Mike Johnston in 2018 CO Governor's race

On Gun Control: Ban military-style weapons; plus universal background checks

"This is a simple question to me," he said. Johnston said he's been a gun owner his whole life, and prior to the Parkland shooting, he introduced a plan that would ban military-style weapons, require universal background checks, make sure those who are a danger to themselves or others don't have access to guns & ban bump stocks. The plan, he said, fits in with the Second Amendment but also provides solutions.

On Energy & Oil: Balance oil & gas extraction with public safety

[Mike Johnston's response:] These student leaders have made the important point that seems so clear in light of the Firestone catastrophe: Our first responsibility is to protect the health and safety of all Coloradans and then balance the reasonable extraction of our state's natural resources against that public safety.˙ The appellate court made clear that is the plain language of the statute, and I don't see why anyone would fight the state's commitment to ensure that public safety

On Crime: Ban police chokeholds; push the CLEAR Act

He had a record-breaking fundraising period, with at least $625,000 for the first quarter of 2017. He's vowed not to accept money from political action committees (PACs).

On Education: Make college more affordable

On Civil Rights: Participated in Women's March in Denver

A: I found that event to be incredibly inspiring. It had the sense of a Colorado where everybody belongs--where people were inclusive about differences, where everybody was not only tolerated, but supported. I believe there's a way to both be different and be connected, and I think what you saw was a real strong engagement. I saw a bunch of my neighbors there who I know for a fact have not been engaged in politics before. They're just not political people, but they are people who feel that the brand their country has been given is not who they are, and they want to take ownership over this state speaking for them and speaking for their values and their background. This election was a wake-up call that we can't fundamentally leave the public square for other people to solve.

On Crime: Reduce sentencing disparities; ban police chokeholds

The more people dig, the more they'll find I have a consistent record of these kinds of big ideas with unusual coalitions in all parts of legislation. Even here in the daily activity of our community office--it's not a bill that you have to pass, but we've brought together folks for real transformation, to help work toward a solution that works for this neighborhood. Most people don't build coalitions like this or, I think, get results like this.

On Education: Keep up with innovation: 2 years of free college or training

On Education: National Guard service in exchange for state college tuition

A: It will be done in exchange for students offering meaningful service to the state, like a National Guard, where they would do 4 or 5 weekends a year. It could be fire mitigation, trail repair, flood prevention--things we need. And if there are instances of a crisis, that corps is available to be called up

Q: The idea of state service has been out there for a while. Why has it been so hard to put something like that into place?

A: Our plan is unique in that most other service proposals are all full-time service proposals. You'd be an AmeriCorps volunteer who's working 60 hours a week in a school, or you would be working for a WPA-style program 50 hours a week--full-time programs for full-time benefits, which makes them much more expensive and much more complicated to administer. But the idea of the National Guard version is, you can still have your day job, and when Colorado calls you, you get summoned up.

On Government Reform: No PAC money when running as state senator or as governor

A: There are commitments that Bernie and I share and things I really respect about what he's done. I didn't take any PAC money when running as a state senator, and I won't when running for governor. We're having a deep focus on community organizing and really lifting up the voices of ordinary people to regain their government. I think that commitment to community organizing to give people a voice in government and not just a vote--I really share the belief that we need to make post-secondary education accessible and affordable. So I think those are the things people have picked out as commonalities, and I'm certainly excited about those. I [also] think there are also a lot of ways I've built bridges with Republican leaders and business leaders that I'm proud of.

On Education: Weaken tenure protections; strengthen teacher evaluations

The details of his promise to provide debt-free college and career training remains unclear. He declined to put a price tag on the plan or explain how to pay for it, maintaining that it would be near revenue-neutral.

On Immigration: Protect immigrants living in the country illegally

The move will draw young supporters Johnston needs to build a campaign but it will open him to political attacks from Republican critics. A GOP operative remarked that Johnston is "clearly making an appeal to run on the far left of his party with Bernie Sanders-style promises" and suggested his platform amounts to a "government force to make Coloradans pay for more programs."