Jefferson County

Incumbent State Rep. Susan Lontine, who has served southwest Denver in the Statehouse since 2015, is an enthusiastic and tireless advocate for progressive values. Her priorities include increasing access to affordable health care, fighting to defend women’s reproductive health, advocating for more funding for public schools, and protecting Colorado’s environment.

As the chair of the House Health and Insurance Committee, Lontine has spent a lot of time working on issues related to health care access, affordability, and patient safety. Some of her legislation that has been signed into law include bills to increase hospital transparency and accountability, to remove barriers on telehealth access, and to expand dental coverage for pregnant patients.

Perhaps her biggest legislative achievements are passing a bill that prohibited Colorado law enforcement from holding undocumented immigrants solely on the basis of a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well one that requires school districts that teach sex education to teach about consent and what it means to be in a healthy relationship.

Progressives clearly can and should support Lontine.

She is being challenged by Republican candidate and avid conspiracy-theory enthusiast Samantha Koch. Koch regularly espouses coronavirus conspiracy theories including implying that Bill Gates is plotting to use a vaccine to implant tracking devices and that COVID-19 has been overblown by Democrats and public health experts to exert control over people’s lives and defeat President Donald Trump in the election. She also embraces anti-mask views and believes that hydroxychloroquine is a known cure for COVID-19.

Koch’s theories aren’t limited to coronavirus: She has promoted numerous QAnon-linked theories, the debunked theory that Wayfair is literally selling children, and the urban myth that “antifa and professional anarchists” leave pallets of bricks for protesters to throw during marches. Koch also helps run a Facebook group supporting a driver who struck a Denver protester with her car. Progressive voters should avoid Koch on the ballot and probably in the community as well.

Incumbent State Rep. Chris Kennedy has served House District 23 since first being elected in 2016. He is a former architectural engineer who left that field to pursue “solving public policy problems instead.” This past session, Kennedy was elected by his colleagues to serve as assistant majority leader of the Democratic Caucus. In his time in office, he has proven to be a communicative representative who has his finger on the pulse of an impressively wide array of issues.

Kennedy’s top priorities at the end of this year were drawn to immediate needs: police accountability legislation and coronavirus relief measures for both families and small businesses. He has also been vocal in refuting the Trump administration’s false attacks on Colorado’s vaunted vote-by-mail system, emphasizing how accessible and secure our experiences have been. His yearlong efforts have ranged from health insurance transparency and insurance reform to renters’ rights laws and investment in affordable housing. Kennedy has also been a leader in the battle against the opioid epidemic and for lowering insurance premiums and rates across the state. In his public messaging, he has consistently backed doing more to support mental health access, housing assistance, abortion rights, and a number of approaches to battle climate change, such as carbon pollution limits, infrastructure for electric vehicles, and steps toward 100% renewable energy.

The clear progressive choice in this race is Kennedy.

Challenging him for the seat are Fred Clifford and Doug Anderson. Clifford is a machinist and Republican activist. Like a lot of other Republican candidates on the ballot this year, Clifford has publicly offered up no ideas of what he wants to do in the legislature. But he does want you to know that he likes the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), which is killing the state’s ability to fund education and transportation like it should. He also doesn’t like red-flag laws, which help protect communities by keeping guns away from violent criminals and domestic abusers. Voters should reject Clifford and his handful of bad ideas.

Anderson, who is a former Lakewood city council member and a Libertarian, is also on the ballot. He has not commented on his positions to the press or on social media, so all we can say is that he’s supportive of the Libertarian Party of Colorado’s idea to privatize public education in the state. A progressive voter should instead support Kennedy’s experience and proven record.

Incumbent State Rep. Monica Duran won her first term in the Colorado House in 2018. She started as a grassroots activist who took her fight to the public policy arena. Her priorities are ensuring working families can thrive, improving gender and racial equity, boosting health care access, and providing for safer communities. Another focus is commonsense gun safety laws: In June, she noted in an opinion piece in The Colorado Sun that while the COVID-19 pandemic put off certain legislative measures in the works, she would not give up on a law for the safe storage of firearms.

As a survivor of domestic abuse, Duran often introduces and supports bills that protect other survivors. In particular this legislative session, she sponsored and passed a bill to make unemployment easier to access for domestic violence survivors and has raised awareness about hidden abuse during lockdown that can take place. She also advocates for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Duran is also a strong supporter of increased mental health care services and animal rights.

In this race, Duran is by far the preferred candidate and deserves another term to keep fighting for us in the Colorado House.

She is being challenged by Laurel Imer, a Jefferson County Republican activist and the former chair of the Trump campaign for the county. Imer is clearly a fan of Trump’s, arguing that we should “end the COVID chaos,” and in a recent campaign press release named Black Lives Matter as a “domestic terrorist group.” She is supportive of Trump’s racist “America First” policy and likes to be in the company of other right-wing racists and conspiracy theorists. Voters in District 24 shouldn’t elect anyone like Imer to the state legislature. 

Incumbent State Rep. Lisa Cutter is running for reelection in District 25. She’s held the seat since 2019; before that, she owned her own small business, a public relations and communications consulting firm. Cutter has an eye toward environmental legislation, mental health and education services, and a more transparent government. Cutter is a vocal advocate for bipartisanship and working with anyone who will put politics aside to do what’s best for Colorado. Among her legislative accomplishments is the Moving Colorado to Zero Waste bill, which was converted into a study committee she chairs. She also co-sponsored a mandate for schools to now include behavioral-health-related absences as excused.

Cutter is active in community engagement both online and off and believes in encouraging civil discourse among her constituents with pandemic-conscious events like “Virtual Community Coffees” and virtual town halls. Her stances span a wide range of issues — from holding that reproductive care is fundamental for women and families to asserting we must address environmental racism and injustice to promoting the voices of those facing LGBTQ discrimination.

With her solid track record, Cutter is the clear candidate of choice in District 25.

She faces Republican Donald Rosier, a civil engineer and former Jefferson County commissioner. Rosier seems to have some bona fides for the Statehouse, but he isn’t acknowledging the present we’re facing with the pandemic. One of the few things he has talked about is supporting “economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” but he makes no mention of what that means specifically. He doesn’t speak to education, public health, or any number of economic issues related to the pandemic. Cutter, by contrast, has a long list of COVID-19 resources for everything from government updates to ways for small-business owners and unemployed workers to find financial help and how students and their families can access emergency food programs. Stick with the proven leader, Cutter.

Incumbent State Rep. Brianna Titone took office in 2019 and has brought her scientific background in technology and geology to public policy. As a scientist, Titone will listen to the facts and data when it comes to COVID-19.

As the first openly transgender woman to be elected to office in the state, she has fought tirelessly against anti-LGBTQ bills and ending discriminatory, draconian policies against marginalized groups. She’s notable for equity concerns on things like improved transportation infrastructure and access, equity in per-pupil public school funding, and advancing technology access for all with increased broadband. And with her background in the sciences, it’s no surprise she’s sponsored climate action bills to reduce pollution, to protect water quality, and to boost energy efficiency.

Titone’s policies and record combined make her an unequivocal progressive choice.

Challenging her for the seat are Vicki Pyne and Cory Schaeffer. Pyne is an Arvada small-business owner, and this is her third time running to represent District 27. Her website has an issues page, but she seems to hold only one unrelated to the pandemic: that she “understands” about health care. It’s her pandemic stances that are concerning, though. Her push is to allow businesses to open without public health restrictions and to force schools to do the same. Her social media page is full of many anti-science ideas about the coronavirus, especially her endorsement of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson saying that there’s no proof the lockdowns protected people and “probably” caused more deaths based on no real information. This limited foresight and dismissal of reality are not what anyone wants for representation.

The other person on the ballot, Schaeffer, has little online presence apart from his name being listed among the Libertarian Party of Colorado’s slate of candidates. What Schaeffer wants to do or what he believes in is a blank, other than his assumed agreement with the Libertarian Party platform. That’s not what Colorado needs. We recommend that the people of House District 27 reelect Titone.

Incumbent State Rep. Kerry Tipper is running for reelection to a second term in District 28. As an attorney, she has represented victims of consumer fraud, discrimination, and civil rights violations. She also has worked with survivors of both human trafficking and domestic violence and helped hard-working families facing evictions and wage theft. Before taking office as a representative, Tipper was an assistant attorney general representing state agencies.

During her first term, Tipper has sponsored bills to protect Coloradans from excessive medical debt as well as one to give local governments the authority to better regulate nicotine products for minors. She helped pass legislation to create a Census outreach program to ensure that every Coloradan will be counted in 2020 and was instrumental in passing a bill to have insurance cover treatment for infertility as it was reported that 1 in 8 Colorado families struggle with fertility issues.

Tipper has proven to be a progressive voice and deserves your support in this race.

Her main challenger for the seat is Republican candidate Pete Roybal, who is currently the president of the board of directors for the Lakewood Veterans Foundation. Roybal served as a Lakewood city council member until 2019. Voters should be aware that a formal complaint was filed against Roybal for accepting a personal loan for campaign use in 2011 — a clear violation of state campaign and finance rules. Little is advertised about his 2021 political priorities, likely due to his sudden placement on the ballot after the withdrawal of former candidate Marijane Paulsen.

Libertarian candidate Amara Hildebrand is also on the ballot but appears to have no campaign website nor a social media presence. Her report of expenditures she filled for August shows no campaign donations or expenditures. We can only assume Hildebrand is relying on a generic Libertarian platform. She is not a viable challenger to the recommended candidate, Tipper.

Lindsey Daugherty is running for House District 29 to succeed term-limited Democratic State Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp. Daugherty has everything it takes to be a strong progressive voice in the Colorado House. She has worked since 2013 in her own law firm specializing in family and juvenile law, and she regularly volunteers her services to help underserved communities.

Daugherty’s campaign easily exemplifies her image as a forward-looking progressive. She has an explicit aim to work for LGBTQ people at the Capitol and stands firmly with the Black Lives Matter movement. She names access to abortion and affordable contraception as “absolute rights.” Daughterty’s views on the environment line up with the Green New Deal, aiming to boost a transition to renewable resources and investing in industries to create sustainable-energy jobs for years. And she holds that increasing funding to establish quality public schools will benefit not just students but educators, who are often paid far too low, as well.

In a great underscore to her progressive credentials, Daugherty has received endorsements from well-known U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Joe Neguse. Daugherty has easily earned a recommendation to represent District 29.

The Republican candidate vying for District 29 is Vanessa Warren-Demott. The northern Jefferson County resident says on her website that she supports mental health and transportation but offers very little detail about what she wants to do. Voters should be aware, however, of her relaying stories spouted by the QAnon conspiracy movement. In July, Demott was caught spreading the completely false Wayfair conspiracy theory that “overpriced” items on the furniture store’s website are named after missing children the company wants to sell. This ignorance of the truth is absolutely what progressives don’t want in office.

Ryan Van Gundy is a veteran and engineer in Wheat Ridge and the Libertarian candidate in this race. He has no specific public policy positions apart from running as a Libertarian. Someone who doesn’t tell you how they want to govern or legislate is someone we don’t think you should vote for.

Incumbent State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet is an acclaimed author and co-founder of the Journey Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to storytelling and empowering unheard voices. Michaelson Jenet’s time as a state legislator has been a testament to her long-standing support for progressive issues. She was elected in 2016 with President Barack Obama’s endorsement and has focused her attention on improving access to mental health care, education, economic development, and veterans affairs.

Michaelson Jenet has led the effort to expand mental health care in Colorado, sponsoring numerous bills that allow for better access, including one that allocates more spending for behavioral health during the pandemic. She also helped write legislation that prohibited anti-LGBTQ “conversion therapy” for minors, introduced a bill that lowered the age for behavioral health care services, and established the Office of the Behavioral Health Ombudsman.

Michaelson Jenet’s work in education has also helped to improve Colorado schools and make them more safe; she passed an act in 2018 to expand the benefits of free lunch and served as chair on the School Safety Committee following the 2019 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch. Her work has been recognized by various media outlets including PBS and CNN.

She is the choice for the progressive vote in this district.

Challenging Michaelson Jenet’s bid for reelection is Kerrie Gutierrez, who is an Adams County resident, Republican activist, and former paralegal. Gutierrez’s public reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health orders has been deeply concerning. She accuses government leaders of “failing” the economy by not letting businesses and schools open up without precautions in place and seems far more concerned with how oil and gas companies are being affected by the virus instead of families and children. Gutierrez is the epitome of short-sightedness in politics, and progressives should not vote for her.

Incumbent State Rep. Shannon Bird is seeking a second term representing District 35. She has longstanding experience in business, financial negotiations, and local government. Before becoming a representative, she served on the Westminster City Council, where she created an internship program and secured funding for infrastructure improvements at schools.

Bird’s legislative work to date has focused on fiscal policy, education financing, and economic development, and she is the vice chair of the House finance committee. She has also been a strong advocate for public education, particularly fair and equitable funding for schools in all neighborhoods. To help working individuals and families, Bird sponsored bills this term easing credential and licensing transferability in fields ranging from electricians to midwives and another on extending workforce development programs. She also supports DREAMers, affordable housing, and pairing law enforcement with behavioral health specialists for response calls — plus she regularly convenes virtual town halls and socially distant meetups with constituents.

She is the best candidate to lead her district forward in fighting for progressive values.

Challenging her for the seat is Republican Roger Lehman. As of the start of September, he appeared to have not spoken to the media or even created a website or social media pages explaining his campaign or his personal policy positions. If Lehman isn’t going to put his voice on any issues, then he should not be Statehouse-bound.

David Ortiz’s experience as a military veteran, public affairs professional, community and media liaison, advocate, and lobbyist proves he will fight to make equality of opportunity and economic recovery priorities as a representative for District 38.

After college, Ortiz volunteered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and worked at the Houston mayor’s Office of International Affairs and Development. Ortiz was selected to train as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, and he survived a near-fatal crash while deployed in Afghanistan in 2012. He was left paralyzed from the waist down and has dedicated his life as a public servant to advocating for veterans, service members, and people with disabilities. He has successfully helped to secure resources for veteran services, served in numerous leadership positions at nonprofits, and worked as a legislative liaison.

Ortiz has demonstrated his commitment to progressive issues through his work on several pieces of legislation on higher education, the criminal justice system, mental health, and housing. He is the clear choice in this race.

He is taking on incumbent State Rep. Richard Champion, an energy businessman and diehard right-wing conservative who toes the party line instead of representing his constituents. Champion was nominated to the seat by a select group of Republican activists after his predecessor joined the Trump administration. He is apparently more angry about stay-at-home orders and mask mandates than about the failed federal response to the coronavirus in the first place. He tends to make up his own facts about reforming health care, resulting in conservative ideas that actually take health care away from people. Champion is the kind of backwards-thinking conservative we don’t want representing us anymore.