sibilities — public safety, infrastructure
and education — need better funding.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
We should encourage technologies that increase efficiency to drive down costs and environmental impact, with out simply shifting production to other countries.
Colorado government revenues are skyrocketing at a pace much faster than the wages of Colorado working fami lies. Inflation, fees and regulations are driving up the real tax burden, especial ly for those who can least afford it.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
(Woodward didn’t answer, but voted against the 2022 legislation affirming the right to abortion in Colorado.)
This district is the northern half of Jefferson County, with Evergreen at the south end of the district and the west ern half of Lakewood. This is an open seat. The Colorado Independent Redis tricting Commission rated this district at a 7.1% Democratic advantage.
Democrats: 34,020 Republicans: 30,397 Un affiliated: 57,693 Total active voters: 124,120
Email: Cutterforcolorado@gmail.com Website: www.cutterforcolorado.com
Education: bachelor’s degree in marketing, Metropolitan State University of Denver
What will be your first legislation if elected?
I’ll continue to pursue legislation to
ensure healthy forests and mitigate and recover from wildfire.
It is critical that we end the budget stabilization factor and support our ed ucators and public schools.
Environmental issues have been a key part of my platform as a Jeffer son County legislator. I’ve worked to protect Colorado’s land, air and wa ter and passed bills to support efforts to prevent wildfires and help families and businesses who have suffered from wildfire damage. I believe we need to focus on cleaner energy sources, but we must also provide resources and oppor tunities for any workers that are im pacted by the reduction of our reliance on the oil industry so we keep Colora dans employed with good paying and stable jobs.
I take every tax increase that comes before me very seriously. With the ris ing cost of living, most Coloradans are feeling their wallets tighten. I know that we must find a balance of fund ing crucial services, like quality public education and mental health services, without putting too much of a burden on everyday Coloradans.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I have and will always support the freedom to choose. I proudly support ed and passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act last legislative session to guarantee safe abortion access for pregnant people. The government has no business making health care deci sions on pregnancies. If elected in No vember, I will join efforts to expand on our protections for abortion access and health care workers who provide these services.
Phone number: 720-869-9228
Email: Tim@TimWalshforColorado.com
Website: TimWalshforColorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 261179, Lakewood, CO 80226
Education: bachelor’s degree in civil engi neering, U.S. Military Academy at West Point; master’s degree in construction management/ civil engineering, Stanford University
Recriminalize fentanyl. Fentanyl is poison, and it’s killing far too many Coloradans. The 2019 law decriminal izing fentanyl was a terrible mistake. Fentanyl is also a major contributor to the crime wave and increase in home lessness due to addiction issues.
Fully fund our police. Skyrocketing crime is one of the most pressing issues
facing our state, and it’s something the state legislature, working with local governments, can do something about. Keeping Coloradans, our schools and our neighborhoods safe is a core func tion of state government.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Energy development and protecting our environment need not be at odds. In recent decades, Colorado’s green house gas emissions have dropped significantly. We should be proud of that. And let’s continue to do our part. As state senator, I will contribute my Senate salary to planting more trees in suburban Jefferson County. At the same time, Colorado can help contribute to America’s energy independence and generate more clean, affordable energy. We should get Colorado’s energy work ers — whether it’s oil and gas, solar, wind — back to work.
I oppose tax hikes and will work to protect Coloradans’ Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights tax refunds. Colorado’s budget has grown substantially, about 20% in just the past four years. What have we gotten in return? Not better roads. Not better teacher pay or better performing schools. Not safer communities. The reality is Colorado’s budget challenges are a result of overspending and mis placed spending, not undertaxation.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Abortion policy in Colorado should be decided by voters, not politicians. I will oppose any changes to abortion policy that are not subject to a vote of the peo ple. We simply cannot allow such a divi sive subject to be subject to the whims of a new crop of politicians every two years.
Phone number: 720-341-2193
Email: BetteRose@aol.com
Mailing address: 2623 S. Iris St., Denver, CO 80227
Education: bachelor’s degree in mathemat ics, Metropolitan State University of Denver
What will be your first legislation if elected?
Ensure money instead of taxes from the federal government is more fairly split so we have better fire protection.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
Infrastructure; fire protection and ed ucation.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
We need to stop subsidizing compa nies that do our climate harm. We need to open up our regulations so that mar kets for better climate solutions can
thrive. Let’s make open markets work for us.
Our citizens are expected to live on a budget; so should the government. We need to find better ways of spending money and not always view tax hikes as the way to go. We also need to quit hiding behind “fees” as a way to raise money, since this is just a tax hike in disguise.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
These decisions should be left at the lowest possible denominator, so I found nothing wrong with the deci sion to send this back to the individu al states. Colorado is silent on this is sue and should remain so. Remember any time you say the government has a right to control something, you can’t undo it. Give the government control over abortion, either for or against, says that the government can always change its position.
This district is in west Adams County and includes the cities of Thornton and Federal Heights. This is an open seat. The Colorado Independent Redistrict ing Commission rated this district at a 9.1% Democratic advantage.
Democrats: 38,231 Republicans: 20,240 Un affiliated: 44,869 Total active voters: 95,156
Phone number: 303-847-2225
Email: Jbraughton@kylemullica.com Website: www.KyleMullica.com Mailing address: 2200 E. 104th Ave., Suite 203, Thornton, CO 80233
Education: bachelor’s degree in real estate/ finance, University of Denver; bachelor’s degree in nursing, Regis University
My first priority will be to pick up where I left off as a state representa tive. I will dedicate my time in the Sen ate to continuing to fight for, and give a voice to the people of Adams County. Drafting legislation that focuses on: lowering the cost of living, protecting women’s rights, improving our trans portation infrastructure and expanding access to health care.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
I think we need to focus on spending tax dollars on programs and systems that improve the lives for the people of Colorado. Whether that be dedicat ing funds to mental health, proposing grants to lower the cost of housing, or investing in our public safety and en suring that the men and women who serve our communities have the re sources they need to successfully do their job.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
I am a firm believer that our envi ronment is our greatest resource here in Colorado. I have a proven track re cord of voting to pass legislation that protects our environment and bringing people together to solve what are often difficult problems to solve.
Tax increases are a serious matter. As elected officials, we must ensure those tax dollars are spent in the most re sponsible and productive way. I have fought hard during my time as a repre sentative to ensure that our tax dollars go to just that, including record invest ments in affordable housing, workforce development for health care workers and mental health care.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I believe that it is a woman’s right to choose what she does or doesn’t do with her body. Reproductive health care in cluding access to abortion is health care, and limiting access to either is detrimental to the health of women and that is unacceptable.
Phone number: 303-720-9649
Email: Courtney@courtneyforcolorado.com
Website: CourtneyforColorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 373, Eastlake, CO 80614
Education: bachelor’s degree in consumer merchandising/retailing management, Johnson & Wales University; master’s degree in business administration, Johnson & Wales University
I am the mom of three children ages 2, 10 and 12. Every day I see the results of the stress our children are facing, as crimes have increased, parents struggle
to make ends meet and children fall further behind academically. In fact, suicide rates among teens in Colora do increased by 58% in the past three years, making it the cause of 1 in 5 ado lescent deaths. One of my first pieces of legislation will be to support additional and immediate mental health supports to keep our children safe and alive.
Being fiscally conservative, my top spending priority is to ensure we are being good stewards of taxpayer funds. This will families and seniors to have as much money in their hands as possible in order to invest in their own futures. When allocating state budget funds my top spending priority will be to ensure education dollars are making their way to classrooms and not being spent ex panding administrative overhead.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Recent policy decisions in Colorado have forced up the prices of gas and energy. Many are already struggling to make ends meet and, sadly, as winter approaches budgets will get tighter as energy costs increase. I support an “all of the above” energy policy. Moving too quickly from oil and gas will decimate families’ ability to make ends meet. I look forward to supporting oil and gas as well as solar, wind, hydro and nucle ar energy to ensure a smooth transition that protects our environment but not at the expense of families’ income or ability to live in Colorado.
Most Coloradans I meet at the door are already struggling to make ends meet. Recent policy decisions adding “fees” like the delivery fee, are mak ing it less affordable to live here and have resulted in a state budget that has grown nearly 30% over the past four years. I don’t know any household where the income grew anywhere close to 30%. I would oppose any efforts to increase taxes, impose “fees,” or reduce mandatory refunds, as Colorado fam ilies struggle to make ends meet. The state needs to tighten its belt, just as families have struggled to do.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
As a mom who has experienced heart ache in trying for our amazing children, this issue is very personal to me. The recent Supreme Court decision sent de cisions on abortion back to states. Col orado’s legislature had already passed laws making abortion a right in Colora do and legal in the state. I oppose lateterm abortions with exceptions for the life and/or health of the mom.
This district is in south and parts of central Arapahoe County, excluding Aurora, and a small portion of Douglas County. Its eastern boundary is the Ki owa/Bennet Road. This is an open seat. The Colorado Independent Redistrict ing Commission rated this district at a 4.7% Democratic advantage.
Democrats: 30,176 Republicans: 27,797 Unaf
filiated:
Phone number: 720-217-2764
Email: tom@sullivanforcolorado.com Website: sullivanforcolorado.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 461331, Aurora, CO 80046
Education: bachelor’s degree in journalism and accounting, Metropolitan State College of Denver
While gun-violence prevention is my singular legislative focus, I did get into politics because my son was murdered at the Aurora theater shooting, and I ran Colorado’s extreme-risk protection order as our first piece of legislation in the House. As a state senator, I plan to continue my leadership on that is sue and run a bill I tried to run in the House raising the minimum age of as sault rifle purchases from 18 to 21.
Education is my top spending priority. We cannot continue to underfund our public schools, and threaten our kids’ futures.
I have stood up for a healthy envi ronment as a state representative and will continue to work to protect Colo rado’s air, water and natural heritage as a state senator. I helped pass bills to support efforts to prevent wildfires and help families and businesses who impacted by wildfire damage. To meet the challenge of the climate crisis, we must support and focus on delivering a cleaner energy future and waste re duction, while also providing the re sources and opportunities for workers that are impacted by the reduction of our reliance on the oil industry so these hard-working Coloradans stay em ployed with good-paying, stable jobs.
As a postal worker for nearly 30 years and a lifelong union member, I under stand what it is like to be a working per son. Championing labor and economic rights for working people, getting them what they deserve, keeping cost low, has driven my legislative work these past four years, along with making sure each one of us feels safe in our homes and public places. With that being said, I take every tax increase that comes be fore me very seriously, and want to em phasize that working and middle-class families should never bear the burden of a tax hike, and should only see ben efits to their quality of life when such measures are called for. The wealthiest among us must pay their fair share and help us fund our crucial community services like public education and men tal health services.
after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I have and will continue to fight for a woman’s freedom to make choices over her own body and future. I proudly supported and helped pass the Repro ductive Health Equity Act. As a state senator, I will remain dedicated to ex panding on our protections for abor tion access and health care workers who provide these services.
Phone number: 303-468-0324
Email: tomkim@tomkimforcolorado.com Website: tomkimforcolorado.com
Mailing address: 16350 E. Arapahoe Road, Suite 108-212, Foxfield, CO 80016
Education: bachelor’s degree in econom ics, University of Utah; law degree, master’s degree in business administration, Santa Clara University
To address the recent bills that have softened penalties for criminals. With out safe communities, the rest of my agenda is less feasible.
What is your top spending priority for the year?
Refocus our budget on our state gov ernment’s priorities — especially educa tion and infrastructure.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
I believe that we can optimize our state policies toward both, simultane ously. I believe in U.S. energy indepen dence and using all of the technology we have to generate energy. We enjoy our way of life because of the avail ability of affordable and clean energy.
I think that our energy policy can be harmonized with a balanced approach toward protecting our climate. I’m an avid outdoorsman and our outdoor environment is very important to me. However, I favor policies that are bal anced and sensible.
I’m not sure I understand the con text, but generally, I disfavor addition al taxes and would work to make our government’s use of its tax revenue as efficient as possible. I believe that a balanced budget and low tax growth, if any, are achievable and are not mutual ly exclusive.
The people of Colorado have spoken and decided on abortion. In 2022, our Legislature passed legislation on the abortion question, which I think went too far. I do favor some state law restric tions on voluntary abortions during the final weeks of gestation. I believe we need to make sure health and safety resources are available for women, so they understand all risks and options.
Phone number: 720-644-9051
Email: mattsniderforcosenate27@gmail.com Website: coloradocenterparty.org/matt-snid er-for-state-senate/ Mailing address: 6109 S. Oak Hill Way, Aurora, CO 80016
Education: bachelor’s degree in interdisci plinary communications studies, State Univer sity of New York Brockport; master’s in divinity, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University
Elimination of income tax for retired senior citizens age 65 or older with in come from all sources below $100,000 ($200,000) for a married couple; elim ination of income taxation of out-ofstate pensions for retired citizens at 65 or older with pension income from all pension sources below $100,000 ($200,000 for a married couple).
Public health (work to reopen closed rural hospitals and clinics and prevent closures for others) and public educa tion (fully fund public education with out the budget stabilization factor); build more reservoirs.
I acknowledge the serious nature of the existential threat to all life on this planet due to accelerating climate change and affirm the science research by global climate scientists to slow its progression and ultimately, reverse it; I fully support an orderly, systematic and faster transition away from fossil fuels which supply most of our energy needs to adoption of renewable and cleaner sources of energy production for both mass energy production and spot ener gy production (such as at houses, office buildings, recreation facilities, etc.); we need to use wind, solar, geothermal,
hydro, oceanic currents and other re newal energy sources. We will need to produce conventional energy for a while longer but we must recognize that unless we stop doing that, we will destroy the planet and all life on it.
There are no simple solutions to tax ation because government requires rev enues to provide the services citizens needs to run our towns, cities, states and country. Flat taxes simply do not generate sufficient income to pay all op erational costs. Moving from a progres sive income tax structure up until 1981 to a tiered flat-tax system has accelerat ed wealth disparities and crippled or dinary government operations required to, among other things, maintain roads, bridges, tunnels, provide public safety and other necessary government oper ations. There are too many loopholes and tax shelters for the super-wealthy and they do not pay their fair share of taxes. Neither do corporations. But government also spends too much on things that individuals should be per sonally responsible for. The govern ment exists to do things which individ uals alone cannot or are ill-equipped to do. We need to rethink our entire sys tem of taxation and spending. Before 1981 with progressive income taxation, we paid for all government operations while building up limited debt. We should do that again. Since Warren Buf fett believes in progressive income and wealth taxation, that’s a good enough endorsement for me.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I am a Christian and I believe that life is preferable to death and that God has a preference for life and we should, too. Therefore, I believe that abortion is an imperfect solution to a difficult prob lem. That said, I believe that it is offen sive for anyone to treat women as less than fully autonomous persons, due all the respect as anyone else and fully ca pable of making their own choices for themselves. Abortion should be a rare event, in my opinion. But the choice or necessity of abortion is a decision that should be left entirely to a woman in conversation with her doctor, family and spiritual counselor. I support the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade and the reinstatement of a Colorado program to provide subsidized medicine to prevent pregnancies to teenagers and young women. This program, which was de funded a few years ago, had substan tially decreased the number of unwant ed pregnancies.
The state House races profiled in this voter guide are projected to be among the most politically competitive of the 2022 election, based on the estimated competitiveness from the Independent Redistricting Commission’s report and the most recent active voter registration numbers from Oct. 1 provided by the Secretary of State’s Office.
While Democrats aren’t at risk of los ing control of the state House — enjoy ing a whopping 41-24 majority — Repub lican candidates have a shot at flipping a substantial number of seats to create a nearly evenly split Legislature.
The district is in Boulder County and Weld County, including Dacono, Fires tone and Frederick, and parts of Erie, Longmont and Northglenn.
Democrats: 15,643 Republicans: 16,355 Unaf filiated: 30,335 Total active voters: 63,449
While technically an open seat, the race includes Republican Rep. Dan Woog, drawn out of his District 63 after being elected in 2020. The Democratic candidate facing Woog is Jennifer Lea Parenti, an Air Force veteran who ran unopposed in her primary. The Colora do Independent Redistricting Commis sion rated this district at a 1.5% Repub lican advantage.
Phone number: 970-658-0255
Email: woogforhd19@gmail.com Website: www.woogforhd19. com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 254, Erie, CO 80516
Education: bachelor’s de gree in kinesiology, Arizona State University
Woog’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Pol itics’ questionnaire.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
I favor a deliberate and equitable tran sition away from fossil fuels. What is your position on taxes?
Increase taxes on top earners, no new taxes on the working class.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I strongly favor reproductive freedom and keeping government out of health care decisions.
Based in Jefferson County, the district includes all of Morrison and a portion of Littleton.
Democrats: 16,737 Republicans: 19,721 Unaf filiated: 32,223 Total active voters: 69,752
In a rare situation, the race for Dis trict 25 features two current lawmak ers. Democratic Sen. Tammy Story and Republican Rep. Colin Larson, who were both drawn out of their respec tive districts. The Colorado Indepen dent Redistricting Commission rated this district at a 1.8% Republican ad vantage.
Phone number: 303-866-2927
Email: colinforcolorado@ gmail.com Website: www.colinforcolo rado.com
Mailing address: 200 E. Colfax Ave., Room 307, Denver, CO 80203
Education: bachelor’s de gree in political science and history, Colorado College
Larson’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
the state. Highly qualified and well compensated educators are the most critical element to students’ personal educational success. Ensuring a sup portive learning and teaching envi ronment is essential.
Climate change is the most serious existential threat of our time. We must reduce the use of fossil fuels and rap idly build out the use of clean energy options. The world’s most respected climate scientists believe the effects of climate change are negatively im pacting our air and water quality, ag ricultural production, forest health, biodiversity, weather, frequency and intensity of storms, public health, economy and the well-being of the hu man race.
Coloradans want great schools, quali ty roads, beautiful parks, mental health services and first responders. Collected tax revenue is used by state and local governments to pay for these essential public services. All corporations and individuals should contribute their fair share to the well-being of our collective communities.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
It is imperative that we protect repro ductive freedoms by ensuring bodily autonomy and personal medical deci sion-making authority. All Coloradans should have access to the full spectrum of affordable health care options, in cluding abortion and other reproduc tive health care.
rado Politics’ questionnaire.
Phone number: n/a Email: sheilaforcolorado@ gmail.com Website: www.liederforcol orado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 620373, Littleton, CO 80162
Sheila LiederEducation: certificate in political science and government, National Labor College
I believe making the “Homestead Act” portable would help lower the cost of living for seniors across Colorado. We should also find a way to ensure retirees are able to stay in their homes or access affordable housing.
Colorado must continue to focus on getting the rising cost of living under control for middle-class families. Using tax refunds and getting cash into mid dle class family’s hands like Gov. Polis and the Democrats in the Legislature did is exactly how we should approach any additional money we have access to in the budget.
I will work with all our colleagues to ensure we responsibly grow our econo my while tackling the challenges of cli mate change, with a just transition for jobs.
Phone number: n/a Email: info@parentiforcolorado.com Website: www.parentiforcolorado.com
Mailing address: n/a Education: bachelor’s degree in engineering scienc es, U.S. Air Force Academy; master’s degree in software engineering, Naval Postgradu ate School; master’s degree in military arts and sciences/po litical-military affairs, USAF Air Command and Staff College
Campaign contribution limits for stat utory town elections and other races not currently addressed under Colorado election law.
Public K-14 education including tech nical schools and public transportation.
Phone number: 720-2929861
Email: story@story4co.com Website: www.story4co. com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1114, Conifer, CO 80433
Education: bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders, East Tennessee State University
My first legislation will focus on pol icy that provides voice for those who face overwhelming threats to their well-being.
A well-funded, accessible public education system is foundational to democracy which is why it should remain a top spending priority for
The district is wholly contained in Jef ferson County and includes a portion of Lakewood.
Democrats: 15,991 Republicans: 16,102 Unaf filiated: 28,529 Total active voters: 61,635
District 28 has the closest party split on this guide, with Republicans out numbering Democrats by only 111 reg istered voters. The race features two newcomers, Democrat Sheila Lieder, a member of the Tri-County Workforce Development Board, and Republican Dan Montoya, a Marine Corps veteran. The Colorado Independent Redistrict ing Commission rated this district at a 2.3% Democrat advantage.
Phone number: n/a Email: Dan@Mon toyaForColorado.com Website: www.mon toyaforcolorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 621914, Littleton, CO 80162 Education: Sheridan High School
Montoya’s campaign didn’t respond to Colo
I would oppose any effort to raise taxes on middle-class families in Col orado. However, we should close cor porate tax loopholes and crack down on greedy companies that exploited the pandemic by gouging prices and raising the cost of living for all Col oradans.
What is your position on abortion af ter Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I support any effort to protect a wom an’s right to make her own health care decisions.
The district is in Arapahoe and Jeffer son counties, including all of Bow Mar and Columbine Valley, and parts of Cen tennial and Littleton.
Democrats: 17,120 Republicans: 17,828 Unaffiliated: 29,034 Total active voters: 65,073
Incumbent Democrat Rep. David Ortiz is running for reelection in the newly re drawn district, facing Republican Jaylen Mosqueira, a legislative aide who ran unopposed in his primary. The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission rated this district at a 2.9% Democrat advantage.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
REPUBLICANPhone number: n/a
Email: connect@jaylen forcolorado.com Website: www.jaylen forcolorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 3393, Centennial, CO 80161
Education: bachelor’s degree in political science, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Mosqueira’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
Phone number: 720-788-6273
Email: reportiz@davidor tizcolorado.com Website: www.davidortiz colorado.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 3842, Centennial, CO 80122
Education: bachelor’s de gree in international affairs and business administration, University of St. Thomas (Texas)
One of my first pieces of legislation is to make cost-saving and energy-effi cient home upgrades more available to working- and middle-class households. This will not only improve our transi tion to greener energy, but will also al low Colorado residents to save money on their energy bills.
My top spending priority is always for education. We must make sure that our teachers receive adequate and fair pay, that our students get mental health re sources in school in order to succeed, and that we maintain a high quality of educational materials that our students are taught.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Climate change is one of the most critical and time-sensitive challenges that we face as a planet and also poses significant national security issues. We need to make sure that we take effec tive, meaningful action to combat cli mate change that does not significant ly impact Coloradans’ wallets and our small businesses. We must be smart about our investments in green energy while providing adequate support by those that might be most impacted by the transition to renewable energy.
I am not in favor of raising taxes on our working families and small busi nesses. In fact, for both years of my first term, I got tax cuts for small business es across the state to the tune of $700 million.
We must protect women’s bodily au tonomy and reproductive health care choices for all pregnant people. That choice must always rest between preg nant people and their doctors.
The district is in Arapahoe and Doug las counties, including portions of Au rora and Centennial.
Democrats: 16,437 Republicans: 16,785 Unaf filiated: 29,246 Total active voters: 63,320
An open seat with less than 350 voters separating the Republican and Democrat populations, the race features Democrat Eliza Hamrick, a former high school teacher, and Republican Dave Woolever, an Air Force veteran and college profes sor. The Colorado Independent Redis tricting Commission rated this district at a 0.5% Democrat advantage.
Phone number: n/a Email: n/a Website: www.dave4hd61. com
Mailing address: n/a Education: bachelor’s de gree in education, Shepherd University; master’s degree in adult and continuing education, East Carolina University; master’s degree in U.S. and European history, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Woolever’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
Phone number: 720-805-5063
Email: eliza@elizaforcolo rado.com Website: www.elizaforcol orado.com
Mailing address: 6477 S. Jericho Way, Centennial, CO 80016
Education: attended the University of Arizona
Hamrick’s campaign didn’t respond to Colo rado Politics’ questionnaire.
House District 59 includes a portion of Montezuma County, and La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan counties in the southwest corner of the state.
A longtime Durango resident, state Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, is facing a newcomer to the community, Shelli Shaw, in the race.
Democrats: 20,853 Republicans: 17,782 Unaf filiated: 28,519 Total active voters: 68,458
Shaw’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
Phone number: 970-749-5683
Email: barbaraforcolora do@gmail.com Website: barbaramclach lan.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 234, Durango, CO 81302
Education: bachelor’s de gree in technical journalism, Colorado State University; bachelor’s degree in English and teaching certificate, Fort Lewis College; master’s in learning and teaching, Regis University
What is the first legislation you plan to enact if elected?
My first piece of legislation is creating a K-12 Water Literacy resource bank to encourage the next generation to un derstand, conserve and protect our wa ter. It will combine programs already in use to ensure all Colorado children have access to the education.
What is your top spending priority?
Paying off the Budget Stabilization Project, money we have owed our schools since 2009. Educators and stu dents have suffered needlessly without that money.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
Climate and energy affect our every day lives in more ways than ever before. I want to work with, not against, the energy community to find solutions, including renewables, to our climate change issues.
We can’t raise taxes as a legislature. When we need something done that re quires more money, we need to ask for a vote or find a way to squeeze our tight budget. The budget is not very flexi ble, so we work within its constraints. When we must add to one departmen tal budget, we always need to subtract from another.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I trust women to make the best de cisions about their own bodies and health, in conjunction with their doc tor, their partner, and their faith. The government should not have a role in those choices.
House District 16 is contained entirely in El Paso county and covers the central section of Colorado Springs.
Phone number: 1-832-9545159
Email: shawhd59@gmail. com
Website: shawhd59.com
Mailing address: 959 Sier ra Drive, Durango, CO 81301
Education: Unavailable
The contest pits former Colorado Springs City Council member Dave Do nelson, a Republican, against Stepha nie Vigil, a Democrat and community organizer.
Democrats: 16,170 Republicans: 14,597 Unaf filiated: 25,730 Total active voters: 54,412
Phone number: 719-238-9823
Email: davedonelson18@gmail.com
Website: davedonelson.org
Mailing address: P.O. Box 26601, Colorado Springs, CO 80936
Education: bachelor of science degree, University of Nebraska School of Medicine; bachelor of arts degree in political science, University of New Mexico; Russian linguist graduate, Defense Language Institute
I want to pass legislation that im proves the lives of regular Colorado families and businesses.
1. Public Safety. As a Colorado Springs city councilman and brother of a police sergeant, I know this is the first respon sibility of government. Colorado should not lead the U.S. in auto thefts and bank robberies.
2. Improve affordability. As a board member of Colorado Springs Utilities, I have seen the impact state imposed mandates can have on prices. We have to consider the effect these price i creases have on real citizens.
3. Improve our schools. I want a great school for every kid. Current test scores show we are not preparing our kids to succeed. Let’s give parents more op tions and prepare our kids for success!
Elected officials should be cautious and responsible when spending our citizen’s hard earned money which they have been forced to pay to the state in the form of taxes and fees. Certain areas of the state budget continue to grow rapid ly. Health care is now 36.2% of the bud get, K-12 education (19%) and higher ed ucation (15%) make up a combined 70% of the budget! Something which you may think of as a fundamental responsibility of our state government - transportation (roads) makes up only about 5% of the state budget. I certainly think our roads need increased focus and funding and will also want to look for ways to im prove the quality of life of our citizens in the three areas I listed above - public safety, schools, and affordability. We need to look at finding ways to better use the money the state already receives rather than increasing taxes or fees.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
As a member of the Colorado Springs Utilities Board of Directors, I am part of an organization which is planning for increasing energy needs, and changes in our climate. There are three things I believe I offer the voters of HD 16: lead ership, experience and common sense. We need a strong grounding in common sense when thinking about energy and our climate. All of us want, and deserve, a clean environment — water and air in particular. We all want clean energy production. However we need to have a practical and balanced approach to our energy “portfolio” or sources. A certain level of renewable energy production makes sense — pushing it beyond that can lead to serious problems, as they are experiencing in California. We can’t allow that to happen in Colorado. We must have 100% energy reliability. Our
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state government must be careful not to impose requirements on municipali ties and other entities that create a very expensive, unstable energy production and transmission system.
What is your position on taxes?
I’m against them.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
The recent Supreme Court decision regarding Roe v. Wade did not restrict or make abortion illegal. It returned regulation of abortion to each individ ual state. Many legal scholars feel that based on our Constitution it should have always remained at the state lev el. I think that makes sense. Different states have very different cultures. Cal ifornia and Massachusetts are very dif ferent than Utah and Alabama. I think it makes sense to allow the citizens of those states to decide how they will regulate abortion. I would rather have the citizens of Colorado deciding than a one size fits all policy imposed from the federal government
Phone number: 719-297-3210
Email: info@stephanievigil.com Website: https://www.stephanievigil.com
Mailing address: Committee to Elect Steph anie Vigil, P.O. Box 9524, Colorado Springs, CO 80932
Education: unavailable
What is the first legislation you plan to enact if elected?
There are several housing-related bills I am eager to draft or collaborate on and that will invest voter-approved funds in meeting the affordable-hous ing crisis. One bill I will forward is a re peal of the statewide ban on rent stabi lization. Local governments should be able to decide for themselves whether such ordinances are in the best inter ests of their communities.
My top spending priorities are to get teachers paid a thriving wage, invest in housing projects and transit infrastruc ture that suit our growing population, and continue developing our regenera tive-energy economy.
Climate change is not a “tomorrow” problem. It is a “today” problem. We are dealing with a now almost yearround fire season, the Colorado River is in crisis, and we’re facing aridification of the West due to hotter, drier con ditions. We owe future generations a habitable environment, and we can do it with a just and equitable transition to all-renewable energy. Fully funding mechanisms like C-PACE will give pri vate home and business owners more options to make this transition.
The Legislature cannot raise taxes, and clear communication and transparency are key to voter-approved tax hikes.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
Expecting people to make consequen tial decisions without enough infor mation is not the greatest exercise in self-government, and we can do better. Also, I am pro-choice, and it is up to states to protect this right to make de cisions about one’s own body and life. I will not support bans or restrictions on reproductive choice and would elimi nate the ban on public funds being used for abortion services.
House District 18 encompasses Teller and El Paso counties and includes Mani tou Springs and part of Colorado Springs, as well as Cascade-Chipita Park, Green Mountain Falls and Rock Creek Park.
Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Marc Snyder, the former mayor of Manitou Springs, takes on Republican challenger Shana Black, a Manitou Springs attorney.
Democrats: 15,430 Republicans: 17,619 Unaf filiated: 27,297 Total active voters: 61,756
Phone number: 719-400-9789
Email: shana@winwithblack.com
Website: winwithblack.com
Mailing address: 5 E. Bijou St., No. 304, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Education: bachelor’s degree in economics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law
What is the first legislation you plan to enact if elected?
I have already drafted legislation to repeal the qualified immunity portion of Senate Bill 20-217, which applies to all local law enforcement officers, sheriff’s deputies and Colorado State Patrol officers. We should support law enforcement, which includes qualified immunity for police. Additionally, fen tanyl needs to be recriminalized. People are dying because of the reckless de criminalization the Legislature passed. Possession of fentanyl should be a felo ny, not a misdemeanor.
What is your top spending priority if elected?
I would strive to ensure more educa tion dollars go to teachers, not adminis trators, and ensure first responders are fully funded. I would work to put trans portation dollars to roads and bridges, where they belong.
What are your positions on energy and climate?
We need to take action to provide energy for the future of the country. I do not believe the too-much-too-soon approach being used now is viable. We need to have a long-range plan that takes into account all forms of energy and their impacts on the environment. We cannot sacrifice one form of energy at the expense of our citizens.
What is your position on taxes?
I fully support the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. I also believe the recent trend to impose “fees,” therefore bypassing TABOR, is inappropriate and needs to stop. These “fees” are nothing more than tax increases in disguise.
Roe v. Wade was not about abortion but about states’ rights. The Constitu tion of the United States is clear that issues not specifically addressed in the Constitution go to the states. That is what the Supreme Court decision was all about. And legislation passed in Col orado last session settled the question.
Phone number: 719-2331272
Email: marc.snyder.house@ state.co.us
Website: snyderforcolora do.com
Mailing address: 2605A W. Colorado Ave., Suite 205, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Education: bachelor’s degree in economics and political science, Emory University; J.D. from Emory University School of Law
I would like to pass legislation that would improve communications for evacuations in the event of a wildfire. As we have seen in the past couple years, it is absolutely critical that folks know how they need to evacuate and how long it will take them. This legislation would improve that communication so that our community members can feel better about their own fire evacuation plans. My top spending priorities are wildfire prevention and preparedness and increasing funding for public edu cation, so that our students and teach ers have all the resources and support they need. I fully support a plan that reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and that also supports our economy in Col orado. We are in a climate crisis and must make changes so we can contin ue to enjoy our beautiful state but also support local economic development.
I support any tax increases that the voters approve of, as stipulated under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
What is your position on abortion after Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade?
I believe the government has no place in a woman’s doctor’s office when she is making one of the most important de cisions of her life.
I supported the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which supported Colora dans’ right to make their own repro ductive health decisions, and I will con tinue to support that goal.
Stretching through two congressional districts as it stretches from Colorado’s northern border south to Salida, House District 13 encompasses Chaffee, Grand,
Jackson, Lake, Park and Summit counties and the communities of Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco and Buena Vista.
The race features Joint Budget Com mittee Chair Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, squaring off against David Buckley, a business owner who lives in Kremmling.
Democrats: 17,303 Republicans: 18,657 Unaf filiated: 31,545 Total active voters: 68,850
Phone number: 720-8788145
Email: david@buckleyfor house.com Website: https://www. buckleyforhouse.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1757, Kremmling, CO 80459
Education: bachelor’s degree, Regis University
Buckley’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
Phone number: 303-8662952
Email: McCluskieforCO@ gmail.com Website: https://mc cluskieforco.com
Mailing address: unavail able Education: unavailable
McCluskie’s campaign didn’t respond to Colorado Politics’ questionnaire.
House District 26 includes all of Mof fat County, Rio Blanco County and Routt County, and all of Avon, Eagle, Gypsum, Minturn, Red Cliff and Vail in Eagle County.
The race features a former Democrat who switched parties after her family was robbed and a social studies teacher from Steamboat Springs.
Savannah Wolfson, an ex-Democrat from Oak Creek, defeated Glenn Lowe in the Republican primary in June.
Meghan Lukens, a social studies teach er from Steamboat Springs, ran unop posed in the Democratic primary.
Democrats: 17,303 Republicans: 18,657 Unaf filiated: 31,545 Total active voters: 68,850
Phone number: unavail able
Email: wolfson@savannah 4hd26.com
Website: savannah4hd26. com
Mailing address: unavail able Education: unavailable
Phone number: unavail able
Email: meghan@meghan lukens.com Website: campaign. meghanlukens.com
Mailing address: unavail able Education: unavailable
This November, voters state wide will decide whether to retain 135 judges for terms of four to eight years.
Unlike other races on the bal lot where multiple candidates are seeking a single position, judicial retention requires vot ers to select either “yes” or “no.”
Here are answers to some ba sic questions about retention elections:
Not exactly. In many states, people campaign to be judges, sometimes in partisan elec tions.
Here, the governor appoints judges and voters decide whether they continue in office after a probationary period.
Voters approved a constitu tional amendment in 1966 to adopt the system we now have. Judges can serve for as long as the voters continue to retain them, up to the mandatory re tirement age of 72.
County court judges serve terms of four years. District court judges, who have gener al jurisdiction over cases, serve six years.
Court of Appeals judges have eight-year terms, and Supreme Court justices serve for 10 years. There is no limit to the number of terms they can serve.
The governor gets to appoint a new judge in the event of va
cancies.
Citizen-led commissions, which have a mix of lawyers and nonlawyers, screen appli cants and send a list of final ists to the governor — typically three people.
The governor’s office conducts additional screening and inter viewing, which results in an ap pointment.
There’s no surefire way, but each of the state’s 22 judicial districts has a performance commission that prepares a
summary of each judge’s work for voters.
An additional commission handles Court of Appeals judg es and Supreme Court justices.
The summaries, which appear in the Blue Book and online, advise voters whether judg es meet or don’t meet perfor mance standards.
The data stem from surveys given to lawyers who appear before the judges, surveys to non-lawyers, courtroom obser vations and input from chief judges of the judicial districts, among other sources of infor mation.
Ultimately, they are measured
on their case management, knowledge of the law, demean or, communications skills and fairness.
There are numerous ques tions the performance com missions answer when deter mining whether a judge meets performance standards.
For example, did the judge ask understandable and rele vant questions in court? Did the judge have control over the courtroom?
During sentencing, did the judge listen to all sides and clearly state the reasoning for the sentence?
And did the judge correct is sues with their performance that were noted previously?
According to the performance commissions, all 135 judges on the ballot met performance standards.
You only vote to retain the county and district court judg es where you live.
You’re also able to vote on judges with statewide jurisdic tion, meaning the Court of Ap peals and Supreme Court.
This year, no Supreme Court justices are up for retention.
There is no easy way to get that information.
Appeals of trial judges’ deci sions take years, and not all ap peals are equal.
For example, sometimes a judge misapplies law that is clear.
But other times, the law is murky and a judge makes their best effort to give an answer, only to be reversed on appeal.
The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline investigates misconduct complaints about judges, but there is substantial secrecy built into the process.
Performance commissions may not know that a judge has been privately reprimanded, or that a report has even been made about a judge.
Citizen engagement is crucial in sus taining America’s experiment in repre sentative democracy, and voting in an election is not just any ritual. Encapsu lated in that act is often the purest ex pression of a people’s ability to choose their leaders, exactly the kind of free dom denied to so many in other parts of the world.
As a public service, we compiled this guide to help voters understand the bal lot initiatives they will be asked to vote on this fall. The analysis comes via the Colorado Secretary of State’s 2022 State Ballot Information Booklet.
We hope that you find this guide in formative and useful. If there are any errors, please don’t hesitate contact ed itors Luige del Puerto at luige.delpuer to@coloradopolitics.com and Pat Po blete at pat.poblete@coloradopolitics. com.
A “yes” vote directs the governor to re assign judges from the existing 18th Ju dicial District to the new 23rd Judicial District by Nov. 30, 2024.
• Establishes a smooth transition for the new judicial district and helps avoid the cost of potential litigation.
• Because it is unclear if current state law will ensure the proper seating of judges in the new district, the amend ment provides a definitive legal mecha nism for the transition.
• Will prevent the invalidation of rulings resulting from allegations of improper seating of judges, as well as offset costs and address other logistical concerns.
• Requiring the governor to assign judges to the new district in a timely
and efficient way also prevents disrup tions and delays in casework and court proceedings.
“Yes” campaign website: No formal committee
A “no” vote means that there could be uncertainty in Colorado law about assignment of judges in the new 23rd Judicial District and that continuity of court functions could be disrupted.
• Amendment D is not the only way to assign judges to the 23rd Judicial Dis trict.
• The Colorado Constitution and state statute allow for judges to be appointed through a vacancy process or to serve in other districts under certain circum stances.
“No” campaign website: No formal committee
Threshold: Passage of a constitution al amendment requires at least 55% of
the votes.
A “yes” vote expands the existing homestead exemption for disabled vet erans, which reduces the property taxes paid by a homeowner, to include surviv ing spouses of either a military member who died in the line of duty or a veteran who died as a result of a service-related injury or disease.
• Losing a spouse can lead to unmet fi nancial needs, and the tax exemption in Amendment E helps Gold Star spouses offset expenses of the family home.
• Colorado currently allows spouses of 100% disabled veterans to keep the homestead exemption when that
veteran dies, but provides no exemp tion if the spouse is killed while serving in the military.
“Yes” campaign website: No formal committee
A “no” vote means the existing homestead exemption is not expanded to include surviving spouses of either a military member who died as a result who died in the line of duty or a veteran who died as a result of a service-related injury or disease.
• Amendment E reduces taxes only for Gold Star spouses who are financially able to own homes. Gold Star spouses who cannot afford to own a home do not benefit from this measure.
• The intent of the current homestead exemption for 100% permanently dis abled veterans is to help address the employment and income limitations of their disability and Gold Star spouses may not have the same employment challenges as permanently disabled veterans.
“No” campaign website: No formal committee
Threshold: Passage of a constitution al amendment requires at least 55% of the votes.
A “yes” vote reduces from five to
three the minimum number of years a nonprofit organization must oper ate in Colorado in order to apply for a bingo-raffle license and authorizes the state legislature to establish a different requirement beginning in 2025. In ad dition, a “yes” vote allows, but does not require, bingo-raffle workers to be paid. Wages are capped at minimum wage through June 30, 2024, after which wages are not limited.
• Bingo-raffle gaming is an important tool that nonprofit organizations use to raise funds for their programs.
• Expanding licenses to nonprofit or ganizations that have been in existence for a fewer number of years provides more organizations with this fundrais ing opportunity.
• The amendment may allow non profit organizations to raise additional money by operating more games more often because payment of a wage will likely incentivize their members to work bingo-raffle games.
“Yes” campaign website: www.cob ingoassn.com
A “no” vote maintains the current requirement that a nonprofit organiza tion must operate in Colorado for five years before applying for a bingo-raffle license, and that bingo-raffle workers must be unpaid volunteers.
• Allowing bingo-raffle workers to receive a wage to manage or operate bingo-raffle games potentially reduces the amount of money nonprofit orga nizations are able to dedicate to their core mission.
• Permitting less-established nonprof
it organizations to operate bingo-raffle games in Colorado will likely increase the number of organizations raising funds in this manner, further decreas ing the total amount of funds available for each organization.
“No” campaign website: No formal committee
Threshold: Passage of a constitution al amendment requires at least 55% of the votes.
A “yes” vote creates a program to provide access to free meals to all public school students in Colorado and offers grants schools related to the provision of school meals. It also increases taxes for households with over $300,000 in federal adjusted gross income by limit ing state income tax deductions.
Arguments in favor:
• Research shows that children ex periencing hunger have lower grades than their peers, and are more likely to struggle with behavioral problems and experience emotional, mental and physical health issues
• Providing free meals to all students helps families at a time when many are facing higher costs of living
• The current income threshold for free meals does not capture all students, who may face food insecurity, and even if a student can afford to bring or pay for a meal, the measure will take a daily financial concern off of families’ plates
• The measure removes a source of shame and embarrassment for students who receive free meals
“Yes” campaign website: www.ye sonff.org
A “no” vote means that the current method of funding school meals, which provides free meals to children from households with incomes below certain thresholds, will remain unchanged, and there will be no change to tax law.
Arguments against:
• The measure raises taxes on some households at a time when inflation is high and the cost of living is increasing.
• The measure requires ongoing state funding, resources and oversight for a program that is not needed by all stu dents.
•.Colorado schools are underfund ed, and it would be better to give local school districts new funding to use in a way that best serves their students, such as by increasing teacher salaries or providing additional educational materials and opportunities.
“No” campaign website: No formal committee; The Common Sense Insti tute’s analysis is available here: www. commonsenseinstituteco.org.
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initi ated measure requires a simple major ity vote.
A “yes” vote requires a tax informa tion table be included on petitions and ballots for any citizen-initiated measure that changes the individual income tax rate. The table must list the average change in taxes owed for taxpayers in
DISTRICT COURT Adams County, Colorado
1100 Judicial Center Drive Brighton, CO 80601
Case Number: 2022PR30765
Division: PR | Courtroom: In the Matter of the Estate of: Shirley J. Diedrich, also known as Shirley Jeanne Diedrich, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Adams, County, Colorado, on or before January 28, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.
Counsel for Petitioner, David Diedrich: Elizabeth A. Anderson, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 50930 The Law Network, P.C. 6025 S. Quebec Street, Suite 240 Centennial, CO 80111 Phone Number: (303) 265-1111 FAX Number: (720) 749-6161
Published in Colorado Politics September 30 and October 7 and 14, 2022
DISTRICT COURT Arapahoe County, Colorado 7325 Potomac Street Centennial, CO 80112
Case Number: 2022PR30988
Division: CLX Courtroom: In the Matter of the Estate of: Karen Ruth Kayner a/k/a Karen R. Kayner and Karen Kayner, Deceased
PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe, County, Colorado, on or before February 14, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.
Attorney for Personal Representative: Penny Christy Myers, Esq. Atty. Reg.#: 15938 6025 S. Quebec Street, Suite 240 Centennial, Colorado 80111 Phone Number: 303-267-1111 FAX Number: 720-749-6161 penny@coloradoestateplanners.com
Published in Colorado Politics October 14, 21 and 28, 2022
DISTRICT COURT Boulder County, Colorado 1777 6th St., Boulder, CO 80302 Mailing Address: PO Box 4249 Boulder, CO 80306
Case Number: 2022PR30544 Division: 3 In the Matter of the Estate of: Lori Jean Rodelli, also known as Lori J. Rodelli, and also known as Lori Rodelli, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Boulder County, Colorado, on or before February 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.
Anthony Rodelli, Personal Rep. Attorney for Personal Representative: David A. Simmental, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 32361 Simmental Law, LLC 9085 East Mineral Circle, Suite 190 Centennial, CO 80112
Phone Number: (303) 771-5158 FAX Number: (866) 607-8513
E-mail: DAS@Simmental-Law.com
Published in Colorado Politics October 14, 21 and 28, 2022
DISTRICT COURT Arapahoe County, Colorado 7325 S. Potomac St. Centennial, CO 80112
Case Number: 2022-PR-31113
In the Matter of the Estate of: SNOW DEATON SCHAEFER; a/k/a Snow Schaefer, a/k/a Snow D. Schaefer, a/k/a Snow Deaton, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Arapahoe County District Court Centennial, Colorado, on or before February 11, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.
Sky Schaefer, Personal Representative c/o Mark D. Masters, Esq. 2696 S. Colorado Blvd., Ste 350 Denver, CO 80222
Published in Colorado Politics October 14, 21 and 28, 2022
DISTRICT COURT Arapahoe County, Colorado 7325 S. Potomac St. Centennial, CO 80112
Case Number: 2022-PR-31114
In the Matter of the Estate of: MARY ELLEN HESLA, a/k/a Maryellen Hesla, a/k/a Mary Hesla, a/k/a Mariellen Hesla, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Arapahoe County District Court Centennial, Colorado, on or before February 11, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.
Kevin Hesla, Personal Representative c/o Mark D. Masters, Esq. 2696 S. Colorado Blvd., Ste 350 Denver, CO 80222
Published in Colorado Politics October 14, 21 and 28, 2022
21
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specified income catego ries.
• Allows voters to eas ily see the impact of in come tax rate changes on individuals of different income categories when signing a petition and casting a vote.
•.Voters are presented the information at the moment that they are making their decision about a measure and will not need to seek out ad ditional information to understand how the mea sure will affect their own taxes and those of other taxpayers.
“Yes” campaign web site: www.yesongg.com
A “no” vote keeps peti tions and ballots in their current format.
Arguments against in clude:
• Proposition GG adds unnecessary complexity and costs to statewide printed ballots, and du plicates information that is already provided to vot ers in the ballot informa tion booklet.
• The ballot will become even longer, more expen sive to produce and more complicated than it is now, especially in years when there are multiple tax measures.
“No” campaign web site: No formal commit tee
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initiated measure requires a simple majori ty vote.
A “yes” vote reduces the state income tax rate to 4.40% for tax year 2022 and future years.
Arguments in favor:
DISTRICT COURT Arapahoe County, Colorado 7325 S. Potomac Street Centennial, CO 80112
Case Number: 2022PR031086 Div: CLX In the Matter of the Estate of: YURIKO HARRIS, a/k/a FRANCES HARRIS, a/k/a YURIKO YUASA, Deceased
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION PURSUANT TO § 15-12-801, C.R.S.
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe, County, Colorado on or before February 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.
Frances M. Evans, Personal Rep.
Attorneys for Personal Representative: Miranda K. Hawkins, #31290 Jennifer A. Gordon, #30361 Elizabeth J.M. Howard, #41439 Goddard & Hawkins, P.C. 4500 Cherry Creek Drive South, Suite 625 Denver, CO 80246
Phone No: 303-292-3228
FAX No: 303-292-1956
Email: mhawkins@goddardhawkins.com
Email: jgordon@goddardhawkins.com Email: ehoward@goddardhawkins.com
Published in Colorado Politics October 14, 21 and 28, 2022
The Title Board meets virtually on May 19, 2021, to consider a ballot initiative making substantial changes to Colorado's election procedures, including the elimination of universal voting by mail.
• The state government currently collects more taxes than it uses for the programs it funds, and, in fact, more tax money than it is legally allowed to spend.
• By permanently low ering the tax rate, Prop osition 121 cuts out the inefficiency of sending money to the govern ment that just gets re turned, while providing taxpayers with tax relief during future economic downturns.
• The measure is a modest change that, ac cording to the state’s own forecasts, won’t change the amount of money available for state spend ing for at least the next three years.
• The Legislature just approved the largest budget in state history and the budget is only ex pected to grow, even with the tax decrease under Proposition 121.
“Yes” campaign web site: The Independence Institute’s defense of the measure is available here: www.i2i.org
A “no” vote keeps the state income tax rate un changed at 4.55%.
Arguments against:
• Most of the measure’s benefits will go to a small population of very wealthy taxpayers, in cluding corporations.
•.About 75% of taxpay ers will receive a tax cut of less than $63 per year, while those with incomes over $1 million, repre senting less than 1% of taxpayers, will receive nearly half of the total tax savings from the mea
sure, and, on average, are expected to save almost $7,000 per year.
• Corporations outside of Colorado will keep more money, which they may choose to invest elsewhere or pay as prof its to out-of-state share holders.
“No” campaign web site: Great Education Colorado’s criticism of the idea is available here: www.greateducation.org/ initiative-31
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initiated mea sure requires a simple majority vote.
A “yes” vote requires the state to establish a regulated system for accessing psychedelic mushrooms and, if ap proved by the regulating state agency, additional plant-based psychedel ic substances. It also decriminalizes the pos session and use of psy chedelic mushrooms and certain plant-based psychedelic substances in Colorado law for indi viduals aged 21 and over.
• Studies have shown that psychedelic mush rooms and other plantbased psychedelic sub stances, combined with counseling, may provide effective treatment for severe depression, anx iety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• The FDA has specifi cally found psychedelic mushrooms may offer
substantial improvement in treating depression more successfully than existing therapies and increasing access to psy chedelic mushrooms and other plant-based psychedelic substances may help people who are struggling to find effec tive mental health treat ment.
• Putting people in the criminal justice system for using naturally occur ring substances that have potential mental health benefits does not benefit society and costs taxpay ers money.
• Studies have shown that psychedelic mush rooms are not addictive and that long-term ad verse health impacts are rare, unlike tobacco use, which is legal.
“Yes” campaign web site: www.naturalmedi cinecolorado.org
A “no” vote means the possession and use of psychedelic mushrooms and other plant-based psychedelic substances will remain illegal under state law.
• There are currently no approved therapies that use psychedelic mush rooms or other plantbased psychedelic sub stances, and the effects of them can vary widely from person to person, depending on the dose, frequency of use and type of substance.
•.Proposing a regulato ry framework for the use of these substances sug gests that they offer legit imate treatment before they have received fed
eral approval, potentially putting people’s health and public safety at risk.
• Under the guise of health care, Proposition 122 legalizes drugs that have been illegal for over 50 years and forces local communities to allow use of these substances.
• It also provides broad protections for criminals by allowing convictions to be wiped from their records.
• By decriminalizing personal use, the black market for these drugs may expand and provide access to youth or expose people to psychedelic substances that are taint ed with other drugs.
“No” campaign web site: www.protectingcol oradokids.com
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initiated mea sure requires a simple majority vote.
A “yes” vote sets aside money for new afford able housing programs and exempts this money from the state’s revenue limit.
• Creates a source of funds to tackle housing issues without raising tax rates, and gives local communities the flexi bility to respond to their specific needs.
• Colorado’s housing prices make it too hard for many households to afford rent or to buy their
own home.
• Creating more homes will allow res idents and essential workers to remain in their communities.
“Yes” campaign website: www.ye son123co.com
A “no” vote means that state revenue will continue to be spent on priorities as determined by the Legislature or re turned to taxpayers, as under current law.
Arguments against:
• Pumping money into the market may distort it further, and the real ben eficiaries will be landlords and housing developers.
• The state already provides resources to support affordable housing, includ ing over $1 billion in federal stimulus funds allocated in recent years.
• This measure diverts money away from the state’s budgeting process — money that goes toward priorities as determined by the Legislature through deliberation and consultation with stakeholders and constituents — and instead sets aside money in a fund with fixed uses.
“No” campaign website: No formal committee
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initi ated measure requires a simple major ity vote.
A “yes” vote allows retail liquor stores to apply for and, if approved, increase the number of locations over time, with no limit on the number of locations after 2037.
Arguments in favor:
• Brings parity to retail liquor stores that have been disadvantaged by the limited number of allowed locations.
• Addresses a long-term competitive disadvantage for retail liquor stores rel ative to large grocery store chains.
“Yes” campaign website: www.vot eyes124.com
A “no” vote retains current law that limits retail liquor stores to a total of three locations in the state through 2026, four locations thereafter.
Arguments against:
• Creates a disadvantage for small, lo cally owned liquor stores that may not have the capacity or desire to expand, and instead benefits large retail liquor store chains that have more resources.
• Current law is designed to ensure that neighborhood liquor stores can continue to compete with other retail liquor stores.
• Many of these small businesses are owned by minorities and women, who may lose customers as a result of in creased competition from large retail liquor store chains.
“No” campaign website: www.keep ingcoloradolocal.com
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initi ated measure requires a simple major ity vote.
A “yes” vote allows licensed grocery and convenience stores that currently sell beer to also sell wine.
Arguments in favor:
• Consumers want the convenience of buying wine with groceries.
• Stores provide a safe and well-regu lated environment to ensure responsi ble alcohol sales.
“Yes” campaign website:
A “no” vote means licensed grocery and convenience stores may continue selling beer, but not wine.
• The measure creates a disadvantage for small, locally owned liquor stores, and instead benefits large national gro cery and convenience store chains.
• The automatic license conversion will more than double the number of stores where wine can be sold, without any community input or state or local government review.
“No” campaign website: www.keep ingcoloradolocal.com
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initi ated measure requires a simple major ity vote.
A “yes” vote allows third-party com panies to deliver alcohol from grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, bars, restaurants and other liquor-li censed businesses, and makes takeout and delivery of alcohol from bars and restaurants permanently available.
• The delivery of groceries and restau rant meals has become a convenience that Coloradans expect and continue to use.
• Allowing third-party delivery ser vices to deliver alcohol will let many more stores and restaurants utilize delivery without having to devote the resources to meet burdensome require ments in current law.
• Coloradans will have more options available when supporting stores and restaurants from the comfort of home.
“Yes” campaign website: www.fair deliverycolorado.org
A “no” vote maintains current law, which requires businesses to use their own employees to deliver alcohol. Bars and restaurants may offer takeout and delivery of alcohol until July 2025.
• The measure expands alcohol de livery options without the safeguards available in a physical store or restau rant that ensure alcohol is not sold to minors.
• Currently, retail liquor licensees make deliveries using their own trained employees and are liable for any viola tion while under this measure, retailers are not liable once alcohol leaves their premises, and enforcement of third-par ty alcohol delivery laws is expected to be more difficult as a result.
“No” campaign website: www.keep ingcoloradolocal.com
Threshold: Passage of a citizen-initi ated measure requires a simple major ity vote.
