I am a Colorado Native. I am a lifelong Republican. I have been actively involved in the Colorado Republican Party for decades and I feel compelled to set the record straight on some things that should trouble anyone wanting to unseat Colorado Democrats.

March and April may be described as THE political season. Much like actors and actresses flock to the Oscars, Colorado Republicans head to their caucuses to run for a coveted Delegate slot. Colorado is one of the few states left in the country where ballot access is so convoluted.

Allow me a brief reprieve for a little Politics 101. In Colorado, candidates are placed on the ballot (referred to as ballot access) in one of two ways. They either petition onto the ballot, which requires a state-mandated number of signatures and is an incredibly expensive proposition. Or they go through the grassroots caucus and convention process where Delegates vote to determine who will be placed on the ballot.

The caucus and convention process started in March. Colorado Republicans from around the state attended their local, precinct caucus meetings to declare their candidacy for Delegates. Delegates are elevated to County Assemblies where they must attend another meeting and be confirmed as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention.

This year, being a Delegate or Alternate Delegate will mean traveling to the World Arena in Colorado Springs to conduct some official Party business and perhaps most importantly, voting for the Republicans who will be placed on the Republican Primary Ballot. Given that Delegates are THE ONLY people in the entire state entitled to place this vote means that fewer than 4,200 people may be determining who will run against Jared Polis and Michael Bennet.

This is a pretty huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. National groups such as the nonpartisan Cook Report have looked at Colorado and elevated the state from solidly Democrat to leaning Democrat. The national pundits are catching up to what some in Colorado already know. The difference between registered Republicans and registered Democrats is less than 5%, with over half of the electorate registered as Unaffiliates.

Each election cycle, Colorado Republicans should be competitive, but we aren’t and it’s because we start vetting our own AFTER they are placed on the ballot through the Convention process, which is too late.

As I have been many times before, I am a Delegate this year. I am taking my role very seriously and would encourage all my fellow Delegates and Alternate Delegates to do the same. As part of my elected duties, I am authoring this article to ask all our Republican candidates running for

Governor and the U.S. Senate some tough questions BEFORE I decide who should be on the ballot.

We know that the Democrats will hold nothing back once the Primaries are over so why should we as Republicans? It’s too important to know that the people we are choosing to represent our Party (and to put in the hours of hard work to defeat Democrats) are our strongest candidates possible, to win.

Frankly, I don’t even care whether I like them, I just want to know that they share my values and that we have selected the candidates with the strongest resume to defeat Democrats in November. So, in this vein, I have reached out to every Republican candidate running for Governor and the U.S. Senate.

I have asked that they each answer the following two questions:

1. What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
2. What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?

Additionally, I have thoroughly researched each candidate and asked each candidate a question specific to their campaign.

Their answers are compiled below for the consideration of each Delegate and Alternate Delegate joining me at the Convention on April 9th. I have either copied and pasted each answer exactly as it was sent to me, or indicated that no answer was received my noting, did not respond. I am presenting the responses in alphabetical order by office.

GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE QUESTIONS:

Heidi Ganahl

• QUESTION – As a proponent of free speech, especially in colleges during your tenure as a CU Regent, how do you justify your intense scrubbing of your social media accounts before announcing?
  • DECLINED TO RESPOND.

Darryl Gibbs

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – I can actually relate to all of the hard-working Coloradans out there living paycheck to paycheck. I work over 80 hours a week, regardless of the weather or time of day/night. Other candidates can say (and have said) “oh, I know how you feel”. But unless you’ve walked in that person’s shoes (or you’ve walked in some very similar shoes), there’s no way you can truly know how somebody feels or how hard they work. I am a full-time owner/operator truck driver. That alone requires me to work over 80 hours/week. I’m also a C-130 Crew Chief in the Air Force Reserves. So, while other candidates have the luxury of campaigning by holding and hosting speaking events or meet-and-greets. I do my campaigning on the road while I’m working. Everywhere I take my Peterbilt to pick up or deliver a load, I talk to people. I REALLY talk to people. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, and I’m not afraid to actually get out and have some real talk with people. To meet them where they are and to find out what they really feel.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – The only thing that will prevent me from winning in November is votes. Plain and simple. Nothing else will prevent me from winning.
• QUESTION – As a newcomer to the Gubernatorial race, what would persuade a Delegate to vote for you over a more established candidate who has been working for much longer than you have, to reach voters and earn their support?
  • ANSWER – Part of my answer to this question would be my response to question #1. Also, it does not matter how established a candidate is, or how long they have been campaigning. What matters is what they are saying right now. A candidate could have been campaigning for 5 years, but if they haven’t been saying and doing the right things, those 5 years mean nothing. On the other hand, even if a candidate has only been campaigning for 1 month – If that 1 month was spent speaking words of value, and actually talking to Colorado citizens… that 1 month is going to be WAY more valuable and impactful than those 5 years were for the other candidate. I’ve been campaigning for less than 1 year. My campaign consists of approximately 6 volunteers – who all have other full-time jobs. We haven’t had the money to pay for fancy ads or to host large events. We’ve been running on long nights, hard work, and lots of heart. And we have come a looooong way in less than a year. I do what I say and I say what I mean. If you choose to vote for me for Governor of Colorado, I will not be sitting behind my desk pushing papers. I will be getting out and actually talking to people.

Greg Lopez

• QUESTION – The last time you ran for Governor, an issue, for you, was a Domestic Violence issue that kept returning. This time it is influence peddling. Please Explain.
  • DECLINED TO RESPOND.

Danielle Neuschwanger

• QUESTION – It has been reported that you have had some run-ins with the law. What are they, and how were they resolved? How does this impact your ability to be a “Law and Order” Governor?
  • DECLINED TO RESPOND.

SENATORIAL CANDIDATE QUESTIONS

Eli Bremer

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – One of the starkest contrasts between me and my Republican opponents is the support I have earned from current and former elected officials from across the state of CO. I’m endorsed by 19 current and former State House and State Senators, 6 of whom have served in leadership, and I have earned the endorsements of 71 County Commissioners. I also have significant support from elected leaders in my home county of El Paso, where I am honored to say 29 current and former officeholders have endorsed my candidacy. A complete list is available at www.eliforsenate.com.
    I am an Olympian. I realize it may not seem easy to draw the connection between elite athlete and candidate for Senate. However, my time as an Olympian is not only what draws the starkest contrast between me and my opponents biographically, but also what draws a line in the sand between me and Michael Bennet.
    I have always been a harsh critic of injustices. When I am part of a community, as I am with my fellow Olympians, I will stand up on behalf of myself and my community to do what is right for the betterment of all. I have done this on behalf of Olympians for over a decade.
    In the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, I worked with Congressional members and Senators from all over the country to get the first legislative reform bill passed in 50 years. I’ll be honest, we tried to work with Michael Bennet but he didn’t answer the phone … literally.
    No one in this race but me can say that they passed substantive reform on behalf of sexual assault survivors on behalf of Olympians but me.
    Including Michael Bennet. While I was reforming a broken system, he sat on the sidelines. This is a powerful distinction that can be made to voters in the general election.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – The most fundamental truth in sports competition is to focus on the fundamentals and to out-train and outwork your opponents. Having set the goal of defeating Michael Bennet, I will not be outworked or outmatched … I simply will not. No one in this election will work harder than I will work.
    So, with a Republican wave sweeping our country coupled with my competitive drive and hardworking disposition, nothing short of the Democrats curing cancer or pulling off world peace to turn the tide will prevent me from winning in November.
• QUESTION – In 2020 you were accused of rigging the Senate District 10 election in a case that gained national attention. How can voters believe that you care about election integrity when you are accused of rigging elections?
  • ANSWER – Congressman Buck was the Chairman of the Colorado Republican Committee (State Party) in 2020 when the accusations concerning an unfair election arose.
    Voters can not only believe that I care about election integrity, but they can also know that I was fully exonerated because of that belief. I did not waiver from my position that we conducted a fair and transparent election … never.
    To help further answer this question, we are providing a letter co-signed by Ken Buck and Eli Bremer stating very clearly that no election rigging or election irregularities took place.

Note from the author: I can confirm that the Bremer campaign did in fact provide me with a two-page comprehensive letter substantiating the campaign’s claims. I have made the decision not to include the letter in its entirety. For one, due to its length, and secondly, I believe that it includes sensitive information that I do not feel is my place to make public. As a compromise, I am including the following excerpts from the letter and a screenshot of the signatures:

“In realization that there have been broad inaccuracies displayed that have caused mistaken conclusions … the Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party (Ken Buck) and the Chairman of SD10 (Eli Bremer) want to clarify certain facts surrounding the disputed SD10 election.

After discussing the situation with each other, the two Chairmen have come to an understanding of what happened …

As a result of this understanding, Chairman Buck and Chairman Bremer have agreed that the situation is fully resolved, and the record has been set straight. This was a case where two individuals were attempting to fulfill their duties to their constituents in accordance with the applicable rules.”

Gino Campana

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – I am a conservative and he is a liberal progressive socialist. Michael Bennet has failed Colorado and he has failed to represent Coloradans. From his support of wasteful government spending to his support of Biden’s progressive tax increases, Bennet has contributed to the undoing of the American economy and marched us ever closer to socialism. And on the way has caused inflation to rise to a 40 year high, created a crisis at our southern border and made the world and our neighborhoods less safe. He has assisted Biden in undoing the policies of the Trump administration that had our country on a path to prosperity enabling millions of Americans to live their version of the American dream—Bennet and Biden have crushed that dream. I am running to restore it. I will restore fiscal sanity to our budget and spending. I will help strengthen America, so we project strength around the globe and in our communities. I will defeat Michael Bennet because the contrast between us will be easily distinguished by every Coloradan.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – Nothing. With the support of the people of Colorado, we will win. Coloradans are tired of inflation, unsafe neighborhood overrun by crime, the border crisis, Biden’s energy policy that will kill Colorado jobs, and Democrats’ attempts to take over and rig our elections for their own power. I will put a stop to that and advance our conservative agenda that will appeal to a majority of Coloradans. President Biden and the Democrats are driving people toward serious Republican candidates. The only thing that can prevent us from winning is if we aren’t united after the primary. I believe I can bring our party and a majority of our state behind my agenda to restore and protect the American dream of an economy for opportunity, safe streets, legal immigration, a thriving energy industry, and secure elections.
• QUESTION – You claim that Donald Trump nominated you to serve in his administration. Your appointment came on December 2nd, 2020 and was then returned to the President on January 3rd, 2021. This is a standard rule that all nominations not confirmed at the start of a new Congress return to the President and cannot be considered unless the President re-nominates you. Why were you not re-nominated even as President Trump was on his way out? He did re-nominate a number of appointments. Why do you claim that you were a Trump Appointee even though you were never considered in the Senate?
  • ANSWER – I am the only person in this race that President Trump has supported for any position. I was honored to have his nomination and support for the position of Chair of the Public Buildings Reform Board. Senate Democrats blocked my confirmation, and I was not renominated because the administration was coming to an end and the President was focused on fighting election fraud. Most nominees like me found themselves not being renominated. For example, of the 151 civilian pending nominations only 15 were renominated. It’s no secret that due to unforeseen circumstances I was not confirmed, but the bottom line is President Trump nominated me because he trusted me to get the job done, and I am proud of that.

Deborah Flora

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – The starkest contrast with my fellow Republicans is that I not only have a proven track record of fighting for the issues that matter most to our citizens, but I can also win in November by inviting the 43% of our fellow citizens who are unaffiliated to join us on the common ground of common sense. The starkest contrast is with Michael Bennet who votes 100% of the time with Joe Biden and 96% of the time with Bernie Sanders. Bennet is a Green New Deal Socialist who does not represent the values of hard-working Coloradans who are suffering under the vast overreach of government into every area of our lives.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – The only thing that would prevent me from winning in November is if the wonderful people of this state, who have been awakened to the disaster of the policies under Joe Biden and Michael Bennet, went back to sleep. I know that they will not in the face of 40-year high inflation, skyrocketing crime, indoctrination of our children, the erosion of parental rights, and an open border allowing the devastation of t women and children being trafficked and fentanyl pouring over our border. They are awake, aware, and ready for a change which is why, if I am the Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate we will win in November.
• QUESTION – You started a nonprofit called Parents United America. Your last 990 publicly filed was in 2019. What have you done in the last few years with that nonprofit? The website resource list is simply links to other sites. What have you accomplished with Parents United America? What is the purpose of the nonprofit, if not providing any resources via the website?
  • ANSWER – I launched Parents United America after being one of hundreds of parents who testified against the age-inappropriate and explicit Comprehensive Sex Education, only to be ignored when they shoved it through the legislature on the last day. After also working to push curriculum transparency legislation only to see it killed in committee, I knew it was time to launch an organization that could magnify the voice and influence of parents. Through Parents United America, I have advised parents, been a conduit for their stories, provided information through social media, advocated in the media on their behalf, pushed parental rights legislation, testified at school board meetings, and helped train school board candidates seeking to eliminate the monopoly of unions. It is the realization that what was needed is not a top-down organization, but instead a grassroots galvanization of parents everywhere, that led me to spend the last two years as a producer, researcher, and writer for the documentary “Whose Children Are They?” which is a full expose of what is really going on in public education and what we all can do about it. The nationwide release March 14th is the culmination of over 120 hours of footage and over 80 interviews with caring parents, brave teachers, front-line experts, and courageous students. The goal is to provide a resource for every parent, grandparent, and citizen to share with their neighbors so that we can at last achieve educational freedom and the flourishing of all children.

Ron Hanks

• QUESTION – You have stated multiple times that your main reason for running is securing elections and election integrity. As a State Representative with multiple bills on this subject in the House, why are you running for U.S. Senate? Do you not believe that the states should have the sole authority to conduct their elections? Do you know that the facilitating of elections is a state’s issue and not a federal issue?
  • DECLINED TO RESPOND

Greg Moore

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – Between myself and Republican candidates: I believe I can win both the Republican base, and appeal to the unaffiliated voters we need to win in November. Not all of my GOP competitors will be able to do that. We need a candidate that can beat Democratic incumbent Michael Bennett. While taking election integrity and other issues vital to our national security seriously (as I do), we have to be careful not to drive away non-Republican voters that might, this year in particular, be inclined to vote for a conservative ticket. Having worked much of my professional life among liberals/progressives/independents, I know how to talk to them. I know how they think. I believe I can win over a large portion of unaffiliated voters and even peel away a few disaffected Democrats, without compromising my (our) conservative values.
    To win over these voters I do not propose to move to the middle after the assembly or after the primary. I do not need to because our conservative ideas work. They will get the country’s economy running again. They will keep the nation secure. They will ensure Coloradans and Americans are free and prosperous. We do, however, need a good strategy for appealing to disaffected Democrats and unaffiliated voters. I have one. My platform is one that both Republicans and unaffiliated voters can embrace (see mooreforcolorado.com).
    Between myself and Democrat candidates: I bring with me all the advantages of a Republican candidate: policies that advocate less taxes, less government debt, less mandates, less government intervention in the lives of corporations and individuals that together will unleash our nation’s economy, lift people out of poverty, and get Americans back to work and our economy back on the right track. I will advocate an energy policy that unleashes our oil and gas productivity to get natural gas, gas and oil prices back down again, and one by which we can support our European allies as they divorce themselves from Russian oil and gas. Yet I care about the environment, as most Coloradans do. My approach to the environment is conservationist and green, but not the utopian big-government style policies the Democrats favor, but rather leaning on new technology, incentives, and private sources of innovation and change rather than government regulation and mandates. The future is green, but freely green, not imposed by government. Looking at the prices at the pump we can see how the policies of the Democrats have worked out – not good. Finally, I am for a strong national defense – with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s transgressions against American copyrights, elections, allies and Liberal trade norms, most Americans now see the dangers in the world and understand the need for a strong and vigilant American defense. With my long experience working on national security and China-related foreign policy issues, I will work hard to keep America safe and prosperous. President Biden’s Afghan pull-out has not inspired confidence. Republicans can do better. I will do better, by serving on the Senate Foreign Relations or Armed Services Commitee, if given the chance.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – I don’t see anything preventing me from winning if I were to win the Republican primary in June.  The biggest challenge for me, personally, will be matching the war chest amassed by incumbent Michael Bennett. I believe the Republican Party faithful in CO and the Republican Party establishment in Washington will come together to fund me or whoever wins the primary. CO is an important state and is well in play this year. The money will come in. I am certain of it. We can win. We will win.
• QUESTION – You have proposed a much more aggressive nature of national security. The Reagan strength and global policing has fallen out of favor with members of both parties through both President Trump and Biden. How will you ignite and inspire voters that a strong defense and intervention is still a viable strategy?
  • ANSWER – You have proposed a much more aggressive nature of national security. The Reagan strength and global policing has fallen out of favor with members of both parties through both President Trump and Biden. How will you ignite and inspire voters that a strong defense and intervention is still a viable strategy?
    First, I have proposed a robust foreign policy, not an aggressive one. America does not need any new wars. I am certainly not looking for them. But we must be ready for them should they come, should we need to defend US interests at home or abroad. I want to ensure we are ready. I don’t think this is controversial. “Global policing” has never been a US policy and should not be. America only gets involved where vital American interests are at stake, and we should keep it that way.
    There are times when humanitarian concerns might drive policy, but those are rare and they too, more often than not, link up to vital national interests, as they did in WW2 in Europe. We should take care in not getting sucked into humanitarian endeavors unless the rationale, the mission, and the exit strategy are very clear and compelling.
    Second, I don’t agree that the Reagan policy of “peace through strength” has fallen out of favor with our Republican Party. While it is true that there is a more isolationist wing of the Republican Party, there is also a larger Reaganesque wing of the Party, and I believe both wings believe in a strong national defense. In fact, the Democrats have a similar divide – a more dovish and a more hawkish wing of their party as well. As one with long experience in foreign policy matters (and three books and many articles on the subject), I believe a strong national defense is the way to avoid wars. That is what Reagan’s “peace through strength” means, after all. Weakness invites aggression. I believe Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump had been president. President Biden’s chaotic Afghan withdrawal messaged Putin that America was not engaged, was willing to abandon its friends, and was not willing to fight for what is right. Putin was wrong, I believe, but the message was sent.
    Finally, regarding the question of how I will ignite and inspire voters that a strong national defense and intervention is still a viable strategy, two things here. A. I don’t think I have to inspire people that a strong national defense is important. People get that. Putin’s invasion and the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-American policies make it clear that we need a strong defense. The world is STILL a dangerous place. B. I do not support a US foreign policy that is big on intervention. I have never said I did. Interventions tend to be policies of the Democrats, and historically they have tended to get the US in trouble. I was against the Vietnam War, and I was against going to war against Iraq in 2003 (there was no link between 911 and Iraq and I’ve written about this), though I supported the troops and the cause in both cases once forces were committed. I believe interventions should be very rare, and as I said above, avoided unless the rationale, the mission, and the exit strategy for them are very clear and compelling.

Joe O’Dea

• QUESTION – You were an outlier in the Senate field when you said that you would have supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill last year. You also say that one of your main policy objectives is fiscal responsibility. How do you reconcile the two? Or do you support infrastructure due to your business background and know that infrastructure bill would increase your bottom line to the tune of $120 million.
  • DECLINED TO RESPOND.

Peter Yu

• QUESTION – What is the starkest contrast between you and your Republican and Democrat opponents?
  • ANSWER – My story is different from my republican and democrat opponents in that my life started from a very difficult beginning. I understand that other candidates were not necessarily born wealthy or well off. However, my family’s existence in America only extends back to 1969 and started with six children to feed and added another one in 1972 to make it seven. When my family arrived in America, they didn’t have any money and didn’t speak a word of English. For the first 20 plus years in this country, it was a constant process of keeping our head above water. Our life in this country began with no skill sets, daily process of learning how to speak English, and taking whatever jobs possible to survive. This included the children working full time at an early age. Personally, I started working full-time at age 10. As the candidate in this race who spent many days working multiple jobs and many nights sleeping on the floor throughout high school to survive, I have a full comprehension of what many Americans struggle with daily, as I went through this on the regular growing up.  However, due to the opportunities that this country provides, my six brothers and sisters and myself, have all been able to go from living with nothing to complete success stories. I believe that to be a proper representative of the people, it is important to have someone who understands exactly what you are going through each day and show what can be done to achieve a better life.
• QUESTION – What would prevent you from winning in November if you should win the Republican Primary?
  • ANSWER – I believe that should I win the Primary, the thing that would hold me back from winning in November is the division I see within our party. As I travel the state, I have seen single-issue voters who are concerned about issues that are not the problems of the entire state. Whether it be about the election of 2020, the conversations of RINOs, or not understanding what the unaffiliated voters are concerned about. We are not unified at this point, and this will be a problem if can not get behind a common message. That message should be about winning the 2022 election so that we can have a balance of power in D.C. So that we can address the true issues affecting Americans on the daily. Things like inflation, crime, energy shortages, drug and human trafficking/border issues, and education. If we focus on these issues, then we can win, if we stay divided and focus on past events or trying to drive certain people away from the Republican party, then November will be a tough battle.
• QUESTION – As a first-generation immigrant, why would you propose government services only be offered in English? While I understand your argument that immigrants need to learn English to live and be successful in America, it seems quite hypocritical to not want immigrants to have access to the things your family had which were able to make you and your siblings successful.
  • ANSWER – I believe that one of the biggest detriments to overcoming obstacles is being enabled to maintain our deficiencies. Whether this be dependent on government assistance, drug addiction injection sites, and not acclimating to new environments due to using programs that do not further our ability to communicate; all these assistance programs hold us back from being a daily participant in all available options of our society.
    Although I have stated that I believe that government documents should be in English, I made it very clear that there should be a transition period to assist with living in America. This includes translators, initial documents in their native language and classes to learn to read and write English. It is important to understand that by not having people who come to America learn how to speak and write English is a true disservice. The only way to fully take advantage of everything America has to offer, is by being able to communicate. Speaking English in America allows for each person to be productive in everything they do.
    Providing resources that only allow them to receive government benefits or minor assistance is undermining them and we are not doing them any favors in their abilities or desires to improve their lives. I understand that not everything speaks English when they come to America, my family is the perfect example. However, if we truly want to help people, it should be imperative that they learn to communicate in English so that they can take full advantage of what America has to offer. This does not mean they have to forget their culture; it just means they must be able to acclimate to their new surroundings. As history has shown, give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach that man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.