Colorado State Senate District 4 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Colorado, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Colorado State Senate District 4 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Colorado State Senate District 4

Mark Baisley defeated Jeff Ravage in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Baisley (R)	60.8	55,595
	Submit photo	Jeff Ravage (D)	39.2	35,789

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 91,384
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lori Boydston (Independent)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Jeff Ravage (D)

1) Wildfire, insects and disease are about to eliminate up to 75% of our western forests by 2100. That's good-bye to the logging industry, much of the Ag industry and the recreation industry. Our current budget to address this issue is 100 to 1000 times smaller than the problem. That was not a typo, we need billions, not millions or we're just emptying the ocean with a dixie cup.

2) Our economy is thriving, but the public sector is denied the ability to share in this wealth. The continued upward distribution of wealth is an environmental issue because it ties the hands of the government and holds the people hostage while ice caps melt and rivers dry up.

3) The continued stranglehold exerted by the fossil fuels industry is slowing adaptation to new energies. We're still subsidizing fracking and oil extraction, while throwing hurdles in front of solar, wind and geothermal technologies. Our current energy scenario pollutes our land, rivers and sky.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jeff Ravage (D)

The environment, Education, Infrastructure and the sustainability of our way of life. Social and Economic justice are environmental justice, and being wholly human-constructs, requires the will and effort of the people to actualize. So our ability to communicate with each other is primary.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Albert Einstein, He forever changed how we view the world, the universe, everything but ourselves. He demonstrated the ability of a single mind to create a fantastic future. He also demonstrated that the world will resist changing to it if they don't have to. Which is why we need to start every day with optimism and perseverance. Because we still have a Newtonian society, awaiting the news that everything is relative and we are made of star matter. We are all made of stars. And Dr. Einstein did that everyday of his life without the need of fame or fortune.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Jeff Ravage (D)

"The Green Evolution"

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Fairness, Patience, and the ability to listen before speaking.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Patience, Passion, Productivity

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Jeff Ravage (D)

To carry out the duties they were sworn in for.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Jeff Ravage (D)

A world that is still capable of supporting life.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Watergate would be the most important event. Sure we landed on the moon, and it was a major coup, but Nixon reminded us all that the most powerful country in the world was ruled by those who preferred 13th century power to modern freedom. And it wasn't something hidden, America's sins were worn on the sleeves of an entire class of men. Those in power.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Jeff Ravage (D)

I washed pots at the Washakie cafeteria at the University of Wyoming. I stayed there for almost 4 years. I was able to meet an endless variety of foreign students, many in the Sciences and Literature, stuck in the back of the kitchen washing pots because they weren't white. I dodged almost every chance to "advance" because I learned as much, if not more in the pot room than in the school room. This is where I learned that a mind is the most powerful thing on the planet.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Partners. Often, the governor is seen as the policy setter and the legislature as the body with the means to enact that policy. But it should be a shared vision, where sometimes the Governor sets the table, and other times where he takes the back seat and enforces (executes) the vision of the people (legislature). Kind of like a good marriage where sometimes one leads on the dance floor, and then they can switch. Rigid power structures always function less efficiently than partnerships.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Climate change. Our State has a lot invested on the outdoors, From the skiers who flock to the slopes that may, by the end of the century, no ;onger hold snowpack. To the fields that could soon dry up like the Colorado River basin has already begun to. Our forest might well burn down and the released sediment pollute every basin and reservoir. Currently, there is an entire major political party who's policy it is to deny and ignore what is happening. It is certain they will do nothing to help mitigate global warming, so the worst possible outcomes should be expected. It we continue to avoid until 2032, there won't be a lot we can do to alter out hurtling trajectory. It is an existential crisis.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Jeff Ravage (D)

N/A

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Jeff Ravage (D)

The legislature is supposed to be of the people. That being said, some awareness of how it works would be useful. Civics classes, debate, Extempore speaking are all things we have let fall by the wayside that would be very helpful for those interested in lawmaking. It's not about power or status. The Senate is a job and working in policy and research are desirable predicates for success in that job.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Jeff Ravage (D)

Of course. Very few people can write an effective bill on their own. And then you'll need help getting time and space for your bill. It is an inherently team sport.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Jeff Ravage (D)

It should be performed by uninterested artificially intelligent robots.

Just kidding- had to make sure you hadn't fallen asleep yet.

Look: there is no perfect system. There is no magically fair redistricting formula. One might just as well use county boundaries, or subsections to grab the proper number of citizens. But partisan pick and choosing is definitely not the way. Gaming the system will always come with the risk that your opponent will eventually capture the "sure thing " you built for your preferred party, and use it to punish you. Best leave things as fair as possible and let the chips fall as they may.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Jeff Ravage (D)

N/I

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Jeff Ravage (D)

N/A

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Jeff Ravage (D)

Yes compromise is the essence of consensus. But we exist in an age where one political party refuses to compromise, holding out for the other to concede just a little bit more. So policy has been drifting past right to rightwing. And the Democrats keep conceding more and more, we just feel we have to be so damn reasonable. Finally we could end up denying not just climate change, but reality itself. And then extinction will claim us. So today, we need compromise from the right, they need to acknowledge reality. And then we can work together to fix our issues.

See also

More about these elections:

• Colorado State Senate elections, 2022

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