State of Colorado Archives: on Principles & Values
Alice Madden:
Withdrew from race when former governor declared candidacy
Madden struck a similar tone when describing why she's stepping away from her bid for the Democratic senatorial nomination and the right to challenge Republican incumbent Cory Gardner. "The dire need to forge solutions to the climate crisis is the
reason I entered the U.S. Senate race against Cory Gardner," Madden allowed. "It is the defining issue of our time, and it's something to which I have and will continue to dedicate my career.
But recent changes in the primary field have made me re-evaluate whether I have a realistic path to victory."The change to which Madden refers: the entry into the race of former governor John Hickenlooper, whose mere presence
had already convinced two other senatorial hopefuls, ex-state senator Mike Johnston and former U.S. ambassador Dan Baer, to hoist the white flag.
Source: Westword.com on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Oct 11, 2019
Angela Williams:
Attacking progressive ideas as "socialist" is a scare tactic
It is not socialism to want to expand health care access and reduce costs for every citizen. It is not socialist to propose sweeping changes to our fossil fuel economy, preserving our land and water for ranchers, farmers, and future generations.
When Democrats label and attack progressive solutions as "socialist," we adopt the tired scare tactics that conservatives have used to decrease the appeal of otherwise popular ideas in an effort to win elections, or defeat Democratic policy proposals.
Source: Sentinel Colorado on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Aug 23, 2019
Cory Gardner:
Giving up Energy Committee seat to run for Senate
Gardner is a rising star within the House GOP. Only in his second term, he is close to Republican leaders and was awarded a plum assignment on the Energy and Commerce Committee. That was a lot to give up for a Senate bid.Early last year, political
handicappers viewed Udall, son of the late Rep. Mo Udall, as in good shape politically. But signs of Udall's political vulnerability grew. Like other Democrats, he drew blame for the troubled rollout of the health-care law. Criticism grew when his office
questioned the number of notices the state said people received saying their policies were being canceled because they didn't comply with the standards of the new law. In late January Gardner began to reconsider.
The two leading GOP contenders in the
race--Buck and Stephens--withdrew as the news broke about Gardner's decision to run. Still, Gardner expects a tough race. "We don't know if the [political] environment is better," he said. But "it certainly feels like it has turned the corner."
Source: Wall Street Journal on 2014 Colorado Senate race
Mar 2, 2014
Darryl Glenn:
Calls himself a Christian constitutional conservative
"I worry about the polarizing national debate over the core principles that govern our country," Glenn said. "Parents and grandparents are rightly concerned about mounting economic burdens facing their children and grandchildren. Hard-working individuals
and families struggle with budgets that barely get them from one paycheck to the next. Many people are dismayed as they watch their hard-earned money get wasted on government excess."Glenn, a Republican since high school, is a member of New Life
Church in Colorado Springs. He calls himself a Christian constitutional conservative and will support policy that enables everyone to pursue their American dream by ensuring economic freedom, restoring the traditional
balance of power among federal branches of government, mandating that government live within its means, strengthening our nation's security and providing for international defense.
Source: Colorado Springs Independent on 2016 Colorado Senate race
Jan 15, 2015
Darryl Glenn:
Calls himself a "Christian constitutional conservative"
Glenn has been elected twice to the Colorado Springs City Council and twice to the El Paso Board of County Commissioners. He bills himself as a "Christian constitutional conservative" and said he will support policy
that enables everyone to "pursue their American dream by ensuring economic freedom, restoring the traditional balance of power among federal branches of government, mandating that government live within its means, strengthening our nation's security."
Source: Denver Post on 2016 Colorado Senate race
Jan 15, 2015
Darryl Glenn:
God is the highest authority in my life
Q: What in the nature of mankind caused America's Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?Glenn: James Madison described the need for a separation of powers in Federalist Paper No. 51 when he stated, "men are not
angels" and explained that the separation of powers was required to prevent an accumulation and consolidation of power by any one man or department. The endless attempts of the current administration to overreach and exert power beyond what is
constitutionally proscribed has demonstrated just how right Madison was.
Q: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Glenn: I am a Christ follower and God is the highest authority in my life.
Q: Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which political philosophy best describes you?
Glenn: Very Conservative
Source: 2016 AFA Action iVoterGuide on 2016 Colorado Senate race
Nov 8, 2016
Ellen Burnes:
We need leaders who don't just dispense red tape
Colorado's future depends on leaders who have ambitions which don't involve climbing ladders and dispensing red tape. Leaders with track records filled with real-world victories, and the composure to stand tall in the face of adversity.
With the discipline she gained from a childhood in rural America, and a deep-rooted curiosity for the natural world, Ellen Burnes has dedicated her life to taking on "impossible" challenges in Finance, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Management.
Source: 2020 Colorado Senate campaign website EllenBurnes.com
May 19, 2019
Greg Lopez:
A vote for me is a vote for "All of Colorado"
We are all so proud of Colorado and what our state has become. We have built one of the strongest economies and can compete nationally, yet we have not served all 64 counties in Colorado well. I promise to extend our reach to "ALL" in our state.
My job is to keep Colorado the great place we have all come to know and love. A vote for me is a vote for "All of Colorado."
Source: 2022 Colorado governor race website LopezForGovernor2022.com
Feb 15, 2021
Greg Lopez:
I will follow the Code of the West
I will follow the Code of the West:- Live each day with courage
- Take pride in your work
- Always finish what you start
- Do what has to be done
- Be tough but fair
-
When you make a promise, keep it
- Ride for the brand
- Talk less, and say more
- Know that some things aren't for sale
- Know when to draw the line
Source: 2022 Colorado governor race website LopezForGovernor2022.com
Feb 15, 2021
Greg Lopez:
I do not want to see Colorado become California
[On his vision for the state]: "I do not want to see Colorado become California, and it's happening every day right in front of our eyes. It's wrong and not what Colorado is all about.
We need to make Colorado Colorado again, and what is driving me is that we're losing sight of what makes this such a great state," he said.
Source: Akron News-Reporter on 2022 Colorado gubernatorial race
Feb 10, 2021
Greg Lopez:
Military taught values of loyalty, teamwork, brotherhood
In basic, they remove your entire identity. Everything you are, everything you believe you are, they remove it. They purge you from what you think you bring to the table and help you re-form those values of loyalty and teamwork and brotherhood.
That's why you need to learn to march together and do things together as a team--because you're all connected.
Source: Westword.com blog on 2018 Colorado governor race
May 23, 2018
Heidi Ganahl:
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
Jared Polis:
Finding common ground part of Colorado Way of Life
Our state's breathtaking natural beauty, our strong economy, and our forward-thinking society make Colorado the envy of the nation and attract people from all over the globe who want to visit us or move here to live the Colorado Way of Life. That doesn't
happen by accident. It happens because for decades, Coloradans from across the continental divide and the political divide have worked together in good faith to find common ground, protect what keeps Colorado special, and build a better state.
Source: 2020 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 9, 2020
Jared Polis:
Embracing the outdoors part of the Colorado Way of Life
Embracing the outdoors--being able to get away from the trials and tribulations of the daily grind--has always been a big part of the Colorado Way of Life.
And when the crisis struck these vast public lands became our escape--a much-needed retreat where we could go to feel normal again. To be free.
Our public lands are a treasure we must never take for granted, and always work to nurture and protect.To quote my favorite Star Trek Captain, Jean-Luc Picard: "Things are only impossible until they are not."
If the problems we face now were ever intractable, today they are not. If, at some point in the past, we lacked the means or the will to tackle them, today we do not.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Colorado legislature
Feb 17, 2021
Joe O`Dea:
America is the greatest nation in the history of humankind
I'm a man who loves this country, and I don't have a lot of patience for those who live to tear America down. Above all, I am running to move America forward.
America is the greatest nation in the history of humankind. We are so much better than what we have become.
Source: 2022 Colorado Senate campaign website JoeODea.com
Jul 19, 2022
John Hickenlooper:
Operate government with more common sense and less nonsense
I took what you might call an unconventional path into running for office. I started out here in Colorado as a geologist. During a downturn, everyone in our company got laid off.Next thing I knew I was making beer and starting a brewpub business.
It turned out pretty well. But as every small business person knows, it's not easy out there, especially when bureaucracy gets in the way.
I didn't run for public office until I was 50. Before that, I'd never run for anything. Not even in high school. I ran for public office as a small businessman. I thought government needed to operate with more common sense and less nonsense.
So while we have been doing all we can to make it as easy as possible for business to succeed in Colorado we also have been streamlining the state government, making it more efficient.
Source: 2014 State of the State address to Colorado Legislature
Jan 9, 2014
John Hickenlooper:
Governance needs compromise to work
Democracy wasn't designed to be argument-free--it's built on vigorous debate. But democracy also wasn't designed to be combative to its own detriment. Without compromise, the system stagnates under the weight of so many stalemates. This "you're either
with us or against us" mentality hurts our state and our country, and it undermines our democracy. This isn't how our founders envisioned it. They weren't partisan to the point of paralysis. The system worked because they worked together.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature
Jan 14, 2016
Ken Buck:
I will not swear allegiance to the Republican party
Both men emphasized their willingness to break from party orthodoxy. Bennet said that he'd be "open" to a compromise on "temporarily" extending the
Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans. Buck told the audience, "I will not swear allegiance to the Republican party in Washington, DC."
Source: ABC News coverage of 2010 Colorado Senate debate
Sep 12, 2010
Ken Buck:
Tea Party is based on frustration, not racism
Q: You have tea party backing. The question is whether the tea party represents an extreme, insurgent political force, or whether it's a legitimate political movement.BUCK: I think it's a legitimate political movement. Folks are frustrated that
we are spending so much money in Washington, and they're every bit as frustrated with the Republicans as they are with the Democrats, because the Republicans are every bit as much to blame for the mess that we're in. That frustration has exhibited
itself in a lot of energy. Folks are not going to try to send the same type of Republican to Washington that they've sent in the past.
Q: The NAACP released a report concluding, We found Tea Party ranks to be permeated with concerns about race
and national identity." Your response?
BUCK: I've been to over 800 events in Colorado in the last 20 months. I have not seen that. And, and I find it offensive that folks would try to label the tea party in that way. It's just not true in Colorado.
Source: NBC's Meet the Press: 2010 Colorado Senate debate
Oct 17, 2010
Ken Buck:
Elected as County DA; 4 terms in Congress; & state GOP chair
At this point, all eyes are on U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, who lost a run against Bennet a decade ago but has won every race he's run since--re-election to a third term as Weld County district attorney in 2012, followed by a 2014 primary win before election to
the first of four terms he's won in Congress. Almost two years ago, Buck also won a close race for Colorado GOP chairman, a move that insiders said was intended to prepare for a Bennet challenge.Buck made it official [this week] that he isn't
seeking a second term helming the state party. Potential Republican candidates are lining up to run for Buck's 4th Congressional District seat if he makes a jump for the Senate. Buck hasn't yet decided whether to challenge Bennet, but he holds the
keys to a series of potential tumbling dominos. Along with setting off a gold rush for his congressional seat, a Senate run likely wouldn't clear the field entirely, but it'll thin out the GOP Senate primary considerably.
Source: ColoradoPolitics.com blog on 2022 Colorado Senate race
Dec 18, 2020
Ken Salazar:
Kerry is somebody who I support
Q: Are you running away from John Kerry? A: I'm not running away from John Kerry. John Kerry is a person who has done a lot for this country, who has served this country with distinction. He is somebody who I support.
I will campaign with him in
Colorado when he comes, but I'm not going to change my schedule just because there happens to be a candidate that comes into the state of Colorado. You know, this race has been a seven-month race between Pete and me. We have a very, very heavy schedule.
Source: Colorado Senate Debate on Meet the Press
Oct 10, 2004
Ken Salazar:
Fifth-generation Coloradan; ranch in San Luis Valley
The fifth-generation Coloradan, whose family has long operated a ranch in the San Luis Valley, was elected twice as the state's attorney general and served four years in the U.S. Senate before stepping down to join the incoming
Obama administration in 2009. He ran the Department of the Interior through former President Barack Obama's first term and then returned to Colorado, where he joined international law firm WilmerHale as a partner.
Source: ColoradoPolitics.com on 2021 Ambassador Confirmation Hearing
Jun 17, 2021
Mike Johnston:
Reached out to local church after S.C. shootings
A white lawmaker's decision to put a letter on the door of a black church in response to the South Carolina shooting and then write about it on Facebook has touched a nerve. "By Sunday morning America could blanket these churches with such overwhelming
expressions of love that no one could walk through the doors of an AME church without feeling a flood of love and support from white men whose names they don't know, whose faces they can't place, but whose love they can't ignore," he wrote.
Source: Denver Post on 2020 Colorado Senate race
Jun 18, 2015
Randy Baumgardner:
Skipped GOP primary debate sponsored by Denver Post
Tuesday night's debate included three political newcomers viewed as longshots: Floyd Trujillo of Douglas County, an oil and gas industry consultant; former Brighton School Board member Tom Janich; and businessman
Mark Aspiri of Glenwood Springs.State Sen. Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs declined to attend the debate, citing a prior commitment.
Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado Senate debate
Feb 26, 2014
Ron Hanks:
Defend our God-given right to life, liberty, and property
A strong social and fiscal conservative with a respectful live-and-let-live attitude toward others, Ron Hanks will keep fighting to protect Colorado taxpayers, grow our small businesses, and support and defend every law-abiding citizens' God-given right
to life, liberty, and property.Combat veteran - Ron served in the military throughout the world and across the United States. He purchased land in Colorado in 2007 with the intent to retire and explore the Mountain West from the center of it all.
Out-of-control government forced him back in to public service. Ron retired from the U.S. Air Force at the end of 2017 after more than
32 years of active and reserve service, serving as an enlisted man and as a commissioned officer.
Source: 2022 Colorado Senate campaign website HanksForColorado.com
Mar 29, 2022
Ron Hanks:
Attended January 6 rally; claims rioters were Antifa
Hanks admitted he had gone to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 to participate in the "Stop the Steal" rally, though he denied participating in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. He also claimed those who stormed the Capitol were antifa, although there has been
no evidence that anyone other than Trump supporters took part in the insurrection. A call to investigate his Jan. 6 activity by a Democratic House member was denied by leadership.
Source: Colorado Politics on 2022 Colorado Senate race
Apr 19, 2021
Ryan Frazier:
Raised with conservative values, and a faith in God
I was raised by a single mom, who worked 2 and sometimes 3 jobs to raise my brothers and I. Mom worked day after day trying to get ahead, and providing us a decent living.
She raised us with conservative values, a faith in God, perseverance, and a mind-set of doing your part. I still carry those same values with me today and they've guided me as a father, businessman, and while serving in the U.S. Navy.
Source: 2016 Colorado Senate campaign website FrazierForColorado.com
Feb 3, 2016
Steve Barlock:
Won't let globalist opponents steal my views
I will release my statements on Colorado issues weekly after the last two major Republican candidates declare.
I will not allow these globalist candidates to lie about their personal views on the issues that Colorado citizens value or let them claim my statements as their own.
Source: 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial website BarlockForGovernor.com
Sep 1, 2017
Steve Barlock:
Statist and nationalist: Colorado and U.S. come first
Barlock also claims support as a pro-Trump "America First candidate" meaning he supports a nationalist agenda.
Running for governor he calls himself a "statist" which means he is "all in for Colorado," and will do whatever is in the state's best interest.
Source: Colorado Independent on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race
Sep 5, 2017
Tim Neville:
Read bills and decide if it passes "First do no harm"
First do no harm: Read the bill or issue completely and understand the total impact and potential consequences.- Why is this bill or proposed law necessary? Is there a non-governmental solution to the problem?
-
What is the potential savings or cost to taxpayers?
- What is the potential savings or cost to private businesses and private citizens?
-
Does this bill grow or shrink the size of government?
- Does this bill increase or decrease personal liberty and freedom?
-
Does this bill increase or decrease free market competition and consumer choice?
- What is the specific effect of this bill on our district? Our state? Our country?
Source: 2016 Senate campaign website, NevilleForColorado.com
Oct 9, 2015
Tim Neville:
There is a war on religious liberty & Christian schools
Across the country there is a war on religious liberty, as Christian-based schools, businesses and non-profit groups are being fined or shut down simply for abiding by their Faith and religious values. I believe every American--regardless of what
religion--has the right to worship and practice their religious beliefs without fear of fines or imprisonment.If elected to the US Senate, I will oppose all attempts to ban or further infringe upon the Religious Freedoms of the American people.
Source: 2016 Colorado Senate campaign website, NevilleForSenate.com
Oct 9, 2015
Tom Tancredo:
Obama is greater threat to our way of life than any enemy
Tancredo, a vocal anti-immigration crusader, made headlines in 2010 when he said that President Barack Obama constitutes a greater threat to the American way of life than any foreign enemy the US has faced.
In 2011, after President Obama released his long-form birth certificate, Tancredo said that Obama withheld his birth certificate to make Republicans look foolish.
Source: Huffington Post on 2014 Colorado Governor race
Dec 6, 2013
Tom Tancredo:
Won't debate in GOP primaries; will debate Dems
Tom Tancredo's decision not to debate his Republican primary opponents is the correct one. In 1996 & 2000, I ran in GOP primaries for Montana governor. Like Tancredo, I was a conservative with high statewide name recognition, but not favored by most of
the party establishment. I participated in numerous public debates against my more liberal primary election opponents. Our experience confirmed Tancredo's view that primary debates increase acrimony among party activists and make it more difficult for
the party to unite for the general election.We also discovered that primary election debates pose a major downside risk but don't offer much upside. Relatively few people who watch them do so with open minds.
Tancredo has said that if he prevails
in the primary, he will debate his Democratic opponent in the general election. That also is the correct decision. General elections engage a much larger electorate, a larger undecided contingent, a wider audience, and greater contrast on the issues.
Source: Denver Post OpEd on 2014 Colorado gubernatorial race
Dec 24, 2013
Jared Polis:
Colorado is unique; we always have been
Colorado is unique, we always have been. We are a state that just this year voted to cut the income tax again while legalizing mushrooms. Our state might be shaped like a square but the political pundits can't put us in a box,
so they label us whatever one color they see -- red, blue, purple. I see a harmonious rainbow of colorful opinions that make up our state of pragmatic westerners.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Colorado legislature
Jan 17, 2023
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023