Katie Stewart’s deep family ties in the Durango region and experience in public education have led her to pursue a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives representing District 59 in southwestern Colorado.
A current member of the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education, the Democrat is facing off against Clark Craig, the Republican mayor of Ignacio.
Stewart, who says she wants to focus on issues such as education, healthcare, and the environment, notes that her school board experience has taught her the importance of stakeholder engagement and how to craft policy, and now she hopes to use that expertise on the state level.
One of her top priorities, if elected, would be to fully fund public education in Colorado, though she admits that funding will be a challenge.
“There’s going to be a bit of a learning curve, but I will always advocate to make sure that rural schools are getting what they need,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s opponent Craig says he wants to “fix our education funding,” according to his campaign website, but he did not return multiple requests to comment on this story.
Stewart is also a staunch supporter of access to healthcare and reproductive healthcare in Southwest Colorado, and she supports Initiative 89 which would enshrine the right to abortion in the Colorado constitution.
The candidate says she got a tubal ligation after the birth of her youngest child, but Mercy Hospital in Durango (owned by CommonSpirit Health) has stopped offering the procedure in recent years.
“That’s a decrease in access to healthcare,” Stewart said. “So how do we work to change that? That’s another question I’m working on answering.”
Stewart also supports increased access to telehealth opportunities and the expansion of programs such as the Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program, which provides services to rural Coloradans.
Craig’s website does not address reproductive healthcare, but he said at a forum this year that he is “very much pro-life,” according to The Durango Herald.
Stewart also supports increased access to telehealth opportunities and the expansion of programs such as the Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program, which provides services to rural Coloradans.
For Stewart, environmental initiatives are inherently connected with agriculture, a large sector in Colorado and her district. She again mentions the importance of working with a variety of stakeholders in order to find solutions that work for all.
“It’s gonna have to be innovative for us to tackle this,” she said. “There’s gonna have to be a lot of ways, whether it’s sustainability through agriculture and water or talking about renewables and electric co-ops utilizing benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act to bring in more renewables to the community, which are good energy and also cost-effective.”
Craig’s website mentions the desire to “protect environmentally sensitive lands;” the candidate had a long career in the oil and gas industry before entering politics.
While the GOP and Colorado Republicans have been vocal about supporting false claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, Craig has been mum on the topic.
On the other hand, Stewart praises Colorado’s election integrity and the Secretary of State’s efforts to get Tribes more involved with elections.
“I trust the Colorado Secretary of State and our county clerks because they work hard to make sure our elections are safe and secure,” she said.
