Heidi Ganahl in 2022 CO Governor's race
On Abortion:
Declares herself "pro-life" on Facebook, won't elaborate
In what appears to be her first public statement on abortion, Ganahl said she is "pro-life." Responding to a commenter on her Facebook page who asked if she's pro-choice, Ganahl responded, "I am pro-life" and then urged the commenter to
email her directly with "any other questions." Ganahl did not, however, respond to multiple emails from the Colorado Times Recorder asking her to elaborate on her views on abortion rights.
Source: Colorado Times Recorder on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Oct 15, 2021
On Abortion:
Make adoption and birth control more accessible
[On reproductive options]: "I think Colorado is a very different state than Texas," Ganahl responded. "Therefore, I would certainly look closely at any legislation that ends up on my desk.""I am pro-life and I believe that there are ways that we can
reduce the abortion rate in our state and our country that are important and that we must work on, such as making adoptions easier and more accessible for families. It also makes birth control more accessible. So that's the approach I'd take."
Source: News Primer on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Dec 16, 2021
On Budget & Economy:
Government has grown too much; we can reduce it
Government has grown too much. I think one of the most important things we can do is reduce the size of our bureaucracies, our agencies, and put decision-making over people's lives, businesses and families back in the hands of Coloradans.
A lot of folks talk about zero-based budgeting and I'm not saying that we should go there, but we can certainly take that approach and see if there are ways that we could cut the spending.
Source: California Public Radio on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Jun 17, 2022
On Civil Rights:
Misrepresented gender policy for students in high school
In a fundraising email, Ganahl claims that an Adams County school district instituted policies, allowing high school students to stipulate their gender at school, "without being voted on or put on the agenda for public notice and comment." According to
a spokesperson, the "guidelines were developed over several years with input from our preschool, elementary, middle, and high school communities, including students, staff, and parents, as well as community members and our Board of Education."
Source: Colorado Times Recorder on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2022
On Crime:
Reinstate bail, ensure parole board enforces sentences
- I will be tough on crime and work hard to make our neighborhoods safe again.
- I will reinstate bail in Colorado and appoint a strong parole board that will enforce sentences to keep our streets safe. We'll strive to help those convicted reform
their lives but repeat violent offenders will face severe consequences.
- I will allocate resources to better fund our public safety to improve law enforcement training and build better community relationships.
Source: 2022 Colorado Governor campaign website HeidiForGovernor.com
Dec 28, 2021
On Crime:
I would fire the parole board, keep the bad guys in jail
Crime rates in Colorado continue to rise and these candidates have their own opinions on how to fix some major issues but agree that law enforcement should be supported. "Well, day one
I would give pink slips to the parole board and replace those folks with people who care about keeping the bad guys in jail and protecting our neighborhoods and our cities," Ganahl said.
Source: KDVR on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Jan 24, 2022
On Drugs:
Colorado's experiment with cannabis isn't helping our kids
Colorado's experiment with commercialized weed isn't helping our kids. THC, not alcohol, is the number one drug found in Colorado teens who died by suicide. Is this just coincidence? We have promoted all marijuana as medicine and as safe to use
recreationally, even today's new ultra-high THC products. No one wants children to use marijuana, but we must recognize that our current laws, policies, and culture are resulting in underage use.
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Education:
Ensure we are funding our students, not the system
- I will address the learning loss over the last 2 years and close the gaps in our education system, and ensure we are funding our students, not the system.
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I will implement a trades scholarship program and industry and student partnerships to help our young people, and our Colorado job creators, create the workforce of the future.
Source: 2022 Colorado Governor campaign website HeidiForGovernor.com
Dec 28, 2021
On Education:
Critic: supports "conservative affirmative action" in hiring
For years, the far right has been losing elections in this state. Heidi Ganahl was part of the problem. As CU Regent, Heidi Ganahl severely damaged the integrity of Colorado's flagship university with "conservative affirmative action"
programs to make higher education safe for right-wing ideologues. Ganahl backed the hiring of John Eastman, a discredited, racist academic who helped incite violence at the U.S. Capitol on the morning of January 6th.
Source: Progress Now Colorado on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Sep 13, 2021
On Energy & Oil:
We should be producing oil and gas here in Colorado
The candidate laid out her legislative priorities, if elected Colorado's next governor. "The first thing we have to do is deal with affordability in Colorado," she told us, explaining, "Number one, we've got to get our oil and gas workers back to
work to address the rising cost of gas. There is no reason we shouldn't be producing oil and gas here in Colorado versus buying it in Iran or Russia. That's ridiculous."
Source: The Village on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Jun 2, 2022
On Families & Children:
Address mental health crisis/suicide rates among children
On day one I will get to work addressing the mental health crisis and rising suicide rates here in Colorado among our children. It's all hands-on deck.
We need parents, therapists, educators, non-profits, and others to build a robust early warning system that works to put our kids back on track and get them the support they need to keep them safe.
Source: 2022 Colorado Governor campaign website HeidiForGovernor.com
Dec 28, 2021
On Government Reform:
Streamline regulations to help local job creators
- I will reduce the burden on working families, while improving efficiencies for everyday operations like the DMV, building permits, and small business licensing.
- I will hold the line on fees and taxes and lower them when possible.
- I will streamline regulations to help local job creators like our childcare providers, restaurants and local retail, our ranchers, and our energy workers.
Source: 2022 Colorado Governor campaign website HeidiForGovernor.com
Dec 28, 2021
On Government Reform:
Clean voter lists and require voter ID to restore confidence
Ganahl did not rule out participating in legal challenges to the 2020 election results, but said she prefers to enact reforms for future elections,
such as cleaning voter lists and requiring a voter ID, in order to restore the confidence of voters.
Source: News Primer on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Dec 16, 2021
On Gun Control:
Follow Constitution, protect our Second Amendment rights
[On gun rights]: "I will follow the Constitution of the United States," she said to sustained applause. "How about we protect free speech, like we've been fighting to do at CU, the most liberal place in Colorado?" she said about the
University of Colorado, garnering a few claps. "And how about we protect our Second Amendment rights and the life of the unborn?" she finished, with those rhetorical questions receiving significantly more cheers.
Source: Colorado Newsline on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Jan 24, 2022
On Health Care:
Opposed legislation creating public health insurance option
Ganahl opposed a measure aimed at lowering health care costs by creating a public health insurance option in Colorado. Ganahl penned an op-ed citing her recent experience having a brain tumor removed. "The proposed Colorado Affordable Health Care
Option is not the broad solution politicians claim," wrote Ganahl in her column. "With unintended consequences to quality and access, it may force hospitals to eliminate some critical care functions. It may even endanger miracles like mine."
Source: Colorado Times Recorder on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Sep 10, 2021
On Jobs:
Proposed prohibiting hiring based on race or gender
In Colorado, faculty members were reacting in large part to a separate resolution before the system's Board of Regents that would have prohibited the use of "race, ethnicity or gender as a consideration when hiring faculty or staff or administering
academic programs or evaluating programs," along with a slew of classroom topics. The Colorado board resolution was proposed by Regent Heidi Ganahl, a Republican who is currently running for governor of Colorado.
Source: Inside Higher Ed on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Dec 15, 2021
On Principles & Values:
Founded largest pet care franchise in the world
Heidi's best known as the founder of Camp Bow Wow, where she turned a lifelong passion for dogs into the largest pet care franchise in the world. Under Heidi's leadership, the $150 million brand hit the Inc. 500/5000 list five years in a row and
has grown to hundreds of franchises across the U.S. and Canada. Heidi founded its sister charity, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, which rehomed over 10,000 pups and helped franchisees raise over a million dollars for animal health causes.
Source: 2022 Colorado Governor campaign website HeidiForGovernor.com
Dec 28, 2021
On Tax Reform:
We are being taxed and regulated into oblivion
It's time to stand up and tell them we know best how to run our businesses, not them. We are being taxed and regulated into oblivion. We can't even get staff to show up as they're paid by our politicians to stay home,
we're being saddled with wildly expensive ineffective social programs and told to manage how our staff get to work. They are killing job creators here.
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Environment:
When we talk about water, we have to talk about storage
The two candidates described how they would lead efforts to renegotiate the Colorado River Compact amid worsening drought throughout the West. They both pledged to ensure Colorado gets the water it is due."When we talk about water, we have to talk
about storage, storage, storage," she said. "We've got to store the water that's rightly ours. And you've got to have a governor who won't cede control to the federal government, but will hold firm and stand strong against the federal government and the
other states who want to take the water."
"You can't store your way out of a drought," Polis shot back, "The water simply isn't there." However, the governor did also say increased storage is part of the solution. "But we also need to make sure that
we have best practices in ag, increasing profitability for our farmers and ranchers who have more water efficient practices. And we also need to connect for the first time in Colorado, our housing policy with our water policy," he said.
Source: CPR News on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Oct 26, 2022
On Technology:
Criticized Facebook donations to 2020 local election offices
Ganahl refused on multiple occasions--including in early 2022--to say whether Joe Biden won the election legitimately. In Nov. 2021, Ganahl praised a group of election conspiracy theorists that has knocked on Colorado doors looking for evidence of
fraud, saying the group was "doing great things." In April 2022, Ganahl said, "I think there's a lot of questions about what happened in the election." Ganahl said in mid-June that "I don't believe there was enough fraud that would have flipped the
election." But she also said "there are a lot of procedural things that were weird about this election," criticizing states' pre-election changes to their elections policies and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's hundreds of millions in donations to
local elections offices around the country. (Those donations helped cash-strapped offices deal with the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic but have been criticized by Republicans, sometimes conspiratorially, as inappropriate private influence.)
Source: CNN on 2020 Election Denial in 2022 Colorado Governor race
Sep 9, 2022
On Welfare & Poverty:
Relax state regulations to create more affordable housing
On economic opportunity in rural Colorado and addressing the rural/urban divide that exists in the state: Ganahl said she supports creating high paying jobs in the energy sector to make sure the "economy is thriving" in western Colorado. "We produce
the cleanest energy here. We have the strictest regulations. So if we want clean air, clean land, clean water, let's produce it here and get our industry back on track."She also said if elected she would relax state regulations for residential
construction, in an effort to create more affordable housing. "I can make sure that we have a reasonable approach to green energy regulations on housing," she added. "We've got to be realistic. We can go green. We can also provide affordable housing if
we reduce regulations and provide innovations and new ways of doing housing. There's a lot of exciting stuff happening around co-housing, community development, small houses, tiny houses."
Source: CPR News on 2022 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Oct 26, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023