Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)

	2022 → ← 2014
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 20, 2018
	Primary: June 26, 2018; General: November 6, 2018; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Gov. John Hickenlooper (Democrat); Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne (Democrat)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Colorado
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic; Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2018; Impact of term limits in 2018; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Colorado; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant governor; Attorney general; Secretary of state; Treasurer; State board of education; State board of regents

Rep. Jared Polis (D) was the winner of Colorado's Democratic gubernatorial primary, receiving 44.4 percent of the vote to former state Treasurer Cary Kennedy's (D) 24.7 percent. The four candidates in the Democratic primary were divided on education policy and funding.

While all four opposed vouchers for charter schools, a group affiliated with Cary Kennedy (D) ran an ad criticizing both Polis (D) and former state Sen. Mike Johnston (D) for what it called their insufficient support for public education.^[3]

Polis led in most polls. He promised free preschool and kindergarten as well as energy independence by 2040.^[4] National political figures including Rep. John Lewis (D) and interest groups such as NORML PAC and the Sierra Club endorsed him.

EMILY's List and labor unions such as the Communications Workers of America and the Colorado Education Association endorsed Kennedy, who called for increased funding for public schools and the creation of a public option for health insurance.^[5]

Johnston supported providing two years of tuition-free community college to state residents, the establishment of a civilian work corps, and the expansion of Medicaid to all state citizens.^[6] Former Sen. Gary Hart (D) and former Gov. Dick Lamm (D) endorsed him.

Incumbent Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne (D), a former insurance executive, ran on her private sector experience and her two years serving alongside term-limited Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).^[7]

Potential trifecta control of the state was on the line. At the time of the 2018 elections Democrats controlled the state House and governor's office. Republicans controlled the state Senate. Because the Democratic Party held the governorship and state House while taking the state Senate, Colorado became a Democratic trifecta.

The next governor would of also had a hand in redistricting following the 2020 census, with veto power over proposed Congressional district maps and the ability to appoint members of the commission responsible for drawing state legislative district maps.

Candidates and election results

Jared Polis defeated Cary Kennedy, Michael Johnston, and Donna Lynne in the Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado on June 26, 2018.

Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jared Polis	44.5	283,340
	Cary Kennedy	24.7	157,396
	Michael Johnston	23.5	149,884
	Donna Lynne	7.3	46,382

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 637,002
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Noel Ginsburg (D)

Who ran for Governor of Colorado?

Michael Johnston

Johnston was a former member of the Colorado State Senate, where he represented District 33, which comprises parts of downtown Denver. He was first elected in 2008 and served until term limits prevented him from running for re-election in 2016. Johnston worked as a school principal in the past.

In his January 2017 announcement that he would run for governor, Johnston emphasized the theme of frontier fairness: "Colorado was built on a sense of ‘frontier fairness.’ That hard work under the right conditions leads to opportunity, that opportunity allows us to define our own future. It’s time to make real the sense of Frontier Fairness that will carry us through the next 150 years."^[8] Johnston's campaign website highlighted his policy and vocational experience in education, stating that it was the most important issue the state faced.^[9] The website touted Johnston's stances on workforce training and job availability, criminal justice, and healthcare.^[10]

Johnston was endorsed by former Gov. Dick Lamm (D) and former Sen. Gary Hart (D).

Cary Kennedy

At the time of the 2018 election, Kennedy headed a consulting firm. Between 2011 and 2017, she served as deputy mayor and chief financial officer for the city of Denver. She served one term as state treasurer before being unseated by Walker Stapleton (R) in the 2010 election. Kennedy was the author of Colorado Amendment 23, which was approved by voters in 2000 and mandated annual increases to the state's education budget.

In her April 2017 announcement that she would run for governor, Kennedy referred to her experience winning a statewide election and to her financial background and promised opposition to policies supported by President Donald Trump (R): "We will position Colorado to be a model ... Colorado is doing it right and we need to continue our progress no matter what's happening in D.C."^[11] On the front page of her campaign website, Kennedy declared, "I love Colorado and I'm running for governor to build on our progress."^[12] The website highlighted Kennedy's stances on healthcare, education, and long-term planning.^[13]

Kennedy was endorsed by EMILY's List, the Colorado Education Association, and former Sen. Ken Salazar (D).

Donna Lynne

Lynne was the incumbent lieutenant governor. She was appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) in 2016 following the resignation of the previous lieutenant governor. Prior to her appointment, Lynne served as executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. She had previously worked as Hickenlooper's chief of staff while he was mayor of Denver and has worked for four New York mayors.

In her September 2017 announcement that she would run for governor, Lynne positioned herself as a continuation of Gov. Hickenlooper's two terms and focused on her experience as lieutenant governor: "We made tremendous progress under Gov. John Hickenlooper but there is more that we can do...I think I’m the pragmatic person (in this race) with more experience than any other candidate in managing millions of dollars of budgets, large organizations."^[14] Lynne's campaign website emphasized her stances on healthcare, education, and the environment.^[15]

Although Hickenlooper did not issue any endorsements in the Democratic primary, he spoke in support of Lynne's candidacy on numerous occasions.^[16]

Jared Polis

Polis was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, which comprises the north-central part of the state and includes the city of Boulder. Polis was first elected in 2008 and had previously served on the Colorado State Board of Education.

In his June 2017 campaign announcement, Polis emphasized the policy goals of full reliance on renewable energy by 2040, universal access to preschool and kindergarten, and encouraging employers to provide employees with stock options.^[17] Polis' campaign website emphasized his policy objectives: "Jared has spent his career turning big ideas into real results for Colorado families."^[18] The website highlighted Polis' policies on the economy, energy, and healthcare.^[19]

Polis was endorsed by Rep. John Lewis (D), NORML PAC, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Click [show] to view a full list of candidates, including candidates who did not appear on the June 26 primary ballot

See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)

Democratic primary candidates

Did not make the ballot:

Noel Ginsburg

Unaffiliated voters in Colorado primaries

The June 26, 2018, primaries were the first chance that Colorado voters unaffiliated with either major party had to participate in partisan primaries. The state's 1.1 million unaffiliated voters received mail-in ballots from their county clerks and were not able to opt out of receiving a ballot. If a voter did not request a ballot from one party, she or he received ballots for both parties. Voters could only complete a ballot for one party's primary. If the voter completed both party ballots, the ballots were invalidated.

County officials recommended that voters mail their ballots in by June 16. If voters chose to drop their ballots off at their county election offices, they had until 7:00 PM MT on June 26.^[20]

This change in the voting system came from Proposition 108, a 2016 initiated state statute approved by 53.3 percent of voters. Prior to the passage of Proposition 108, Colorado utilized a closed primary system where only voters registered with a political party could participate. Unaffiliated voters were able to affiliate with one of the parties on election day if they chose.

Endorsements

Democratic candidate endorsements
Endorsement	Date	Johnston	Kennedy	Polis	Lynne
National figures
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)^[21]	March 14, 2018			✔
State figures
Former Sen. Ken Salazar (D)^[22]	May 1, 2018		✔
Former Gov. Dick Lamm (D)^[23]	February 7, 2018	✔
State Rep. Adrienne Benavidez (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
State Rep. Dan Pabon (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
Former state Sen. Abel Tapia (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
Former state Sen. Polly Baca (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
Former state Sen. Rob Hernandez (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
Former state Rep. Val Vigil (D)^[24]	February 2, 2018			✔
State Sen. Daniel Kagan (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
State Rep. Christopher Louis Kennedy (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
State Rep. Pete Lee (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
State Rep. Susan Lontine (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
State Sen. Michael Merrifield (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
State Rep. Dave Young^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Debbie Benefield (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Joan Fitzgerald (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Secretary of State Bernie Buescher (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Lt. Gov. Mike Callahan (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Evie Hudak (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Doug Linkhart (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Alice Madden (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Rosemary Marshall (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Beth McCann (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Jeanne Nicholson (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Pat Pascoe (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Tom Plant (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Rep. Joe Rice (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Peggy Reeves (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Chris Romer (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Dorothy Rupert (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Lt. Gov. Gail Schoetler (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Brandon Shaffer (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Gloria Tanner (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former state Sen. Suzanne Williams (D)^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Bernie Sanders Colorado campaign director Dulce Anayasaenz^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Bill Ritter Communications Director Jim Carpenter^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Colorado Association of School Boards President John DeStefano^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Democratic Party of Colorado Chairwoman Pat Waak^[25]	October 18, 2017		✔
Former Rep. Betsy Markey (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former Democratic Party of Colorado Chairman Rick Palacio^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Sen. John Kefalas (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Sen. Stephen Fenberg (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Sen. Tom Glass (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Rep. Edie Hooton (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Rep. Jeff Bridges (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Rep. Jeni Arndt (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Rep. Matt Gray (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
State Rep. Mike Foote (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Angie Paccione (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Cherylin Peniston (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Dianne Primavera (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Ed Casso (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Joe Miklosi (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Roger Wilson (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former state Rep. Jeff Chostner (D)^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former Sen. Gary Hart (D)^[27]	August 9, 2017	✔
Former state Rep. Wilma Webb (D)^[28]	August 3, 2017	✔
Former state Sen. Bob Bacon (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former Lt. Gov. Mike Callahan (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former state Rep. Sara Gagliardi (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former state Sen. Dan Grossman (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former state Sen. Bob Hagedorn (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former state Sen. Mary Hodge (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Former state Rep. Max Tyler (D)^[29]	Unknown		✔
Local figures
Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former Boulder Mayor Susan Osborne^[26]	September 6, 2017			✔
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb (D)^[28]	August 3, 2017	✔
Organizations
The Durango Herald^[30]	June 2, 2018				✔
Communications Workers of America Colorado and Wyoming state councils^[31]	May 23, 2018		✔
NORML PAC^[32]	May 23, 2018			✔
Teamsters Local 455^[33]	April 4, 2018		✔
American Federation of Teachers—Colorado Chapter^[34]	January 31, 2018		✔
Colorado Education Association^[34]	January 31, 2018		✔
Pipefitters Local 58^[35]	January 14, 2018		✔
Victory Fund^[36]	November 14, 2017		✔
EMILY's List^[37]	June 7, 2017		✔
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers^[38]	Unknown			✔

Campaign themes and policy stances

Campaign themes

Noel Ginsburg

“

TABOR 2.0
It has now been 25 years since Colorado voters passed TABOR, and Colorado is a much different place (we are seeing 100,000 new transplants to Colorado each year). While TABOR may have made sense for the Colorado of 1992, today its funding formulas are outdated.

Since 1992, because of TABOR, the State has been required to return small checks, in amounts of about $10 to $15 per person, to the taxpayers. This has slowly added up to over $2 billion we could have invested in making Colorado stronger for everyone. Funding that could have gone toward supporting our schools, repairing our roads, and modernizing our infrastructure. Currently, again thanks to outdated policies like TABOR, over 50 percent of our school districts—primarily in rural communities—operate for only four days a week. This is in Colorado. In the United States of America. In the 21st Century. This is not who we are.

That’s why I’m proposing TABOR 2.0. Within the first two years of my administration I will ask the voters to remove the outdated spending formulas from TABOR, while keeping in place citizens’ right to vote on any new taxes. As I travel around our state, people tell me they are ready to have an honest conversation about the challenges we face. I know we can make commonsense fixes here. If we show the public we want to be accountable, and that we can have reasonable reforms that make sense for a modern Colorado, we can do it.

Public Education
Education is the foundation on which a strong democracy lies. Democrats and Coloradan’s overwhelmingly support investing in education, but today, the realities of our education system do not reflect that value. We rank 41st in the nation for K-12 education funding,1 and 47th in the nation in funding our higher education institutions2 - we are not providing our children the resources they need to succeed. Colorado is the best place in the nation to live and work, but our children cannot succeed without our support.

As your next Governor, improving Colorado’s public education system will be my top priority. Learn exactly how I will make the changes Colorado's education system needs in my plan: Revitalizing Education through Action and Leadership, a REAL Plan for Colorado.

Today, Colorado is at a crossroads. I believe that every child has the right to a first-class education; regardless of their zip code, ethnicity, or income level. We face great challenges, Colorado’s education system is getting overstretched, and we are feeling the effects.

More than half of Colorado’s schools have resorted to 4-day school weeks3, some out of financial necessity, the state’s schools need an estimated $640 million4 to fix-up crumbling school infrastructure Funding for higher education institutions like CU and CSU is projected to completely run dry within two years, and we are amidst a massive teacher shortage. Colorado will need roughly 3,000 new teachers to fill all of our classrooms.5 The decision the next Governor makes will define what our state looks like for the next 40 years.

Colorado must have a K-12 and higher education plan to support our youth, and ensure we have an education system that trains, and prepares our students to thrive in the 21st century global economy. Ensuring Colorado makes impactful change will require strong and honest leadership, and a fierce dedication to education. I’ve spent my life fighting for these values in Colorado; as governor, I want to make the greatest impacts for kids all across our state.

We must, make improvements across the board - increase teacher wages, help provide teachers the professional resources they need, fight to increase school funding for our kids, reform standardized testing and teacher evaluation methods, and utilize the highly innovative youth apprenticeship system I founded to provide kids on the job work experience, greater access to post-secondary education, and the support they need to dive straight into the middle class and beyond - whether they received an industry credential or a PhD. As a Colorado citizen, business owner, and civic leader, I have been fighting for decades to improve our public education system. These improvements are not empty words - they come with my plan, and my promise to see them through. Learn exactly how I will accomplish this through my plan: Revitalizing Education through Action and Leadership, a REAL Plan for Colorado.

My experience fighting for Colorado’s Education system:

Founder; CareerWise Colorado, a renowned statewide apprenticeship program for high school students. Co-Founder; the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation Chair of the Denver Public Schools College and Career Pathways Council Past - President of the Denver Public Schools Foundation Member of the US Youth Employment Action Network at the Clinton Global Initiative Volunteer teacher at Montbello High School (2012 - 2014) Appointed by previous Colorado Governor Roy Romer to the National Governors Association School to Work program

Renewable Energy
Colorado is home to the largest number of national research labs in the United States, some of the best research universities, an abundance of wind, water, and sunshine, and an exceedingly skilled workforce.

We have a unique opportunity to lead the nation in clean energy development so all Coloradans can enjoy cleaner air, cheaper electricity, and access to thousands of new clean technology, middle-class jobs - we need a Governor to act on it.

My policies focus on spurring investment in renewable energy development and will expand our innovative green energy economy, protect our state’s natural beauty, and set an example for the nation on how to progress responsibly. It is good economics, good for healthy living, and the right thing to do for current AND future generations of Coloradans. Guided by my goal of reaching 45% renewable energy statewide by 2026 - one of the most aggressive goals in the nation - Colorado will be on a strong trajectory to reach 100% renewable energy.

Doubling Renewables Within 8 Years By the end of my tenure as Governor, it will be my goal for our state to have more than doubled the amount of energy we generate from renewable resources - Colorado averages 22% statewide today - my policy sets a standard of 45% statewide by 2026. This policy, informed by Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), academics from CU, and environmental experts throughout the state is one of the most aggressive in the nation and will set us on a strong trajectory to achieve a 100% renewable energy future.

On Day 1 as Governor, I will appoint a clean energy industry expert-led “Colorado Commission on Future Electric Development” to develop a statewide energy blueprint that will begin a transition from heavy polluting fossil fuels to clean energy generation, and establish a timeline to reach 100% renewable energy by utilizing solar, wind, geothermal, and storage technologies.

As Governor, I will also appoint Public Utility Commissioners who are renewable energy oriented, with the goal being that any new power plants approved or built in Colorado are based on renewable resources only and that we do not extend the planned lives of current fossil-fuel based electric generation plants. Moreover, Colorado’s electric providers can utilize the savings from cost-efficient renewable resources to accelerate the retirement of expensive, inefficient, and polluting electricity generating sources.

Standing Up to Trump on Energy and the Environment My administration will fight back against the Trump Administration and Republicans in Washington’s attempts to chip away at our environmental protections, by adhering to the principles of the Paris Climate Accord and always standing up for science. Leading the energy transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy requires fierce leadership and accountability.

My clean energy plan aggressively pursues increased adoption of renewable energy technologies that utilize our natural solar, wind, and geothermal resources to create sustainable energy without raising energy prices for our people. This transition will bring sustainable, high paying jobs to Colorado, revitalize communities where wind and sunshine are abundant, protect the natural resources that make our state so special, and combat the impacts of climate change, to ensure a healthy future for our people and our state.

A Modern Grid Colorado’s electric grid (the poles and wires you see outside) is nearly 100 years old. As Governor, I will push to modernize our grid with innovative 21st century technology so it ’s smarter, more efficient, more reliable, and can handle more renewable resources. Grid upgrades will also attract more high-tech clean energy companies to Colorado, that will generate new clean tech jobs across the state.

Opening Up Our Electricity Market, for More Competition, Consumer Choice, and Lower Prices Colorado is a pioneer state. We are founded on forging new ground, and creating the future that we want to see. The way Coloradans are offered electricity is not consistent with that pioneer mindset. Many of us are offered one provider (the utility), and the electricity we buy is sourced from whatever coal, natural gas, or renewable resources were generating electricity that day. Today, markets across the country have transformed, and it is time for Colorado to at the very least assess what impacts that change would bring to Colorado.

For example, imagine a Colorado where you can decide where your electricity comes from instead of having a choice between two big utilities or no choice at all. Imagine getting solar power from Pueblo, wind energy from the Eastern Plains, and/or continued service from your current utility. This is the reality in 18 states. We can do it in Colorado too.

In addition to studying what impact an electric choice marketplace might have, my administration will work to remove the barriers that block or slow down renewable resource development and adoption, by opening up markets to renewable developers. When Colorado removes barriers to renewable energy development, we can truly spur an economic transformation, driving our economy to be a renewable energy powerhouse, while actively fighting climate change and reducing harmful emissions from our electric sector. Competition among our energy providers will drive down the price of electricity for folks across Colorado, but more importantly, it will give the power of choice back to the consumer, as households and businesses will have broader options for how to purchase and use renewable energy.

Fostering Research Into New Green Technologies I will empower our state research universities to identify and develop scalable, 21st Century technologies, including battery storage, smart grid technology, energy efficiency technology, and renewable resource development technology, to allow for the broad adoption of non-polluting electricity generating sources throughout our state. In addition, I will collaborate with our research institutions to promote and develop high-benefit electricity storage facilities (which store energy when the sun isn't shining and the wind blowing).

Green Job Training and Retraining As Governor, I will link my clean energy plan with a statewide job training and apprenticeship program, to train the next generation of young people in the skills needed to work in wind, solar, and other renewable industries, and to re-train and provide career growth and economic development programs to workers whose jobs and local economies are impacted by the transition to clean energy.

For while energy has been a major economic driver in Colorado in the past, we can keep that tradition going only if we train our people in these new, renewable energy jobs of tomorrow. And these jobs will pay middle-class wages, cannot be outsourced, and will help increase the nation’s security by decreasing our dependence on foreign energy sources.

Universal Healthcare
My vision for a healthier Colorado is driven by one basic principle -- that there is a fundamental right for all Coloradans to have quality health care. Care must be affordable for all individuals, and fiscally feasible for the state. Colorado is experiencing rising healthcare premiums, especially in rural areas where many communities have only one provider. Families receive bills that are thousands of dollars more expensive because a parent drove their child to “the out of network” hospital or the Free Standing Emergency Department (FSED) in their time of need. There is an opioid addiction crisis that has quietly spread across our state, and has become an epidemic that is deeply connected to our lack of treatment for those with mental health disorders (many of which are treatable).

Interstate Compact for Universal Healthcare Colorado faces healthcare challenges across the board, and our existing healthcare system has yet to find a solution that effectively addresses universal coverage or cost. Transparency is an intermediate measure that will help contain costs, but a universal healthcare market shows great promise as a strong long-term fix. I do not believe creating a universal healthcare market at the state level is financially efficient enough, Colorado may end up doing more harm than good for its people if we try to walk that path alone.

That is why I have been working with Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to create an interstate health care compact between Colorado, California, and other western progressive states to ensure that all our citizens can have affordable, high-quality health care. By expanding the patient pool across multiple states, our public health care system will have more power to lower costs, expand coverage, and improve care for all.

Driving Down Costs of Pharmaceuticals When Colorado partners with other western states to create a regional healthcare marketplace, we will have a share of the healthcare market that is larger than anywhere else in the United States. This will give Colorado and our other state partners negotiating power that exceeds other markets. We will not tolerate medical costs that are unjustifiably high -- we will stand strong in fighting for Coloradans against the criminally high pharmaceutical prices that many residents face, and will begin to cut the cost curve here, where we know there are improvements to be made.

Controlling Costs Colorado’s state health care spending has risen significantly in the recent past. As of 2013, personal health care costs in Colorado had more than quadrupled over the previous two decades. More than 33¢ of every $1 spent in our state goes to healthcare, but our healthcare system does not serve all our constituents well enough. At the current pace, we will bankrupt the state trying to provide care for everyone. Our policy should not focus on putting more money into a broken system, we need to make improvements, and expand coverage to all Coloradans under a system that serves everyone better.

As governor, all policies I support will work towards lowering healthcare costs, and expanding coverage. We must be more efficient with our healthcare dollars, and as Governor, I will utilize new transparency measures to identify major cost drivers, and pursue effective policy that curbs costs while fighting to expand coverage to every single Coloradan.

Increasing Transparency in Colorado’s Healthcare System One common factor among many of our healthcare challenges is a lack of transparency. The majority of us don’t understand why prices for care vary so greatly, what the true cost of care is, or simply, if we are getting a good deal on our health coverage.

This lack of transparency prevents competition between health networks, and enables healthcare corporations to function behind closed doors -- without accountability from the market, or the people -- two pillars of our functioning democracy. When you buy a car, you can compare price, quality, safety record, and more. Coloradans should have the same opportunity to compare relevant information about knee replacements or hip replacements so they can make informed decisions that best meet their needs. Increased price transparency will help our people make informed decisions, will induce competition among health networks (driving down prices), and will give our government a stronger hold on what the main causes of our increasing healthcare costs are, and what policies we can implement to contain those costs.

As Governor, I will push for policy that ensures hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies increase transparency around pricing of services and estimated out-of-pocket cost to the patient, so Coloradans can make informed healthcare choices. With initiatives to increase transparency we can create real competition between healthcare networks, drive down costs, improve quality, and expand coverage to more Coloradans.

Opioid Addiction Crisis and Treatment The opioid epidemic has spread throughout Colorado communities like wildfire, someone dies from an overdose approximately every 36 hours. Reversing this epidemic will require thoughtful policy that looks at the whole picture. My first step as Governor will be to create a cabinet level position entrusted with building the coalition across our state to make a difference.

This cabinet will be primarily tasked with finding ways to expand treatment to areas that lack it. Every county with high rates of opioid abuse must have a facility that offers Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT). Second, this cabinet will be tasked with creating a database of treatment options, and nearby facilities that those suffering from addiction can access. Today’s treatment programs largely fail to coordinate with one another. After someone undergoes detox and an initial rehabilitation program, they may be released to a halfway house, or pushed straight back into society. Full recovery requires coordinated treatment plans, recovery does not occur overnight. Colorado could play a vital role in helping those addicted, and their families in understanding treatment options, and in creating a database for those seeking treatment to find options that will help them fully recover from their addiction. Third, this cabinet will be tasked with identifying pilot programs that have proven to be successful in tackling the opioid epidemic. For example, in Routt County doctors reduced opioid usage by 40%, by reducing the number of opioids they were prescribing. This was as simple as giving patients alternative pain management options prior to prescribing opioids. We should explore the expansion of pilot programs like these to make the greatest impact. Finally, Colorado should work with doctors to expand the use of our Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). This database records prescriptions and helps doctors identify patients who might be doctor hopping to obtain several opioid prescriptions. Current legislation has not worked well enough with doctors to create a system that helps doctors efficiently use the database, and treat patients. I will expect this cabinet to work with Colorado health community to find a collaborative system that ensures this system is used without unduly burdening Colorado’s medical professionals. Mental Health As a state, we must also recognize the importance of mental health care – more than 85% of people suffering from mental health issues can be helped if treated. We need to improve access to and reduce the stigma of seeking help. The impacts of not treating people with mental-health issues fall on families, businesses, schools, first responders, and the criminal justice system. There are several policies I want to pursue as Governor. I believe that mental healthcare and physical healthcare should receive equal coverage. Many of our rural areas struggle to attract enough mental health providers and as Governor, I will look to create incentives that drive mental health providers towards areas of high need. Finally, we must make reforms to our justice system so those with mental health issues get treated, not punished. This will relieve a heavy burden from the taxpayers, and more importantly is the right thing to do.

Improving Care for our Veterans Though the governor of Colorado does not directly control health benefits for our veterans, from urban to rural communities, I continue to hear about veterans struggles to secure high-quality health care. As governor, I will work with our congressional delegation to ensure that Colorado’s leaders in Washington are actively fighting for our veterans returning from combat.

Investing in Infrastructure
Colorado’s infrastructure is crumbling - Noel knows it because he sees it - and so do the people of Colorado. A modern Colorado demands modern infrastructure. Our state’s roads, highways, and bridges are dangerously below safety code and are in dire need of repair. And we are drastically underinvesting in infrastructure. Our state spends $160 million on infrastructure every year. Utah has half the number of roads we do, but they spend $650 million on infrastructure annually. Almost ½ of Colorado’s major roads are in poor condition, making it increasingly difficult to attract new business, get across town efficiently, or avoid car damages. Our underinvestment costs Colorado’s drivers pay an estimated $6.8 billion annually for wasted time, fuel, and car damages that could be avoided with an adequate roadway system, and if we keep ignoring the problem, it will end up costing us even more in the long run.

For too many years, we have vastly underfunded the infrastructure that we all depend on. Our broken infrastructure system has been a burden for both urban and rural Colorado, a problem we will no longer tolerate. Colorado’s population and economy are growing. This growth creates new opportunities and challenges for the next governor, but with Noel’s exceptional leadership, you can be sure that your taxpayer dollars will go to work by helping rebuild Colorado.

As Governor, Noel will ensure the state expands its infrastructure funding to tackle these issues - not only because we need it, but because it will generate economic development and strong job growth across our state. Noel’s plan to invest in Colorado infrastructure will be based on CDOT studies of our infrastructure needs, the state’s revenue generation, and the recommendations of the Statewide Development Board (explained below). With this information, Noel will go to the taxpayer to present the findings, and if necessary, make the case for an investment from the taxpayers in our infrastructure. He will utilize financial tools, and our strong economy to bond projects when appropriate, and in doing so, extend the use of state dollars where possible.

Create thousands of Middle-Class Jobs by hiring Coloradans - Too often, Colorado imports skilled workers to complete our major infrastructure projects. As Governor, Noel will prioritize giving contracts for major infrastructure projects to companies that hire local Coloradans.

Create a Statewide Planning and Development board with members from our transportation, housing, economic development, water, energy, and infrastructure offices, along with leadership from rural Colorado will ensure our infrastructure projects are coordinated across departments and are focused on creating the largest impact for communities across our state. For example, this board can unlock the benefits of affordable housing and economic development by creating mass transit systems that connect residents in affordable housing units to areas of high economic development. As our mass transit systems develop, Colorado can unlock opportunities like this not only within communities but between communities.

Did you know that county transit departments do not have a platform on which to coordinate mass transit or infrastructure projects with one another? Communities like Denver, Highlands Ranch, and Colorado Springs do not have established pathways to coordinate major infrastructure or transit projects. That is why a new statewide development board will help communities unlock new benefit’s for all Coloradans by opening new pathways for collaboration and partnership that will ensure all projects have the greatest impact for Colorado. Make high-speed Internet a reality for every Coloradan in every city and every rural community. It is unacceptable that in 2018, more than half a million Coloradans — many in rural communities — lack access to broadband. Giving them the ability to get online will make it easier to start a grow a business, get a world-class education, farm sustainably and efficiently, and unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in economic potential.

Work to generate new investment in multi-modal mass transit development, and not just in Denver. We must focus on connecting people and commerce to our smaller towns and communities too. For example, building passenger rail from Fort Collins to Trinidad would be an enormous driver of economic development in Colorado. Folks living in Pueblo could still work in Denver, or vice versa.

Improve our clean water infrastructure to ensure every Coloradan has access to reliable, clean drinking water. We can achieve this by following the solutions outlined in the Colorado Water Plan, and by utilizing the Statewide Planning and Development board that Noel is proposing to forge new partnerships between state agencies, communities, water boards, and water utilities to create financial plans that fund the water improvement projects that Colorado needs.

By rebuilding and modernizing our infrastructure and transportation systems, we can solve multiple challenges: creating thousands of middle-class jobs, saving state funding long term, reducing traffic congestion, improving safety, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. As Colorado’s economy and revenue grow, we will need a governor who creates common-sense policies that generate results - Noel has a history of doing that for education and economic development, he is the best candidate to generate those results for our infrastructure.

Gender Equality
Closing the Pay Gap Colorado has a long way to go in addressing gender inequality. Across occupation, industries, race, and education level, women with full - time year - round jobs make less than men.

Based on median income, women in Colorado make 87 cents for every dollar that men make, which adds up to an annual wage gap of $9,938. The wage gap widens for women of color, with

African - American women paid 64 cents, Latinas 54 cents, and Asian women paid 70 cents for every dollar paid to white men. With this disparity, the women of Colorado lose a combined annual total of $ 14.5 billion a year. To put this in perspective, the average annual wage gap is equal to the full cost of tuition and fees at a two year community college, or about 1 year and three months of food for a family. Since mothers are the primary financial providers for about half of families in the U.S. (81% in the case of African-American mothers), here in Colorado

this is a loss not only for women, but also many thousands of families. If this wage gap were closed, women could afford a higher quality of life, and better provide for their families.

My administration will fight for equality and equal pay for women. Without immediate action, women and men may not reach pay equity until 2059. Colorado cannot wait that long.

Enforcing Equal Pay Legislation There are measures we can take to better enforce pay gap legislation, and make a substantive difference towards closing the gender wage gap. By limiting the legal claims employers can use to justify paying female employees less than their male counterparts, we can close the gender pay gap and ensure that pay differences can only be justified by similar differences in a workers skills, effort, and responsibility. New provisions that would help Colorado enforce equal pay legislation would include:

legally requiring equal pay for employees who perform substantially similar work, eliminating the requirement that employees being compared work at the same establishment, explicitly stating that retaliation against employees who seek to enforce the law is illegal, and making it more difficult for employers to satisfy the bona fide factor other than sex. Protecting Reproductive Rights In addition to addressing the wage gap, it is essential that we protect women’s rights to affordable and accessible birth control/contraceptive care. Not only should women have autonomy over their bodies, but they and their partners should be empowered to enter parenthood responsibly.

Water Conservation
Among the greatest challenges that Colorado faces, is the impending need to use water more efficiently. Our state's population is projected to grow by roughly 4 million people in the next 20-25 years, and the decisions we make today will have impacts spanning generations. Colorado's next Governor must have the leadership, foresight, and ability to turn great plans into action to secure Colorado's water future - I believe I am that Governor.

In 2015 Governor Hickenlooper created the Colorado Water Plan, an extremely thorough plan that outlines what steps Colorado must take to ensure we have the water necessary to sustain life in urban and rural Colorado for decades to come.

The Colorado Water Plan was an “Everything including the Kitchen Sink” type of document that includes plans to secure water for Colorado over the next 30 years. Unfortunately, it did not include a way for us to pay for the sink. Some of the projects and policies that I would support as Governor will require funding from the state, and while our state budget is tight today, we dedicate only a fraction of a percent to water projects. I believe the state can play a larger role in helping water utilities and individual communities finance large-scale water projects (storage, repairing large water infrastructure projects in disrepair, etc.) but perhaps more significant are the projects that the state can help implement within communities and on a statewide level. There are five primary policies that will unlock enormous water savings for Colorado - many of these recommendations are directly from the Colorado Water Plan.

Colorado should invest in water storage infrastructure to ensure in years of heavy precipitation, we can preserve water for years of drought.

In Colorado, we lack a statewide vision that assesses how to strategically balance growth and development across our state to better utilize our resources. Among the most important of these resources is water. Colorado needs a statewide vision that helps communities plan their infrastructure, economic development, transportation systems, land development, and water use to ensure that growth and conservation are not mutually exclusive. Today, we don’t have a holistic statewide plan for development, and I don’t believe that is acceptable. Rather than let growth roll over our state, I believe the state should help communities actively define how their growth will interact with the surrounding environment and natural resources through strategic planning and thoughtful decision-making.

One of the Colorado Water Plan’s primary recommendations was the use of Alternative Transfer Methods, or methods other than diversion projects to get more water from the western slope to the front range. Many of these methods are as simple as creating water banks, or alternative programs that facilitate water leases that could allow water rights owners to lease their water to urban areas without having to forfeit their water rights. As Governor, I will push the state to expand these programs by creating awareness, building a statewide online platform for buyers and sellers of water to do business, and to continue utilizing new alternative transfer methods that allow water rights owners, and our urban centers to partner, and create a solution that works for everyone.

We must utilize innovative technology to use water more efficiently in our urban centers. For example, Cloud-based irrigation systems track live weather patterns, humidity, rainfall, etc.. so our homes can use less water, and enjoy the same results. Technologies like these can reduce water usage by 30%. As our urban centers grow, Colorado can develop policies that ensure new developments, and existing homes have increased opportunities to adopt these technologies. As governor, my policy and tone in the capital will be supportive of these changes.

Colorado must do more to explore the potential for water reuse. Water used in our homes may not be suitable to drink, but in many cases, it can be suitable for agricultural use. I believe the state can do more to work with our farming communities and local water utilities to maximize the life of water while it is in our state.

Supporting Rural Colorado
I believe all voices count, that if our state leaves any community behind, we are not truly moving forward.

We need jobs and economic development not just on the Front Range, but from the Northern to the Southern Mountains, and the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains. Our small and rural communities need to have just as much of a say in our future as any of our cities.

I will be a Governor who seeks ideas from every corner of our state, and I will work strategically with communities statewide to ensure sustainable economic development opportunities that will benefit each unique community.

Legal Marijuana
Since Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, our state has been at the forefront of this critical movement and industry. As a candidate for Governor in 2018, I recognize the immense contributions the Marijuana industry has made to our state since 2012 – from job creation, to the strengthening of our real-estate market, to the contributions of tax-dollars to fund our schools and drug abuse prevention efforts. As the Marijuana industry continues to expand in our state, I will work to ensure it is supported by smart regulations that allow the industry to grow, mature, and evolve, while also protecting our citizens. I will partner with other state executives and lead the fight to modernize our federal laws. It is vital that we allow the industry to bank legally and work to remove the crippling financial burdens caused by outdated federal tax-codes.

As the industry continues to expand, I will work to ensure it is supported by smart and safe regulations, that allow the industry to grow and evolve, while also protecting our citizens. It is vital that we allow the industry to bank legally and work to remove the crippling financial burdens caused by outdated federal tax-codes. I will also partner with other Governors to lead the fight to modernize our federal laws, and push back on Jeff Sessions’ attempts to criminalize law-abiding citizens.

Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology holds potential to modernize our state's operations, revolutionize the way we secure data, improve privacy, and empower government agencies to operate and collaborate far more efficiently than ever before. This technology could become an entirely new industry akin to the internet in the mid 1990s. In partnership with private sector leaders, as governor, I will develop policies that foster blockchain technology development in Colorado to unlock the benefits it offers, and provide the people of Colorado enhanced government services, stronger cybersecurity and reduced cost to the taxpayers. As governor, I will assemble a committee comprised of tech, community, and government leaders to provide guidance on how to most efficiently and effectively deploy blockchain technology in Colorado.^[39]

”

—Noel for Colorado^[40]

Michael Johnston

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Colorado Promise
America used to be a factory town. Growing up, you could look out your bedroom window and see the place you were going to work for the rest of your life. Smoke stacks poked up from behind houses across the street. Storefronts lined Main Street. Local companies operated right in the heart of town. Whatever your “factory” was, you could get there, as long as your road took you through high school. Graduate, and you’d find a good job, maybe at the same place your parents worked for forty years.

Not everyone did it that way – lots of people left their hometowns to find their fortunes. But they all got the same promise: go to school, work hard, play by the rules. If you did this, life would be pretty good.

That promise is broken today. It didn’t happen all at once, and it’s not the fault of any one person. But globalization, technology, and short-sighted economic policies that tilt more and more to the most fortunate have built a different kind of American economy than the one we grew up with.

Now, instead of thinking about 40-year careers in one place, an entire industry can emerge, grow and die in five years. This can make the path to security and prosperity hard to see – especially when you kept your part of the promise, worked hard, got a degree, and still can’t find a job that pays the bills.

Some are trying to promise that we can turn back the clock to a world when these changes didn’t exist. Others want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend this change isn’t coming at all. Neither one of those options can fix the promise that has been broken.

So now we need a new promise, a Colorado Promise, that gives Coloradans the skills to change as rapidly as the new economy does. How do we do it? It starts with ensuring that every Coloradan who is willing to work for it can develop the skills they need to find opportunity in the new economy.

Under this promise, every Coloradan – at any stage of their life – is eligible for up to two years of debt-free tuition for community college or training in exchange for providing meaningful service to the state. Nothing is free in Colorado- you have to work for it- but under the Colorado Promise, that work will allow every Coloradan to get the skills they need for the high-demand and well-paying jobs that are emerging. Those who need it most can also get additional funding for fees, books, and emergency expenses that keep too many struggling students from graduating.

Taxes & Infrastructure
Mike supports working families by finding innovative solutions to Colorado’s financial and infrastructure challenges. He has protected main street businesses, found innovative ways to finance new construction of rural schools and fought to make Colorado’s tax structure both fair and adequate to fund the state’s needs. Among his legislative accomplishments:

Mike fought for a $100 million tax credit to put money back in the hands of our hardest working families. He fought for legislation that made sure mom and pop businesses can compete on a level playing field by requiring that online, out-of-state businesses pay their fair share. This state legislation became a national model, later upheld by the United States Supreme Court. He worked to extend the low-income housing tax credit. Mike reinstated and fully funded the ability for seniors to reduce their tax payments on the homes they own. Mike made it easier for Coloradans to pay their taxes by voting against a 2016 bill that would have increased state tax forms by 18 pages.

Clean Colorado
Mike believes that Colorado should continue to lead the nation in moving towards a clean energy economy that meets the needs of Coloradans while also reversing the impacts of man-made climate change and protecting our state’s greatest treasures: mountains and open lands, beautiful rivers, and clean air. As governor, he will fight any effort to sell off our state’s public lands. Among his legislative accomplishments:

Mike championed legislation requiring 30% of our state’s electricity to come from renewable sources and he voted to include rural electric associations. In 2013, Mike supported legislation that made Colorado the first in the nation to require the capture of methane gas. In 2011, Mike created a commission to streamline where power lines are set in order to make possible the more aggressive expansion of wind and solar resources in rural Colorado. He fought to expand the size of tax credits for electric vehicles and made it easier for consumers to cash those in when they buy their cars. In 2011, Mike proposed a clean energy improvement financing program that helps customers pay for home improvements if it leads to more energy efficiency. He fought for increased transparency with building energy performance and he allocated funds to improve the energy efficiency of state buildings. In 2010, he brought legislation that successfully required new homes to have water-saving features. He supported adding hydroelectricity as a source of energy for public utilities.

Great Schools
As a former teacher and school principal, Mike believes all kids – regardless of background, income or where they live – should have access to adequately funded, high-quality education. Mike has worked to make the education system in Colorado prepare our kids to be able to support themselves and their families, and give back to their communities in adulthood. As governor, Mike will work to increase support to our state’s public schools and implement a “Lifetime Opportunity Promise” providing two years of assistance to individuals wishing to attend college or receive job retraining in exchange for a promise of service to the state. Among his legislative accomplishments:

Mike established innovative mechanisms to expand the funding for early childhood education across the state which ensure that taxpayers only pay for successful programs. He sponsored the READ Act which provided $20 million to school districts for additional literacy support programs including full-day kindergarten. Since that legislation, the percentage of K-3 students on track to become proficient readers increased from 60% to 74%. Mike fought for resources our schools needs through the Student Success Act, which allowed for the largest single investment in K-12 in state history and provided a financial transparency system so every parent and teacher could know exactly how their tax dollars are spent. After 13 years of failed attempts, Mike led the charge to pass the ASSET bill – Colorado’s DREAM act – to allow undocumented kids access to in-state tuition. Mike also fought to make sure the kids of military families who attended Colorado schools were guaranteed in-state tuition at our state’s colleges and universities. Mike revamped the state evaluation system to ensure people earned job protections based on performance and had meaningful chances to improve their practices through high-quality evaluations. This also put more power and control in the hands of local school leaders and their teachers by ending the practice of forced placement. Mike also championed legislation which allowed for teachers to deduct classroom expenses from their taxes.

Fighting For Our Rights
Women have the right to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their physicians. They also have the right to birth control as part of their insurance, and to equal pay for doing the same work as men. Throughout his time in the legislature, Mike fought for those rights and will continue that fight as governor. Mike believes in preserving the gains Colorado made over the last decade, and that our LGBTQ community must be celebrated, respected and placed on equal footing with all other Coloradans. Among his legislative accomplishments:

Twice, Mike fought for legislation to provide access to long-acting reversible contraception. Mike put forth legislation that required that health insurers cover maternity care and contraception and prohibited health insurers from considering gender in setting rates. Mike championed legislation providing for pregnancy accommodations to employees. Mike co-sponsored the legislation legalizing same-sex civil unions in advance of the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Mike co-sponsored legislation expanding creating the largest expansion of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act in state history. This bill enabled victims of workplace discrimination to seek compensatory and punitive damages, and for the first time included those discriminated against for sexual orientation. He earned a 100% on One Colorado’s legislative scorecard in 2016 (its first year). One Colorado is our state’s largest advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans and their families.

Crime Prevention and Justice
Safety, prevention, justice. That’s what Coloradans expect – and deserve – from our criminal justice system. But far too often, our system fails. I’ve seen it firsthand. My wife Courtney is a Chief Deputy District Attorney. I have sat in the back of her courtroom and seen people justly prosecuted for some of the worst of human behavior – people who have broken our laws and the morals that guide us. As a state senator, I worked to make punishments for some of the most egregious crimes tougher.

At the same time, from our own community office in Park Hill, I have seen too many neighbors get caught up in the criminal justice system when their real need was treatment, mental health or job skills. I’ve seen us send poor parents to jail just because they can’t afford to pay bail, even though they don’t pose a threat to their neighbors. And I’ve seen how the burden of incarceration falls disproportionately on communities of color, so that a black man in Colorado is over seven times more likely than a white man to go to prison.

“Mike Johnston’s criminal justice reform plan embodies the smart on crime, 21st century policing strategies that our country needs. His proposals would strengthen and improve policing, build stronger bonds of trust between communities and police, help former offenders reintegrate into society, and make the state a safer place. Governors are uniquely positioned to reform our criminal justice system; I hope these changes are enacted and that others follow his example.”

– Ron Davis, Former Executive Director, President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing

I have seen the ways we fail those who leave prison – how we don’t invest in helping them become contributing members of society and as a result, put them right back on the path to incarceration. In a state with an unemployment rate under 3%, 60% of returning citizens do not have jobs a year after release, and they overwhelmingly end up back in prison.

These unacceptable failures leave us less safe, waste our money, and increase suffering. As your Governor, I will build a system that can deliver lasting justice for all.

This three-part plan lays out a path to building a justice system that keeps us safe and lives up to our highest ideals. What’s more, this comprehensive plan will save the state money, increase public safety, and enhance crime prevention and rehabilitation, all spending less than we do today. Our plan would require $23M annually from the state and return savings of $77M to the state and more than $25M to county government every single year.

Safety Grow our Police Forces and Increase Community Policing: Police officers do incredible work all around the state of Colorado every single day to keep us safe. Too few shoulder such an important burden; our state needs more officers. More police officers lead to lower crime; it has been proven over and over again. More police officers allow for more high-quality community policing. Community policing is as much a culture as it is a strategy and making it effective requires real changes and real capacity: officers need to be allowed more time to spend in neighborhoods and at community gatherings building relationships. That’s why, as Governor, I will reinvest savings from bail reforms into hiring more police officers. This new recruiting push will focus on increasing the diversity of our police so they best represent the communities they serve. Prevention Stop Criminalizing Drug Addiction – Expand Drug Courts: I will fight to ensure every Coloradan whose presenting charge is drug-related has the potential to be deferred to a drug court, which provides alternative pathways to treatment instead of punishment as long as the individual stays off drugs and on track. Stop Criminalizing Mental Illness – Expand Mental Health Courts and Expand Treatment: If a defendant is charged with a misdemeanor, has no history of violence, and has been formally diagnosed with a mental illness, we should send them to a mental health court, which allows them to be referred to treatment instead of prison so long as they adhere to their treatment regime. For those convicted, we should provide continuity of care through the Department of Corrections while expanding the use of medical furloughs for Medicaid-funded hospital care for non-violent inmates, and partnerships with Community Mental Health Clinics to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based therapy and day-to-day support. Invest in Workforce Development In Prison and Upon Reentry: I will significantly expand workforce development and education opportunities for incarcerated individuals. In addition, I will build Pay For Success partnerships that help formerly incarcerated individuals find employment. This includes directing individuals who are ready for traditional training programs toward The Colorado Promise, my signature campaign proposal to ensure that every Coloradan who is willing to work for it can develop the skills they need to find opportunity in the new economy. Justice In addition to protecting all of us, our criminal justice system must respect the rights and dignity of all Coloradans and operate equitably. Right now, our system is profoundly unequal and disproportionately harms our neighbors of color and those living in poverty.

Eliminate the Death Penalty: I will eliminate this inhumane, expensive practice and replace it with life in prison without parole. Stop Criminalizing Poverty – Reform Cash Bail: Nobody should ever spend a night in jail because they are poor. Bail should only be used when someone is deemed to be a threat. I will redesign our bail system so that someone’s release is based on risk, not personal wealth. We will move toward new risk assessment tools that ensure that the vast majority of nonviolent offenders are not sitting in jail before trial. Those who are dangerous, on the other hand, should be subject to a bail that keeps them off the streets. Take Profit out of Prisons: Prisons provide a public service – they should remain public institutions. For-profit prisons have been shown to provide poorer services and should be phased out. Reform Sentencing: I will repeal the Habitual Offender Law for nonviolent offenders in order to reduce excessive sentencing and instead focus on rehabilitation. How Do We Pay for It? Criminal justice is one of the few policy areas where the most ambitious ideas bring the greatest savings, not the greatest costs. Criminal justice reform is a win-win proposition, which is why everyone from the the Koch Brothers to Bernie Sanders, and many in between, see the virtue and value in reform.

Some of these interventions do involve up front investments. The expansion of drug and mental health courts will cost approximately $8.8M/year, which will be funded through marijuana tax revenues intended for addiction treatment and prevention; this represents less than 4% of the marijuana tax revenue. The expansion of in-prison education and workforce development programs would cost $10M/ year up front, but lead to massive savings. I would reallocate the savings from Drug Court expansion to fund this work. The improved partnerships with community Mental Health Centers will cost $4M/year. Those interventions will be funded with Hospital Provider Fee revenue. The rehabilitation programs will take advantage of the Pay for Success legislation I passed in 2015.

Taken together, the elements of this plan will reform criminal justice in Colorado by strengthening policing, preventing unnecessary incarceration, treating illness, and connecting the formerly incarcerated to opportunity, all while saving the state money over the long term. Colorado can be a safer and more just place for all. This plan is the pathway to make it happen.

Affordable Health Care and Healthy Communities
My plan will reduce health care costs, increase access -- especially access to mental and behavioral health support -- and invest in prevention so that we aren’t just treating illness, but actually making people and communities fundamentally healthier. When I think about health care, I think about Charlie and Sheila Sanchez.

Charlie and Sheila live in Alamosa County. Charlie works as a contractor who installs energy-efficient upgrades in low-income homes throughout the San Luis Valley. Sheila is an elementary school teacher, devoted to many kids well beyond their own two boys. They are a tight-knit family, and can’t get enough of each other.

What does any of this have to do with health care? The Sanchez’s oldest son, Peyton, had his first tumor diagnosed at just six months old. A sick child is already enough for any family to handle. But then, the second punch lands: how are we going to pay for this? Charlie and Sheila faced bills of nearly $45,000 a week to get their baby the lifesaving care he needed.

That moment when a mom strokes her daughter’s hair on the way to the emergency room, or a husband squeezes his wife’s hand as she settles back into her hospital bed, or a man calls his elderly dad, just to check in and make sure he can still make it on his own, happens in homes all across our state every day.

It’s never easy. When you add the question of whether getting needed care will bankrupt your family, it becomes downright cruel. That’s not how it should be in America. And it should never be that way in Colorado.

The Sanchez’s story has a happy ending. Without even waiting to ask, a nurse filled out the paperwork to get Peyton covered by a Medicaid waiver. Peyton got enrolled in a clinical trial that saved his life. Now as an 11-year-old, he runs a lemonade stand that is famous throughout the valley, where he earns money and donates it to charity. This should be the story for every family in Colorado: when someone you love needs care, you will have somewhere to turn, and will be treated with dignity.

That’s what my health care plan is about.

Right now, that’s not the case for far too many of our neighbors. While we have made significant gains in access to insurance, we have some of the highest health care costs in the country. Many families and children still can’t get insurance at all. More than half of the counties in the state are experiencing a health provider shortage. Those who do live close to care often find a system that is difficult to navigate, bills and prices that are impossible to understand, and practices that seem designed to drive profits for hospitals instead of outcomes for patients. These gaps are even starker when looking at access to mental, substance abuse, and behavioral health care. Too many Coloradans can’t get the help they need. And too frequently, we are missing opportunities to make strides on issues like tobacco and obesity that make our communities so sick, and our system so expensive in the first place.

My plan will reduce health care costs, increase access — especially access to mental and behavioral health support — and invest in prevention so that we aren’t just treating illness, but actually making people and communities fundamentally healthier.

I will accomplish this through a handful of strategies. I’ll launch a public option for families locked out of affordable health insurance and expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover every income-eligible child and pregnant woman — regardless of immigration status. I will recruit physicians to serve in areas with shortages and expand telemedicine access, so even those in the most distant corners of our state can reach care. I will make provider and prescription drug prices more transparent, so we can move our system to one where there’s a shared incentive to promote health, not charge for more procedures. I will increase support for those suffering from mental health or substance abuse disorders, defend access to contraception, and increase access to healthy foods — all while deepening our focus on prevention and healthy lifestyles. These are the kinds of investments that are right for our families, our communities, and our economy. With our innovative spirit and collective commitment to rising to these challenges, we can be the healthiest state in the nation.

The Solutions First, I will reduce health care costs. The debate over health insurance has rightly dominated our health policy discourse for the past decade. We need access to affordable insurance, but also, affordable care. As Governor, my Administration will:

Launch a public option: When the market fails to provide an affordable option, the state should make one available. If an individual can’t find a plan on the exchange with premiums less than roughly 10% of their income, they’ll be eligible to buy-into a Medicaid public option. This will guarantee that every person has an affordable option available to them, at no added cost to the state. Cover ALL Children in Colorado: While Washington can’t even guarantee the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will be fully funded for more than a few weeks at a time, we in Colorado must fight not only to protect the program, but to expand it. I will expand coverage to all income-eligible children and pregnant women, regardless of immigration status. Bring more choices to Colorado consumers: I will strengthen the exchange using every tool I can: reinsurance pools, state leverage, and strong leadership. More competition means lower prices, everywhere in the state. Help patients and taxpayers see what health care really costs: Too many Coloradans don’t know what their health care costs are until they get the bill in the mail. Health care costs must be more transparent. I will fight to make the costs of common procedures and prescription drugs more transparent, and use that data to help shift our system to one that that prioritizes value, not volume. Second, I will face the mental health and substance abuse crisis, head on. Opioid abuse is a vivid and painful illustration of the unmet need for behavioral health care, but the problem extends deeper to manifold untreated mental health and substance abuse disorders plaguing our neighbors in every single county in the state. There are no shortcuts here — we need to make our overall system for mental health care stronger, especially in rural areas. As Governor, my Administration will:

Bring badly needed doctors to all parts of the state: I will provide tax credits to providers who serve in rural communities, and specifically recruit primary and mental health doctors to serve communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis. Expand telemedicine to bring services to underserved parts of the state: I will work to help providers access broadband services, so they can fully take advantage of telemedicine to provide essential primary care as well as mental health and substance abuse care. Ensure that every person suffering from opioid addiction receives the best treatment available: To start, I will work to make medication-assisted treatment available everywhere in the state. Lastly, I will make investments in prevention. While it is critical to improve our health care system, we also need to work upstream, so that we aren’t just treating illness, but actually making people and communities healthier. As Governor, my Administration will:

Tax deadly tobacco: The hard truth is that 5,100 Coloradans die from smoking every single year. As Governor, I will support increasing the tax on tobacco which will save lives, and importantly, prevent children from starting to smoke in the first place. We’ll reinvest some of these funds for smoking cessation programs. Reverse the obesity trend: I will increase access to healthy foods and remove barriers to living healthy, active lifestyles so that individuals and families can take charge over their own health and wellness. Protect the gains on women’s health: The Trump administration has re-opened the door to letting employers deny female employees affordable contraceptives. I will protect this critical access by ensuring we have a state solution in place, and requiring all insurance in Colorado to cover contraceptives, with no co-pays. Simply put, these are the biggest bang-for-your-buck policies out there. The Trust for America’s Health estimates that every dollar spent on prevention yields nearly six dollars in return. Together, this package of policies puts downward pressure on costs, increases access to needed care, shifts our system to prioritize value, and makes long term investments that will pay dividends for decades.

This is a big, comprehensive plan because this is a big, comprehensive issue. We spend over $30 billion on health care each year in Colorado. And in this unstable federal landscape, our work at the state level is even more important than ever. The next Governor will have the opportunity to not only cement the past decade of gains in health access, quality, and affordability, but take them further. By making these investments, we can become not only the healthiest state in the nation, but also the most economically productive, creating a model for the rest of the country. Simply put, these investments are right for our state, right for our families, and right for our economy.

How Do We Pay for It? This plan nets the state money: it takes $48 million in upfront investments, but then reduces overall health care spending by reducing disease, treating addiction, and better connecting people to care.

This plan consists of $9.3M to expand Medicaid to undocumented children and pregnant women, $2.5M to improve the state cost and quality database, $1M for the provider tax incentive, $15M for tobacco cessation programs, and $20M for broadband expansion. All the other interventions take advantage of existing authority and state leverage. I will use the hospital provider fee to fund the Medicaid expansion and database improvements. The provider tax incentive comes out of our existing surplus. The tobacco tax will fund the tobacco cessation programs and broadband expansion.

Gun Safety — #4NoMore
After every shooting people send thoughts and prayers, shrug their shoulders, and say there is nothing we can do to stop it.

There is something we can do. We just need the courage to do it.

Click here to see Mike’s powerful TV ad on gun safety.

We are calling on students, parents, community members and elected officials to join the movement #4NoMore.

No more school shootings. No more funerals for 14 years olds. No more high school football teams without a coach. No more military-style weapons deafening hallways that should be full of laughter.

So here is what America can do to keep our communities safe, and how Colorado will lead the way with Mike Johnston as Governor.

4NoMore

1. Ban high-capacity magazines. What kills kids the fastest are the 30-, 50-, 100-round magazines that are only designed for mass slaughter, not for recreation or self-defense.

2. Implement universal background checks for every gun purchase, everywhere. We must do this, not just at stores but at gun shows and online and out of the back of a pickup truck so that no one can buy a gun in America without a background check. Period.

3. Ban bump stocks. There is no valid recreational or self-defense use for a bump stock. It turns a regular gun into a machine gun and this does not have a place on American streets.

4. Create gun violence restraining orders (GVROs). GVROs would keep guns out of the hands of those who are a threat to themselves or others. Without harming due process, they would allow a family member, close relative, teacher or law enforcement officer to identify someone who is mentally ill or making verified threats and ensure they do not have access to guns until that threat is resolved.

These 4 simple steps would have been enough to stop the mass shootings in Parkland, Las Vegas, Aurora, Orlando, and Newtown.

Mike has owned guns all his life and led the battle in Colorado to pass universal background checks and ban high-capacity magazines. With your support, he took on the NRA and won. Twice. Mike is not afraid of the gun lobby. But we are afraid of increasing class sizes in heaven, and that’s something we can all agree on.

Now we need the courage to act on it.

Read the details of our full gun safety policy below.

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I Will Keep Guns Away From People Who Are a Danger to Themselves and Others

We have a responsibility to protect the innocent, and keep guns away from people who have shown they intend to do harm. We must keep these deadly weapons away from:

Those Who Commit Domestic Violence — As part of this effort, I will improve implementation of SB-197, which requires that individuals who are under certain domestic violence protective orders or are convicted of certain domestic crimes may not purchase or possess a firearm. I will ensure judges issue this order and police capture guns. I will also close the loophole that allows for non-married, non-cohabitating domestic abusers to own a gun. Those Who Commit Hate Crimes — Those who have demonstrated a willingness to act on hate should not be trusted with guns. In a country that is struggling to heal from hate-fueled massacres at Charleston AME church and the Pulse Nightclub, we must ensure that those who commit hate crimes of any kind are prevented from access weapons that can do mass harm. Currently Coloradans who commit hate crime felonies may not have a gun, but those who commit hate crimes misdemeanors can carry a gun the next day. As Governor, I will impose a ten year prohibition for those convicted of hate crime misdemeanors. Individuals at Risk of Harming Themselves or Others — Often, families are the first to recognize that a loved one is in crisis. They can see the signs when someone poses a danger to themselves or others. According to the Brady Center, 42% of individuals who commit mass murders exhibit concerning behavior before their crimes. Gun Violence Restraining Orders, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, allow police officers and family and household members to petition a court to temporarily separate a person from firearms if there is documented evidence they may hurt themselves or others. I Will Make Colorado Schools the Safest in the Country

Too many parents in Colorado have endured the devastation of losing a child to an act of violence committed at school, a place where we must insist all children can be safe to learn and grow. We can have an honest disagreement about exactly how to balance a commitment to public safety with the right to bear arms. But when it comes to our children and the schools that serve them, we need to get this right.

I will make Colorado the first state in the nation to put into place a comprehensive approach to preventing violence in schools. I will enact the three key research-backed strategies that Sandy Hook Promise, the extraordinary nonprofit founded by the parents of children murdered in that horrific tragedy, have proven can prevent school violence:

Require all schools to develop threat assessment plans and trainings for gun violence in schools. Many Colorado schools already do this, but it must be universal. Schools would be given additional support to use the best available evidence to keep their students safe. Require all schools to provide suicide prevention training to teachers, administrators, and students. By identifying the warning signs of a mental health crises before it escalates, and connecting that child to appropriate care, we can prevent our kids from self-harm. I Will Ban Weapons and Accessories Designed for Assault and Mass Murder

While we may not be able to prevent every single act of gun violence, we can do more to address those weapons that are designed for and capable of increased destruction and harm.

We took a big step in 2013 by limiting magazines to 15 rounds. But too many dangerous weapons still remain. We must make sure our policies improve as quickly as weapons dealers seek to evade them.

In particular, bump stocks must go. The massacre in Las Vegas in 2017 was the worst mass shooting in American history: 58 concert goers were killed and over 500 people were injured. The shooter in Vegas used a bump stock, which made it possible for him to fire long, deadly bursts from a semi-automatic rifle. These gun conversion devices turn semi-automatic rifles into de facto automatic weapons capable of inflicting mass casualties. Right now these devices are completely unregulated. This must change. In fighting for limits on magazine sizes on the Senate floor in 2013, I said that “The task of taking lives and the task of saving lives are fundamentally different endeavors, and they require different tools.” Bump stocks are tools for taking lives. We will outlaw them.

Conclusion

Getting this done will require us to stand together as Coloradans with a clear understanding that massacres aren’t the price of freedom and that courage and common sense are our path to safety. Let’s do the work worthy of those who have suffered the pain of loss. Let’s imagine and build a better Colorado for the young people who deserve to grow up in a safe home, our great state.

Women's Equity and Opportunity
I will stand with women by fighting the scourge of sexual assault and harassment across college campuses and in the workplace, by ensuring Coloradans have the capacity to care for their families through paid family leave, and by challenging existing pay gaps in our economy. It’s hard to get three little kids out the door early on a weekend morning (or any morning for that matter). But on January 20th, I was honored to share the historic Denver Women’s March with Ava, Emmet, and Seamus. This nationwide march was the second largest mobilization in American history—because the first women’s March holds the distinction as being the biggest, ever. Nothing makes me more proud than marching with my girl—and my boys— to push back against oppression and stand up for an equitable society.

We are living through an incredible moment in the history of gender equity. The Women’s March obviously stands out as a truly special national event. Meanwhile, the #MeToo movement is garnering unprecedented momentum in condemning structural inequities and giving voice to previously silenced women. Tides are shifting quickly, and more and more women are speaking up and speaking out. It’s beautiful, important, and inspiring.

But the truth is our state and our nation’s policies have not caught up to this movement, yet. No single policy is enough—we need constant and aggressive attention to progress if things are really going to shift. As your Governor, I will apply a lens of gender equity to every single policy that comes across my desk.

So, let’s get to work. There are several policies that need to be immediately prioritized. These represent some of the most important and overdue changes needed in our state. As your Governor, I will stand with women by fighting the scourge of sexual assault and harassment across college campuses and in the workplace, by ensuring Coloradans have the capacity to care for their families through paid family leave, and by challenging existing pay gaps in our economy.

I Will Fight Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Domestic Violence While the #MeToo movement has generated tremendous momentum for women’s voices to be heard and begun to change the discourse and power dynamics as women share their stories, there are concrete protections that need to be in place to support survivors and prevent transgressions in the first place.

Pass The Survivors’ Bill of Rights— I will fight for Colorado to enact a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights to standardize best practices of support. Such basic, non-controversial rights were signed into federal law in 2016, yet they only apply to federal cases. To ensure that Coloradans have equal protections, Colorado must pass survivor rights to ensure that all kits be preserved until the statute of limitations expires, and survivors be informed of relevant results from the medical exam. Enforce Obama Era Title IX Protections for All Students—Title IX, the landmark 1972 legislation that protects women from discrimination in education, is under attack. The Trump and DeVos Education Department has rolled back guidance meant to ensure that women are not subject to sexual assault and harassment without fair adjudication on our nation’s campuses. Colorado will not let this go unchallenged; we will ensure fair adjudication of sexual violence wherever it happens and do all we can to reduce the sexual violence on our campuses. Require Affirmative Consent on College Campus—“Yes Means Yes”—Colorado needs a higher standard to ensure safety against sexual assault and harassment. Specifically, I will fight for a statewide affirmative consent law for colleges to use in sexual assault cases. This empowers survivors by defining consent as “voluntary, affirmative, and conscious,” preventing coercion or force from being used to establish consent, and clarifying that anyone incapacitated by drugs or alcohol or otherwise not fully awake cannot give consent. Make Government a Leader in Fighting Harassment—Harassment happens everywhere—the halls of our state government are no exception. As Governor, I will ensure the most leading edge prevention and response programs are in place. To start, I will take the advice of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and work with the legislature to launch a bipartisan review of all current procedures in the legislative branch, and I’ll go further by launching a similar process within the Executive branch. I will fight to ensure #timesup for any harasssers or abusers who have found too much comfort in existing policy. Keep Those Who Commit Domestic Violence from Retaining Guns—I will improve implementation of SB-197, which requires that individuals who are under certain domestic violence protective orders or are convicted of certain domestic crimes not be able to purchase or possess a firearm. I will ensure judges issue this order and police capture guns in possession of the individual. I will also close the loophole that allows for non-married, non-cohabitating domestic abusers to own a gun. I Will Help Coloradans Care for Their Families Coloradans deserve the opportunity to care for their families without sacrificing economic stability. As Governor, I will pass universal family leave to ensure these pursuits are not mutually exclusive.

Launch the Most Comprehensive Family and Medical Leave Plan in the Country—All Coloradans deserve paid leave. Nobody should have to miss being there to support a dying parent or to celebrate the first days of a child’s life. Further, paid leave is important for employers, employees, and families. As Governor, I will push for a scaled model that provides Coloradans access to twelve weeks of paid family leave at 75% of their average weekly wage. This can be utilized during the first 12 months after the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, to deal with one’s own serious illness, or to care for a close relative with a serious health condition. Employees have the option to continue their health insurance during their leave and are guaranteed the same or a comparable job upon return. The premium costs for this Paid Family Leave policy are covered through employee payroll deductions. Protect the Gains on Women’s Health—An important part of helping Colordans take care of their families is giving women the power to choose if and when they want to have children. As I announced with the release of my health plan, I will fight to protect access to contraceptives for everyone in Colorado. The Trump Administration has re-opened the door to letting employers deny female employees affordable contraceptives. I will protect this critical access by ensuring we have a state solution in place, and requiring all insurance in Colorado to cover contraceptives with no co-pays. I Will Tackle the Pay Gap In 2016, Colorado’s median annual earnings for women were about 80-84% of men’s median annual earnings. This impedes their ability to pay for education, limits their capacity to buy a home, and has enormous implications for their earning potential over time. There have been a number of initiatives in recent years that support Colorado to close this gap, and as Governor, I will work to ensure that we move our state firmly toward gender pay equity. The benefits of doing so are far reaching across our state socially and economically.

Abolish Questions about Former Compensation in all State Hiring—As Governor, I would ensure that applicants are not asked to disclose their prior compensation when seeking a job with the state government. The practice of anchoring offers on prior compensation reinforces current pay disparities and further harms historically disadvantaged groups like women and minorities. By abolishing this practice, all applicants will be more likely to receive compensation offers based on their ability to perform a given job.

Technology & Innovation for Good
Colorado is a leading force for technological innovation in the country. Coloradans are driving innovations in tech, aerospace, healthcare, and energy — every major sector of the economy. The state is 2nd in the nation for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs demanded per capita. But, we have further to go to fully unleash Colorado’s potential: we produced less than one thousand computer science college graduates last year, of which less than one-quarter were female. 30% of Coloradans in rural areas and 10% in urban areas lack access to Broadband Internet. As Governor, I will ensure:

Every Coloradan Learns the Skills of the Future

For Colorado to be a technology leader in fields like clean energy and cybersecurity we need to ensure the talent of Colorado has the tools needed to succeed.

CS4CO: Every High Schooler Will Graduate with Computer Science Skills: I will make Computer science available to all students, wherever they attend school. We must give our kids the fundamentals they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. As Governor, I will make access to computer science a top state priority, and require that all districts create annual plans naming how they will make computer science accessible to all students. This means eliminating “STEM Deserts” in the state — places where high schools do not offer rigorous STEM courses that prepare students for college. Additionally, I will host the first-ever “Colorado Governor’s’ Science Fair” where we will invite amazing STEM students from all over the state.

Train More Coders My Colorado Promise plan will give every Coloradan who wants it a path to technology training they need to become a coder. In 2017, an estimated 22,949 people graduated from coding bootcamp programs across the country, a sizable number when compared to the 79,650 computer science graduates from traditional colleges and universities. Colorado is home to 10 of the nation’s 95 coding schools, and we should continue to support bootcamps with proven track records of leading to high quality jobs and other approaches to creating ladders of opportunity for our community. With a labor market that is constantly shape-shifting, new education opportunities like bootcamps help us stay competitive and grow new companies locally. In addition to my Colorado Promise plan, I will work to establish an Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships program, modeled after the federal program of the same name, to support partnerships between traditional and non-traditional education institutions and give our citizens more options to achieve their goals.

Every Coloradan Will Have an Opportunity to Put Tech Skills to Use

I will ensure that no matter where you live, you have access to all the benefits and opportunities of technology and the modern economy.

Expand Broadband Access Anywhere we deliver the mail, we should deliver broadband. I will triple the Broadband Expansion Fund with $20M annual investment, and ensure the internet remains a level playing field by defending net neutrality. Every aspect of our economy now depends on a fast, reliable, and affordable connection — from modern agriculture to precision medicine.

Jump Start Opportunities in Rural Colorado I sponsored Colorado’s Jumpstart program to incentivize entrepreneurs to start or move businesses to rural parts of the state. This created 11 new companies and over 650 new jobs in Mesa County alone. We must expand this program across rural communities and accelerate other efforts to create jobs in rural Colorado. This means providing a tax incentive to employers who hire employees who live in rural communities, not just moving their offices there; supporting Startup Weekends that are already taking place from Durango to Steamboat; building out hubs of “virtual density” across rural communities to make it easier for employers to find and hire remote workers in-state; and supporting coworking spaces with high speed internet to facilitate remote work and virtual coding bootcamps.

Grow the Maker Movement Colorado is home to a vibrant community of do-it-yourself tinkerers, builders, coders, and makers, using digital design, 3D printing, and machining. With 47 makerspaces across the state, Colorado is promoting local economies and building up local talent pools. Through training programs, this talent can help Colorado build out our advanced manufacturing base. As Governor, I will work toward supporting a dedicated makerspace in every county in community colleges, recreation centers, agriculture extension offices, and high schools.

Government Will Leverage Tech and Innovation for Good

Colorado should leverage our incredible tech and innovation talent in the state to benefit every citizen. This means bringing technical talent to the policy table and asking our top user design experts, coders, and product managers to do a “tour of service” through our state government. We can start by:

Launch the Colorado Innovation Fellows Our capacity to serve the people depends on our ability to recruit innovative leaders, which is why I launched the Urban Leader Fellowship 8 years ago. As Governor, I will launch an Innovation Fellowship modeled after a similar program initiated by President Obama, to bring digital talent into government to tackle big challenges such as food assistance and housing.

Default to Open Data and Open Source Colorado should adopt a statewide policy for open data and open source code, similar to the policies established by President Obama at the federal level. Citizens deserve access to the data their taxpayer dollars are generating, and to the code it’s producing. Open data drives collaboration, transparency, improves efficiency, and can support private industry. Open source avoids having two of our cities pay twice for the same product, improves the cybersecurity posture of the state through peer review of code, and builds better products with community supported products.

Adding Technology Expertise to the Policy Table Government needs to add a seat at the table for technology leadership. All too often policy decisions are made without technical expertise present. We wouldn’t have a meeting about the economy without an economist in the room, but we have meetings constantly about launching a service online without a technologist weighing in. This means government agencies are unable to effectively negotiate with vendors on architecture, design, and cost. I will add the right technical talent to ensure evidenced-based policies are implemented and make sure Colorado is a savvy builder, buyer, and partner with industry.

Endorsements

“Mike Johnston’s innovation agenda is exactly what Colorado’s economy needs to ensure it works for everyone, especially in preparing families for the jobs and industries of the future.” –Aneesh Chopra, former US Chief Technology Officer under President Obama

“The people of Colorado need leaders who work hard every day to win the future, not the news cycle. The investments we make today — in STEM education, in broadband, in entrepreneurship — will make sure all of us can thrive in our rapidly-changing economy and democracy. I’m heartened to see Mike Johnston’s bold science and technology vision for Colorado and I hope many other candidates nationally and locally follow in his footsteps.” –Kumar Garg, a Science & Technology Advisor under President Obama^[39]

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—Mike for Colorado^[41]

Cary Kennedy

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Health Care
A Public Option for All Coloradans As Governor, I will lead Colorado to universal health care coverage. The Affordable Care Act gets close – 97.5% of children in Colorado are covered and over 94% of Coloradans have health insurance today. We can be proud of this accomplishment, and I will not let Washington take us backwards. But there is more work to do. Every single one of us needs to be able to get high-quality, affordable health care when we need it and where we need it. Right now we face two significant challenges: health insurance is too expensive and too many people don’t have access to the care they need. I have a bold vision to give all Coloradans affordable, high quality health care. Under my plan, all Coloradans will be able to purchase coverage through Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program), or one of the private plans offered to state employees. These public options will lower premiums, stabilize markets, and increase affordable health insurance options for all Coloradans, and especially those in rural communities.

Read my full health care plan here.

Early in my career I helped start the Child Health Plan in Colorado, which helped tens of thousands of low income children across our state get health insurance. As Governor, I will always work to ensure everyone in Colorado has access to affordable, accessible, high quality health care, because health care is a right for everyone.

Reproductive Health Care Women in Colorado — and everywhere — need access to safe and effective sexual and reproductive healthcare, including access to the contraceptive method of their choice and abortion services.

I support a woman’s right to choose when and if she will continue her pregnancy. Reproductive rights are human rights and women must have autonomy over their bodies. Over 40 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court granted women this constitutional right in the historic Roe v. Wade case. This decision established that a woman’s Constitutional right to privacy covers her right to make personal medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion. Because of this landmark decision, women have had access to safe and legal abortion for most of my lifetime. Also for most of my lifetime, some have worked to limit women’s ability to make personal medical decisions. This has resulted in some women, mostly those with less means, having to deal with barriers to accessing the care they need.

Colorado has been a national leader in increasing the ability of women to plan for and decide when to become parents. Our state implemented a program that has made all contraceptive methods more widely available to women of all income levels, including long acting methods like IUDs and implants. Colorado’s investment in improving access to more types of birth control has reduced the the teen abortion rate by 64%, reduced unplanned pregnancies among teens by more than 50% and among those in their early 20s by a third.

Protecting and Expanding Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care

As governor, I will protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care. We cannot allow ideological extremists in DC to deny evidence and undermine public health successes by infringing upon a women’s right to choose in Colorado. If the federal constitutional guarantee that has been settled law for decades is overturned, it will be up to the states to protect that right. As governor, I will protect the right of all Coloradans to access the medical care they need — regardless of income — to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. I will oppose any legislation that attempts to restrict women’s access to reproductive health care or abortion services. I will also fight to protect and improve Coloradans’ access to contraception.

Protecting and Expanding Coloradans’ Access to Contraception

Having the ability to choose to start a family when one is ready has social, economic, educational and health benefits for women and their families. Having access to contraception increases access to financial stability, higher education and career opportunities.

The Affordable Care Act included access to all forms of birth control as part of basic preventative health care, and without a copay. This allowed more women to choose what type of birth control works best for them. If Donald Trump succeeds in rolling the Affordable Care Act and its protections for women back, I will support legislation that protects this access in Colorado.

Even before the Affordable Care Act, Colorado passed legislation that prevents insurers from charging women more for the health coverage, and required insurers to cover contraception and maternity care. Women with private insurance are also now able to pick up a year of birth control at once. We can increase access by ensuring that all women have this opportunity, regardless of what type of insurance they have.

We must fight back. That is why I support policies that make sense, will help more people, and support access to sexual and reproductive health care for everyone.

Education
As governor, I will make education Colorado’s top priority. It isn’t acceptable that our economy ranks at the top and our investment in education, K-12 and higher education, ranks at the bottom. We have been cutting our state’s education budget in Colorado for nearly three decades ever since the TABOR amendment passed. The result is that today half of Colorado’s school districts have cut back to a four-day school week and we pay our teachers among the lowest salaries in the country. It’s no surprise that Colorado faces a teacher shortage. Teachers cannot afford to live here. Every day good teachers are leaving the state or leaving the profession. We can do so much better. I grew up with three brothers and sisters who joined my family through the foster care system, so I know what it means when children don’t get the opportunities they need to succeed. I am concerned that our education system is focused too much on high stakes testing, narrowing curriculums and blaming teachers. Colorado can and should have one of the best education systems in the country — one that matches our state’s great progress. We need to support our schools and educators so they can give every student in Colorado the opportunity to succeed. This will be my top priority as Colorado’s governor.

A Great Teacher for Every Classroom

“Colorado teacher shortage declared a crisis” – Fox31 News, July 28, 2017

Every kid in Colorado needs a great teacher in every classroom. But here in Colorado we are losing good teachers to other states because our salaries cannot compete. Studies show Colorado is one of the ten least attractive states to work as a teacher because of low salaries, lack of support and insufficient professional development. With one of the best economies in the country, we can do so much better. Students living in poverty or in rural parts of our state are most affected by this growing crisis.

Paying Teachers as Professionals

We know that good teachers are the single most important factor in a student’s academic success. Colorado needs to pay its teachers better. Teachers should be able to afford to live in the community where they work, without having to take a second job or go on public assistance. Colorado should attract and retain the best and brightest in teaching, and support the great teachers we have working today in our classrooms.

The average starting salary in Colorado for teachers is $32,126 and is even lower in rural areas of our state. In some rural counties, teachers make 24% less than the average cost of living for the area where they teach. More than 20% of mid- to late-career teachers in our state hold down second jobs. This is the sixth highest percentage in the country. Mid-career Colorado teachers who head families of four or more qualify for seven public benefit programs, the highest number of any state. Colorado’s teachers make 26% less than professionals with comparable levels of education. This is the second worst teacher pay penalty in the country. The lack of investment in our teachers is compromising public education in Colorado. Every day we lose great teachers and lose the potential to give our kids the great education that we want for them. We need to pay teachers a competitive, professional salary that allows them to live in the communities where they teach. Higher pay will promote a larger supply of potential teachers making jobs more competitive and increasing the quality of teachers.

My goal as governor is to raise teacher pay in Colorado at least to the national average and close the teacher pay penalty, which is the difference between what a teacher earns and other professionals with the same education. This will help guarantee that every Colorado student, by the age of 19, regardless of where they live and how much their family makes, is ready for higher education, a career, or both.

Protecting Retirement

My experience as State Treasurer and CFO of Denver makes me uniquely qualified to provide the leadership needed to keep the Public Employee’s Retirement Association (PERA) of Colorado on sound financial footing. Over 10% of Colorado’s population rely on PERA instead of Social Security, and as with Social Security, a pension is a promise. It is essential we protect the retirement savings of so many Coloradans. Especially when those retirement saving equate to $3.8 Billion annually to the 98,332 Colorado residents helping to sustain over 32,807 jobs and $6.1 billion in economic output across Colorado. While I was State Treasurer, I helped lead efforts to strengthen PERA by improving the status of PERA by over $9 billion — the largest improvement in its history. As Governor, I will continue to provide this leadership to ensure we maintain our commitment to public employees and keep our state on sound financial footing.

Expanding the Teacher Talent Pipeline and Developing a More Diverse Teaching Workforce

Colorado needs to expand its talent pipeline for great teachers and expand opportunities for people who want to pursue a career in teaching. Research has shown significant benefits for students served by teachers who better represent the demographic makeup of their student populations.

Scholarships for Future Teachers: As Governor, I will start a scholarship fund using state dollars — matched with private dollars from the foundation and business communities — for students at public higher education institutions who will commit to teaching in hard-to-serve, hard-to-staff schools. Teacher Apprenticeship Programs: My administration will expand teacher apprenticeship programs so that districts can support teachers in their first few years on the job, improving student performance and decreasing turnover rates among young teachers. We can build on existing programs and create public-private partnerships to help fund these programs. With our growing economy, the business community has an incentive to invest in Colorado’s talent pipeline. We will provide mentoring, professional development, and support for new teachers. Concurrent Enrollment for High School Students Interested in Education: Colorado will expand opportunities for high school students to take education classes and graduate with education certificates that expose them to the teaching profession and train them to work as paraprofessionals in classrooms. Increasing scholarships, apprenticeships, and concurrent enrollment will help Colorado recruit top talent into teaching, increase teachers of color and empower teachers to serve in their own communities.

Empowering Teachers to Be Leaders

Teachers are leaders. We need to support teachers and equip them to better prepare Colorado’s students for the workforce and higher education.

Expand the Role Teachers Play in Evaluation Systems: Our current evaluation system does not utilize the expertise of teachers, nor help them improve as professionals. We need a system that puts the student first and focuses on helping every teacher improve student learning. I support giving teachers’ perspectives and expertise more weight in student, teacher and school evaluations. Increase Opportunities for Teachers’ Professional Advancement: I will support school districts in developing programs that allow experienced, high-quality teachers to provide leadership for more junior teachers, help design evaluation systems, and participate in collaborative teaching models. We need to provide our teachers with opportunities to advance in their profession while continuing to directly serve students in the classroom. I will protect the rights of teachers and school staff to collectively bargain. That is the best process to ensure their expertise and perspective is given equal weight in decision’s that affect the success of schools and students.

Engaging the Community and Making Our Schools More Equitable

We are leaving some of Colorado’s kids behind, especially the ones that need us most. Colorado currently has the second largest achievement gap in the country; our students of color are performing well below their white classmates. I want all of our kids, regardless of background, to get the skills and education they need to succeed.

What happens outside of the classroom impacts the performance of our students and contributes to the inequities in Colorado’s schools. Making sure every Colorado student is ready for higher education, a career, or both includes solutions beyond the classroom.

Empower Families to Engage in Their Child’s Education: I will help support school districts’ efforts to expand programs that involve families and support their engagement in our schools. Offer two-generation learning opportunities for parents through after-school classes, including ESL, GED, personal finance, and technology classes. Expand district-wide family development programs that teach parents how to work with teachers, what the academic standards mean, and how to support their children in their school work. Universal Access to Quality Preschool and Full Day Kindergarten: Across Colorado, only about half of all young children are enrolled in preschool, or full-day kindergarten. Quality early education is essential for students to succeed and must be available to all young children in our state. Make Access to Technology More Equitable: I will support school districts in providing more opportunities for students to access technology needed for school work. Ensure every student has access to a computer or tablet. Train teachers and school leaders to better utilize educational technology. Ensure all students have access to broadband services. Teachers need support from other professionals: We need to make sure that every district can support nurses, counselors and all of the staff that help students grow and succeed. Support Students: Each student comes to school with a diverse and unique set of challenges and strengths. From food insecurity to social-emotional health, Colorado students face a number of barriers. We need to support our school districts in ensuring families and kids in their community can access the wraparound services they need. Providing access to services that address out of classroom factors will help students and teachers focus on learning. Additional support services are especially important for our students with special needs. We need to provide the services necessary to allow all students to learn and grow with their classmates at their neighborhood school. Replicate the Principles of Community Schools: Community Schools empower teachers and recognize a community’s important role in the education of its kids. We should give districts the support the need to embrace these principles in schools across Colorado. Making Education Colorado’s Top Priority

For Colorado to continue its growing prosperity we must make education our top priority. Great public schools are the only way to ensure that our state’s progress reaches everyone. I’ve helped lead some of the largest economic development projects in our state, which have brought global companies and jobs here. But, I see too many Colorado companies go out of state to fill their high-paying jobs because we aren’t preparing our kids. I want all of our kids, regardless of background, to get the skills and education they need so they can get the great jobs our state is creating. I will make public education Colorado’s top priority.

Planning for Growth
Here are my Guidelines for Growth — a plan that outlines how, as Governor, I will protect our state and plan for the future.

1. Make Colorado Affordable Part of ensuring that our progress reaches everyone is ensuring working Coloradans everywhere can afford to live here. Many people in Colorado can’t afford to live where they work.

2. Protect the Colorado We Love We need to be a leader in protecting open space, water and air so that our children and their children inherit the Colorado we love.

3. Plan, Prepare and Build for the Future Colorado’s gone too long without preparing for growth. We must make forward-looking investments in transportation, housing, water conservation, clean renewable energy and broadband so in the future, Colorado works for everyone.

4. Stand up for Middle-Class Families Colorado has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and many Colorado businesses are partners in our success — they pay their employees a living wage, protect our environment, and are committed to giving back to our community. We should demand that as we grow, businesses moving here are partners in our success.

I have released a number of policies that will help us protect the Colorado we love in the face of growth.

Housing – Ensuring People Can Live Where They Work In communities across Colorado, from metro areas to rural resort towns, the cost of housing is skyrocketing, leaving limited options to address our state’s massive housing shortage. Today, one in four Coloradans spends more than 50% of their income on housing and 40% of renters in our state spend more than a third of their income on rent. Because of these barriers, along with wage and income stagnation, many Coloradans are not participating in the great economic progress our state is experiencing. People can’t afford to live where they work or stay in the communities where they grew up. Part of expanding prosperity to include everyone is ensuring that Coloradans everywhere can live where they work.

Read my full Affordable Housing Plan here.

Open Space & Water – Protecting the Colorado We Love For Westerners, our love is the land. We are stewards of this treasured place, now and for the generations to come. Colorado must be a leader in protecting our open space and our water so our children and their children inherit the Colorado we love. Our lands, clean air and rivers also give us a competitive advantage. Businesses want to be here, where we value public lands, our environment, and quality of life. My goal as governor is for Coloradans to work together to conserve 1 million acres of land and 400,000 acre-feet of water by 2050, even as our State’s population grows.

I love nothing more than spending time outside in Colorado with my family – hiking, camping, and skiing. I will fight every day to keep Colorado the place we love. I will ensure Colorado’s public lands and treasured waterways are protected and accessible so future generations can enjoy and benefit from them as we do today. All of this becomes more important in the face of rapid growth.

Read my full Open Space and Water Plan here.

Infrastructure – Plan, Prepare and Build for the Future Colorado has always been a forward-looking and innovative place. But deteriorating roads, inadequate transit systems, and lack of broadband hold our state back, costing us time and money, and leaving many of our communities behind. We can build a more equitable and prosperous Colorado by modernizing our infrastructure. Our growing population is creating an urgency to meet this challenge, but also an opportunity to think big. I am ready to act now to improve Colorado’s infrastructure.

I have the experience to protect what we love about Colorado — and a proven track record of success. As Colorado State Treasurer and as the CFO for the City of Denver, I financed hundreds of projects around our state including road and bridge repairs, transit oriented development, community recreation centers, cultural venues and schools. It’s time for us to modernize our state’s transportation and broadband systems to expand prosperity in our state and ensure our progress reaches everyone.

Seniors
The population of those 65 and older in Colorado is expected to double to 1.2 million by 2030. We need to ensure our seniors are able to live dignified, independent lives and remain in their home if they choose. As CFO of Denver, I helped double Denver’s property tax rebate for seniors and disabled citizens to help keep housing affordable through the 2A ballot measure. As governor, I will ensure that our seniors have access to the housing, health care, transportation and support services they need.

PERA My experience as State Treasurer and CFO of Denver makes me uniquely qualified to provide the leadership needed to keep the Public Employee’s Retirement Association of Colorado on sound financial footing. Over 10% of Colorado’s population rely on PERA instead of Social Security, and as with Social Security, a pension is a promise. It is essential we protect the retirement savings of so many Coloradans. Especially when those retirement saving equate to $3.8 Billion annually to the 98,332 Colorado residents helping to sustain over 32,807 jobs and $6.1 billion in economic output across Colorado. While I was State Treasurer, I helped lead efforts to strengthen PERA by improving the status of PERA by over $9 billion — the largest improvement in its history. As Governor, I will continue to provide this leadership to ensure we maintain our commitment to public employees and keep our state on sound financial footing.

Mobility To help our growing senior population stay in their homes and in their communities, especially those that live in rural areas, we need to invest in mobility services. More than half of seniors and adults with disabilities depend on families, friends, or volunteers for transportation. As governor, I will partner with regional and local Councils for Aging and Transportation in order to improve senior access to public and specialized transit options. Increased transit options will help all Coloradans live healthy, independent lives.

Read my full Infrastructure Plan here.

Paid Family Leave Coloradans need the ability to care for their family members as they age. Eighty-eight percent of Coloradans do not have paid leave to care for a seriously ill relative, welcome a new baby to their family, or recover from a personal illness. 43% of Coloradans do not have any paid sick at all.The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not offer paid family leave. With Republicans in Washington still unwilling to fund the Child Health Insurance Program, it is clear that states will have to lead to improve working conditions for families. As governor, I will work to create a paid family leave program so that all Coloradans have the ability to care for a loved one. During my time as CFO and Deputy Mayor of Denver I pushed a proposal to provide paid leave for city employees. As governor, I will support legislation that creates a family and medical leave insurance program to provide partial wage-replacement benefits for people who need to care for a new child, care for a sick or aging family member, or recover from an illness themselves.

Energy & Environment
Colorado’s environment — our land, water and air — is our most important asset and we are stewards of this treasured place for generations to come. I believe protecting Colorado’s environment is a moral responsibility and that climate change is the greatest threat to humanity. My goal as Governor is for Colorado to have the cleanest air and the cleanest water in the country, and to be a model for the nation in using clean, renewable sources of energy. Colorado will be a leader in the fight against global climate change so that we can protect our state, and our world, for the generations to come.

Energy How we power our homes, cars and businesses is critical to the quality of our air, the success of our state’s economy and our collective efforts to fight climate change. Colorado has the opportunity to be a strong leader in the clean energy economy and on climate change. We are blessed with an abundant supply of wind and sun, and our labs and businesses are developing technologies that will transform how we produce energy — not just here in Colorado, but around the world.

While setting big goals for decades down the road sounds good, we need to take decisive action now to meet and exceed the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. We can implement ambitious carbon pollution reduction targets, and move quickly and efficiently to put in place policies to achieve those targets, by allowing flexible action and innovation in the most cost-effective way. In order to reduce our state’s pollution and combat climate change, we can change how we generate power and make cars, homes and businesses cleaner and more efficient.

As Governor, I will double the Renewable Energy standard, guarantee Colorado homes and businesses a 100% renewable energy option, and make CO the best state in the country to buy and drive an electric vehicle. These actions will drive a clean energy boom across the state, particularly in rural Colorado, creating thousands of high-paying jobs, and leaving a legacy of a healthy future for our children and their children.

Open Space and Public Lands Colorado’s public lands are our most treasured asset. Our rugged mountains, rivers, grasslands, mesas, and open spaces make Colorado one of the most spectacular natural settings in the world. Public lands also drive many of our local communities’ economies. From tourism and recreation, to cattle grazing and solar power, we have come together across this state to find ways to benefit from these lands while protecting their heritage, natural glory, wildlife, and fragile ecosystems. We must protect our public lands and outdoors; they’re why we love Colorado.

I love nothing more than spending time outside in Colorado with my family – hiking, camping, and skiing. I will fight every day to keep Colorado the place we love. I will ensure Colorado’s public lands are protected and accessible so future generations can enjoy and benefit from them as we do today. All of this becomes more important in the face of rapid growth. My goal as governor is for Coloradans to work together to conserve 1 million acres of land by 2050, even as our state’s population grows.

Water Water is the foundation for our economy and our heritage. We must protect Colorado’s treasured water for the future, especially in the face of rapid growth, so that Colorado’s families have clean drinking water and Colorado’s rivers stay healthy. We cannot continue to take more from our rivers, drain our aquifers, and dry up farmland to supply water to a growing urban population. Instead, we must take action and implement innovative and forward-thinking solutions to use water more efficiently. Each watershed in Colorado is unique, and we need to support local communities to finance and implement the state water plan. My goal as governor is for Coloradans to work together to conserve 400,000 acre-feet of water by 2050, even as our State’s population grows.

Jobs & Economy
I have served as a part of Colorado’s leadership team for over 10 years, both as your State Treasurer and the CFO & Deputy Mayor of Denver. I am proud of the progress our state has made recovering from the Great Recession to become the top economy in the country. We are a hub for innovation, collaboration and advanced science and manufacturing. Colorado is building a modern knowledge economy and our future prosperity and job growth will depend on education, research and the exchange of ideas and development of talent. But not everyone in Colorado is benefiting. I am running for governor to build on the great progress we are making and to ensure our progress reaches everyone.

TABOR I am the only statewide elected official who has called for permanent TABOR reform since the beginning of my career and helped lead two successful statewide ballot measures that avoided deep cuts in education that TABOR otherwise would have required (Amendment 23 in 2000 and Referendum C in 2005). The spending caps in TABOR have forced Colorado to cut our investment in schools for decades, and prevented our state from modernizing our infrastructure to keep up with growth.

Colorado has one of the strongest economies in the country. However, TABOR is outdated and has locked us into fiscal and economic policy that prevents our state from meeting the demands of a growing economy. We can maintain protections for taxpayers, and have responsible fiscal policy for our state by allowing tax revenue to keep up with Colorado’s economic growth.

Paid Family Leave Eighty-eight percent of Coloradans do not have paid leave to care for a seriously ill relative, welcome a new baby to their family, or recover from a personal illness. Forty-three percent of Coloradans do not have any paid sick at all.The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not offer paid family leave. With Republicans in Washington still unwilling to fund the Child Health Insurance Program, it is clear that states will have to lead to improve working conditions for families. As governor, I will work to create a paid family leave program so that all Coloradans have the ability to care for a loved one and welcome a new child to the family. During my time as CFO and Deputy Mayor of Denver I pushed a proposal to provide paid leave for city employees. As governor, I will support legislation that creates a family and medical leave insurance program to provide partial wage-replacement benefits for people who need to care for a new child, care for a sick family member, or recover from an illness themselves.

Equal Pay In Colorado, women are paid 81 cents for every dollar men earn. The wage gap is even larger for women of color. Black women are paid 64 cents, Latinas are paid 54 cents, and Asian women are paid 70 cents for every dollar paid to white men. This inequity is found all across the state and has been growing wider for women of color. It is unacceptable. As the CFO of Denver, I conducted a review of the staff who reported to me to ensure that we were paying people fairly for their work. When I found inequalities, I adjusted salaries to be equal. As governor, I plan to do the same. I will begin my term by conducting a review of equal pay conditions at the state and make adjustments as necessary.

In addition to advocating for family friendly legislation like paid family leave, I will support legislation addressing the pay equity gap. Colorado should:

Reinstitute something similar to the Colorado Pay Equity Commission to study the problem and support employers and employees in understanding the pay equity gap. Ensure that all state contractors are in compliance with equal pay standards. Ensure that women are not discriminated against in the job application process by preventing employers from seeking salary history information unless the employer had provided a salary range for the open position. This prevents discriminatory payments from following a women throughout her career. Local Preemption of Minimum Wage Colorado voters overwhelmingly took a huge step forward with the passage of Amendment 70 which will raise the minimum wage to $12 and hour by 2020. However, we know that cost of living varies dramatically in different parts of the state. Local communities should be allowed to vote to raise the minimum wage in their towns and cities. As governor, I will push for legislation that overturns the prohibition of local governments enacting minimum wage laws. A majority of minimum wage workers in Colorado are women. This is an issue of local control and economic justice. We must allow Colorado voters and communities the freedom to raise their minimum wage.

Collective Bargaining I stand with working families and believe that unions play a critical role in building and protecting the middle class in America. Unions help hardworking people access good paying jobs, health care benefits and have workplace protections. These values make our economy stronger. This is especially important as we are witnessing the largest income gap in our country’s history. When unions are strong, entire communities enjoy better wages and greater social and economic mobility. I believe in collective bargaining, and as governor, I will never let right-to-work laws take hold in our state. Employees, unions and employers all stand to benefit from working together, and workers deserve a seat at the negotiating table.

Infrastructure – Plan, Prepare and Build for the Future Colorado has always been a forward-looking and innovative place. But deteriorating roads, inadequate transit systems, and lack of broadband hold our state back, costing us time and money, and leaving many of our communities behind. We can build a more equitable and prosperous Colorado by modernizing our infrastructure. Our growing population is creating an urgency to meet this challenge, but also an opportunity to think big. I am ready to act now to improve Colorado’s infrastructure.

I have the experience to protect what we love about Colorado — and a proven track record of success. As Colorado State Treasurer and as the CFO for the City of Denver, I financed hundreds of projects around our state including road and bridge repairs, transit oriented development, community recreation centers, cultural venues and schools. It’s time for us to modernize our state’s transportation and broadband systems to expand prosperity in our state and ensure our progress reaches everyone.

PERA My experience as State Treasurer and CFO of Denver makes me uniquely qualified to provide the leadership needed to keep the Public Employee’s Retirement Association of Colorado on sound financial footing. Over 10% of Colorado’s population rely on PERA instead of Social Security, and as with Social Security, a pension is a promise. It is essential we protect the retirement savings of so many Coloradans. Especially when those retirement saving equate to $3.8 Billion annually to the 98,332 Colorado residents helping to sustain over 32,807 jobs and $6.1 billion in economic output across Colorado. While I was State Treasurer, I helped lead efforts to strengthen PERA by improving the status of PERA by over $9 billion — the largest improvement in its history. As Governor, I will continue to provide this leadership to ensure we maintain our commitment to public employees and keep our state on sound financial footing.

Rural
Colorado’s rural communities are a foundation of our state’s identity, heritage, and economy. But all too often these communities are left behind or left out of economic development, infrastructure, and important public debates. As a state leader for nearly two decades I have worked in rural communities throughout our state. I have helped them rebuild schools, ensured rural children have access to health care and repaired aging highways and bridges. As Governor, I will listen to rural Colorado and and form creative partnerships with our rural communities to provide the support they need to develop their unique strengths and opportunities.

Agriculture Our agricultural industry is at the core of Colorado’s economy, identity, and history. Colorado’s diverse agriculture and food industry leads the world in innovation and sustainable management practices. As Governor, I will lead to ensure Colorado’s agricultural industry is a global leader. I support research and innovations that make our agricultural industry dynamic, sustainable and adaptable to climate change. I will prioritize agricultural energy efficiency programs that reduce production costs for farmers and ranchers. As CFO of Denver, I helped develop the financing and represented farmers and ranchers for the National Western Center proposal, which includes a state of the art center for agriculture and climate science. Colorado should lead the nation to strengthen and advance agriculture; promote a safe, high quality and sustainable food supply; and protect consumers and the environment.

Economic Development Colorado is building one of the strongest economies in the world. We are determined not just to grow our economy, but to grow in ways that ensure that more people can benefit from our success and protect our beautiful state. Colorado is a model for the nation in developing new ways of doing things. As governor, I will continue my track record of bringing innovative solutions to ensure Colorado’s progress reaches everyone. I will follow the lead of local communities as we partner to bring economic development to all parts of the state. Whether it’s expanding access to broadband, supporting our outdoor recreation economy, investing in infrastructure, or connecting workers with ongoing education or re-training programs, the state should be a partner in ensuring all four corners of our state succeed for generations to come.

Broadband Broadband is as essential in our communities now as electricity was a century ago. Colorado’s communities need abundant, redundant, and affordable broadband. Nearly one in four Coloradans in rural areas does not have access to broadband and of those that do, many only have access to expensive, unreliable, and/or slow options. This inequitable access to broadband hurts our rural areas and is a major driver behind the unequal growth across the state. I hear too often from local business owners in rural towns about how they lose internet on important holiday shopping days and cannot process a credit card!

Social Justice
I have three siblings who joined our family through the foster care program, and one sibling who joined my family through her church. As a child, I saw firsthand how inequity and a lack of opportunities had impacted my siblings’ lives. I recognize that I do not face the same racial, economic and social barriers that many Coloradans face. However, I have devoted my career to tearing down those barriers in pursuit of a more equitable and just society.

Racial Justice The racial biases entrenched in the United States do not exclude Colorado. From our criminal justice system, to our economy and public schools, Coloradans of color do not have a fair shot. In 2015, Black Coloradans were nearly three times as likely to be unemployed as white Coloradans. Latino students were more than three times less likely to receive a college degree than white students. American Indians in Colorado are nearly three times more likely to live in poverty than white Coloradans.

I have not had to overcome the racial barriers facing many Coloradans. However, I have spent my career trying to dismantle these barriers by writing and implementing policies that support Coloradans who have been denied opportunities to succeed. As Governor, I will fight against racism and racial injustice and I hope all Coloradans will join me in the fight for a more just and equitable Colorado.

Immigration My husband immigrated to Colorado from India when he was seven years old. My husband’s family moved here so he could have a better life and it is my commitment as governor to ensure all immigrants in Colorado have the same opportunity. As Governor, I will make sure all Colorado families feel safe and welcome in schools, courthouses, and other public places. That includes standing up to the Trump administration’s racist efforts to scapegoat and persecute our immigrant families. I stand behind all of Colorado’s families and support DACA fully and unequivocally. I call on Congress to demonstrate real leadership and pass comprehensive immigration reform for so many that contribute to our country.

Death Penalty I personally do not support the death penalty, and do not believe the state should take a life. I am also concerned that death penalty sentences are disproportionately applied to Coloradans based on race. Extensive research has found racial bias in sentencing and in the application of the death penalty. It is unfair and immoral to continue the practice when we know this bias exists. The death penalty results in slow and uncertain justice for families of victims, an extensive financial burden to families and taxpayers, and is not an effective deterrent of crime. As governor, I will sign legislation that outlaws the death penalty in Colorado. Until then, it is the law in Colorado and the governor is not above the law. I will enforce Colorado law which allows for a direct appeal to the governor to consider all of the facts and circumstances in a case. Before making any decisions as Governor, I will meet with all parties involved in any death penalty case including victim family members.

LGBTQ I am proud that Colorado is a leader in protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people from discrimination. While we celebrate the brave activism and progress achieved by LGBTQ Coloradans and their allies, we can do more. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, equally, and with respect no matter who they are — or who they love. It is long past time for Colorado to ban the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy on young people. Transgender Coloradans should be able to have identity documents like driver’s licenses and birth certificates that match who they are. And we need to protect Colorado’s laws from attempts to allow businesses or individuals to pick and choose which laws to follow. Laws in other states that allow businesses to discriminate against people have been detrimental to local economies. Colorado is open for business to everyone, and should stay that way. No one should suffer the sting of discrimination — not in the workplace, not in the marketplace, and not in the classroom — not anywhere. As Governor, I will fight for equality for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families, and I will fight the regressive and hateful policies of the Trump Administration against LGBTQ Americans.

Criminal Justice Over the past 35 years, Colorado’s state prison budget has increased by almost 13 times. In 2015 we incarcerated nearly eight times as many people as we did in 1980. This era of mass incarceration in our state has had a devastating impact on individuals, families, communities, and the state’s budget. Reforming our state’s criminal justice system will require a nuanced and thorough set of reforms. As Governor, I will advance an agenda that prioritizes prevention and ensures that jails are not a replacement for important mental health services. We must confront the severe racial biases present in our criminal justice system and we need to demand solutions to bring down the rate of recidivism in our prisons and jails.

Gun Violence Prevention We lose too many lives to senseless shootings. We are no stranger to mass shooting tragedies here in Colorado. We need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill, which is why I support common sense restrictions on guns like universal background checks. We also need to keep military-style weapons out of our communities including bump stocks, silencers, and other military style devices that are designed to kill large numbers of people in a small amount of time.

Preventing Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Assault Everyone deserves a life free from sexual and gender violence and discrimination. One in five women has been the victim of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Nearly 1 in 2 women have experienced sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime. One in six men experiences abusive sexual experiences before age 18. Half of transgender people are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their lives. As Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement has made very clear – our current cultural norms and existing anti-harassment policies do not prevent widespread sexual harassment. Ending sexual harassment and exploitation requires shining a light, not only on abusers when they do harm, but also on the conditions that tolerate, or even encourage, abuse.

As Governor, I will support policies that follow these two principles:

Changing the cultural norms that tolerate abuse Supporting survivors of harassment and abuse when they come forward, respect their choice on how to report, and protect their confidentiality. Changing the Culture of Harassment at the Capitol:

Having a woman in the governor’s office means we won’t tolerate discrimination, sexual harassment or assault. As governor I will guarantee:

Confidential reporting, A thorough investigation of all complaints, If there is wrongdoing, I will take strong action including publicly calling for the person to resign if necessary or if appropriate, terminating their employment. As governor, I will conduct a survey of the conditions of sexual harassment and assault across all branches of state government. This information will help us update sexual harassment policies and enact a culture shift to prevent this behavior from continuing. We also need a nonpartisan, third party process that empowers legislators, employees across the three branches of government, interns and the general public access to safe reporting and thorough investigations.

Making College Campuses Safer:

One in five women experiences sexual assault while in college. The Trump Administration has rolled back important Title IX guidances issued to universities under the Obama administration. This action by the Trump Administration favors the accused by opening up opportunities for victim-shaming, allowing for investigations to drag on with no conclusion, and rescinding a victim’s right to appeal a decision. As governor, I will push for legislation that codifies the Obama-era guidance so we prevent the Trump administration from taking our state backwards and putting Colorado’s college students at risk.

Clean Campaign Pledge
We can all agree that the bitter tone and excess of political money in Washington, DC has no place here in Colorado. We’ve shown the country time and again how Colorado leads on so many forward thinking ideas.

It’s time for our state to lead again, so I challenge my Democratic primary election opponents to join me in pledging to:

Run Clean Primary Campaigns:

I promise to run a positive campaign. This is not the time or place for Democrats to run negative campaigns against each other. Democratic primary election voters - Democrat and Unaffiliated alike - want honesty from their candidates and they deserve that. Let’s agree to keep derogatory mentions of each other’s names out of our campaign commercials, mail pieces, phone calls, tweets, etc. Voters want to hear where we stand on the issues - they don’t want to hear personal attacks. Let’s honor Colorado voters and give them what they want.

Spend Responsibly:

An obscene amount of money gets spent on our elections these days, and people are tired of it. Let’s agree to scale back campaign spending in the Democratic primary. We want to be a strong, united front going into the general election in November. I am asking all Democratic candidates to pledge to cap primary election spending at $3 million -- plenty of funding to get our names on the ballot and effectively communicate with primary voters. This is far more than any Democratic gubernatorial candidate has spent before in the primary, so this should not be a hardship for any of us.

Reject Corporate Influence:

Corporations have too much influence in our politics today. I propose we all pledge to not take -- and if necessary, return any -- corporate PAC contributions, or donations from corporate lobbyists, to eliminate this influence in our campaigns and in our state government. And for any of us who have already accepted corporate donations, we should agree to return those contributions. When corporations lobby at the capitol it's because they have a profit motive.

Send a Message to Outside Groups:

Obviously, we can’t coordinate with any outside group that might be supportive of our campaigns, so we can’t tell them what to do.

As candidates, we need to send a message about what kind of politics we feel is appropriate in Colorado. If we keep our campaigns positive, they may follow suit.

If we can all work together toward improving our elections, maybe Colorado voters will feel more respected and get more engaged. If we show voters in the spring that Democrats are responsible leaders seriously focused on the issues and putting Coloradans first, whichever candidate wins the primary then will then have a strong start in winning the trust of voters in the fall.

Gun Violence Prevention
Last spring there was a shooting outside my daughter’s high school. Thankfully no students were hurt but like every parent, I’ve watched in horror as children were gunned down at Parkland, Newtown, Las Vegas, Aurora, Bailey and Columbine. No child or parent should have to live with this fear. I shouldn’t be afraid to send my kids to school or to the movies. The gun laws, the gun lobby and our leaders have failed us.

Following the Aurora theater shooting, Colorado showed the courage to enact some common sense reforms to keep our kids and communities safer by limiting magazine capacity, requiring background checks for every firearm sale, and preventing domestic abusers from purchasing firearms. We need to ensure that these laws are properly enforced and defended. And we must do more. The survivors of the Parkland shooting are bravely showing that our country will no longer tolerate senseless and unnecessary loss of life due to gun violence. Below are the three steps we must take:

Ban military style assault weapons designed to quickly kill large numbers of people. Keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others. Fight the NRA and the gun lobby. My heart is broken for the victims, parents and loved ones of the victims of mass shootings that have terrorized our country. It is time to turn our grief and fear into action. We can and will do more to prevent gun violence in Colorado.

Affordable Housing
Ensuring People Can Live Where They Work In communities across Colorado, from metro areas to rural resort towns, the cost of housing is skyrocketing, leaving limited options to address our state’s massive housing shortage. Today, one in four Coloradans spends more than 50% of their income on housing and 40% of renters in our state spend more than a third of their income on rent. Because of these barriers, along with wage and income stagnation, many Coloradans are not participating in the great economic progress our state is experiencing. People can’t afford to live where they work or stay in the communities where they grew up. Part of expanding prosperity to include everyone is ensuring that Coloradans everywhere can live where they work.

Create a Statewide Affordable Housing Fund

Coloradans across the income spectrum are feeling the squeeze of the cost of housing. As governor, I will establish a dedicated affordable housing fund that will support local communities as they find innovative and effective solutions for their unique affordable housing challenges. This new fund will increase the supply of affordable housing across the state. And, like the Building Excellent Schools Today program, this fund will recognize that Colorado’s local communities know what is best for their area and support localized solutions to each community’s unique needs.

A Colorado Affordable Housing Fund will:

Invest in a variety of affordable housing opportunities by financing the construction, maintenance, and preservation of the affordable housing supply in communities across the state. Invest in mixed-income housing opportunities that maintain diverse and inclusive communities across the state. Preserve affordable property so that it can be used for affordable development, not just more out-of-reach development. Support programs that provide rental/down payment assistance, address homelessness, increase homeownership, and help Coloradans attain affordable housing. Typically, an affordable housing developer can find 60-80% of the funds needed to construct new housing from private and local/federal government sources. A statewide Colorado fund would provide funding to fill the remaining gap to make sure projects get underway. In 2015, more than 100,000 people moved into Colorado while builders added only 25,000 homes to the housing stock. Right now, hardly any state dollars are dedicated to housing.

This new, innovative fund will be housed within the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and financed by a $50 million seed loan from the Colorado Unclaimed Property Fund. According to 2016 estimates, the Unclaimed Property fund is nearly 70%, or $82.7 million, over its required reserves. The state of Colorado will always pay all unclaimed property claims, no matter what. In order to sustain the fund, I will pursue legislation that will generate additional revenue from a small increase in real estate transaction fees, similar to that proposed in House Bill 1309 (“Documentary Fee to Fund Affordable Housing”).

Help Colorado Families Own Homes

Throughout my career, I have utilized innovative public financing to increase home ownership for Coloradans. During my time as Deputy Mayor and CFO of Denver, I started the Metro Mortgage Assistance Plus program which provides down payment assistance for low to moderate income families who are attempting to buy a home. Along with the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, the program has helped more than 1,400 Denver and metro area families buy a home. Over $300 million in mortgages has been generated through these programs.

I also helped launch the Housing to Health Initiative, which has housed nearly 200 hundred formerly, chronically homeless people in Denver. This program uses Pay for Success financing, which is an innovative public financing model that leverages private capital and public savings generated from successful outcomes by participants in the program. In the Denver Housing to Health Initiative, wraparound services are funded through the savings the city realizes from the participants not needing as many emergency services like detox and emergency room visits and from participants spending fewer nights in jail. This program recognizes the importance of housing and helping people avoid the criminal justice system.

As governor, I will bring this expertise in public finance and history of finding innovative solutions to helping more families buy and stay in their homes. We can expand assistance for down payments and closing costs. And we can expand programs that defer increased property tax payments to more people. This program is available now for seniors and active military personnel who are on a fixed income. For residents in areas where property values are increasing rapidly, the increased tax burden can prevent long-time residents from being able to stay in their home. Expanding this program to more people will help more people stay in their homes.

Protect Colorado’s Tenants

Colorado lags behind the rest of the country in protecting the rights of renters. Many renters have very few rights when applying for housing, and we see even fewer protections when renters are evicted. Following an eviction, low-income families spend thousands of dollars on application fees only to be turned down because they have housing vouchers. This further drives families into poverty. Colorado can do a few things to help end this cycle for families, and to make sure our state’s economic progress is inclusive.

Increase Landlord Transparency: All too often, honest working families in Colorado are denied housing. Before accepting an Application Fee, a landlord should provide: Tenant’s rights and landlord responsibilities for maintaining a safe and habitable home; Whether or not they make application decisions based on criminal background checks and how far into an applicant’s past those background checks extend; If they make application decisions based on if the tenant has previous history of eviction. End Income Discrimination in Housing: It should be illegal for landlords to deny applications based on the source of income. People who qualify for vouchers should not be denied solely for that reason. Expand Legal Aide for Evicted Tenants: Colorado should raise the eviction filing fee that landlords pay to evict families and use those funds for legal assistance for tenants being evicted. This will both discourage landlords from using evictions and help protect the rights of Coloradans at risk of being evicted. Evictions are a leading cause of family homelessness, can often trigger job loss and declines in physical and mental health, drive up local poverty and crime rates, and are more frequent in communities of color and rapidly gentrifying areas. Making sure hard working Coloradans can find and keep housing without facing exorbitant costs will help our economic progress reach everyone.

Increase Opportunities for Skills Training in the Construction Trades

One reason for our diminishing supply of affordable housing is a lack of skilled workers to build new houses. Experts predict that this will only get worse. The shortage is nationwide but particularly distressing in Colorado, a state with the lowest unemployment rate in the country, 2.3 percent, coupled with one of the highest growth rates. Colorado State University’s department of construction management estimates that by 2025 there will be 96,000 vacancies in the construction trades in Colorado, a 38% increase from today. By working with labor unions, community colleges, and construction companies to increase the number of available training and apprenticeship programs for Coloradans interested in the building trades we can take a step toward solving this problem.

Veterans
Colorado is home to almost half a million American heroes who faithfully served our country in uniform. It is our responsibility to ensure that we stand by these brave men and women. Our country made a promise to them in return for these sacrifices and as governor I will fight to make sure these sacrifices and commitments are not forgotten and that our veterans receive the honor and services they have earned.

Most services for our veterans are provided by the federal government so I will work hand in hand with our Congressional delegation to hold Washington accountable to deliver what our veterans need and are entitled to. But there are also additional steps the state can and should take to support our veterans. These include:

Expand the state income tax deduction on veterans’ pensions: I support allowing all military retirees regardless of age to benefit from the state income tax deduction. Increase the number of Veterans Trauma Courts throughout the state: We need to provide support to veterans who encounter legal trouble that is related to PTSD or other issues resulting from their military service. Often these individuals are suffering mental and emotional trauma after enduring experiences on the battlefield that most of us could never imagine. Veterans courts help by enlisting troubled veterans into a program that includes counseling and mental health treatment. The program holds veterans accountable for their actions, but understands the traumas they have suffered. There are currently six veterans courts operating in different jurisdictions across Colorado. As governor, I will work with judicial districts throughout the state to find ways to expand this program so that we can get all Colorado veterans the support they need. Install a dedicated officer in the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to oversee programs related to Women and LGBTQ vetarans: There are 46,000 female veterans living in Colorado and many LGBTQ veterans. These warriors served honorably alongside their male and heterosexual colleagues yet they face additional challenges. Women and LGBTQ veterans face unique challenges upon returning home and throughout their lives. There are higher rates of sexual trauma for women in the military, and returning home to a society unaccustomed to women veterans can be challenging. While the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a major step forward for our LGBTQ service members, traditional veteran services may not address the needs or provide welcoming spaces for LGBTQ veterans. A dedicated officer in Colorado’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs can address these needs and ensure that our women and LGBTQ warriors receive equal support and respect.^[39]

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—Cary Kennedy for Governor^[42]

Donna Lynne

“

Delivering Quality & Affordable Health Care
I’ve fought alongside Governor Hickenlooper to help save the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to make improvements to it. The ACA has been a success, especially here in Colorado where we have cut in half the number of people who didn’t have health coverage – it’s now less than seven percent of our population – with more than half a million more Coloradans getting coverage they didn’t have before.

But more must be done. As the Lt. Governor and Chief Operating Officer, I’ve worked on legislation to expand access, increase transparency, and make health care more affordable for all Colorado families.

I think health care is a right, not a privilege, and I support universal coverage and will fight to make it a reality for all Colorado families.

Donald Trump wants to move us backwards by taking health care away from hundreds of thousands of Coloradans – this is wrong. As governor, I’m going to keep working to expand coverage, improve care, and lower costs.

Providing a Quality Education
Over the last 13 years, I have worked inside and outside of government to improve our education system, focused on helping every Coloradan have the best possible opportunity to succeed. While funding our schools will continue to be a challenge due to TABOR and our constitutional issues, I have and will continue to focus on improving funding and outcomes for all Colorado students.

We know that by 2020, more than 70% of the jobs in our state will require some kind of post-secondary degree, and right now we aren’t doing well enough. We need to increase post-secondary degree attainment across the state, but in particular for our state’s minority populations which face significant equity gaps relative to our white students.

As Lt. Governor and Chief Operating Officer, I’m working to address this critical issue, and as governor, I’ll continue the progress we’re making. One of our goals is to increase the number of minority high school students also taking college courses. This is a proven way to reduce the cost many students pay to obtain a college degree and ease the transition from high school to college.

We need to do more to ensure our teachers at every level have the resources and support they need to be effective in the classroom. We have a real teacher shortage in our state – especially in our rural regions – and as governor I will work to address this.

As a co-chair of the state’s Early Childhood Leadership Commission, I understand how pivotal the right support for our youngest learners is to their long-term success, and as governor I will have the experience to deliver for them.

And while it will be a difficult challenge, I also believe that we must make critical changes to our K-12 school funding formula to better address the needs of all our students.

Protecting Our Environment
Part of what makes our way of life so unique is the incredible natural treasures we have throughout our state. As governor, I’ll continue the progress we’ve made ensuring our environment is protected for generations to come.

Climate change is real, and we must do all we can to slow its effects. I’ve worked to improve Colorado’s air quality, ensure we have clean rivers, streams and drinking water, and increase our conservation efforts.

We’ve set real goals to reduce nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide and other emissions in our state. We’re making progress, but more must be done. We’ve already begun to see our energy providers make plans to speed up their transition from coal-based energy to renewables, and I applaud those decisions.

As governor, I’ll work with our energy providers to continue the transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy production while keeping costs low for consumers, and ensuring that we provide retraining for workers who have been affected.

Ensuring Opportunity for All Coloradans
Colorado’s economy is so strong that the US News and World Report Best States ranking put us at #1. Our unemployment rate is low, businesses are adding jobs at a rapid clip, and we have a highly skilled workforce. But there is more we can do to make sure everyone benefits – especially in the rural parts of our state – and to ensure Colorado stays a great place to start and build a business.

As a long-time business leader, I have created thousands of good paying jobs in our state and focused on providing the right support for our employees to succeed. I’m a strong supporter of raising the minimum wage and doing more to help hardworking Coloradans get ahead.

I also know that there is real income inequality in this country and our state, and this is especially magnified among our minority and rural communities. Focusing on education at all levels is an important way to address this challenge, and we should continue and expand our career training and apprenticeship programs.

One of my priorities as Lt. Governor and Chief Operating Officer is to make government services easier to access and navigate, so that it’s easier for entrepreneurs to get started here. We have moved more than a hundred professional license applications online, and reduced by 30% the amount of time it takes to complete these. This helps people spend less time in line, and more time building their business and supporting workers.

Building the Infrastructure We Need For the Future
Colorado’s population grows by the thousands each month as more people move here to enjoy our quality of life and our strong economy. But to ensure we maintain what makes our state so attractive to natives and newcomers alike, we must invest in our infrastructure – from roads, to water, to broadband.

Anyone who has spent time sitting in traffic on I-70, I-25, or many other roadways knows that we have real work to do. We need to address our funding challenges head on and build on the down payment Governor Hickenlooper and the General Assembly negotiated this past session with Senate Bill 267.

As one of only two headwater states in the country, our state plays a unique role in ensuring a sustainable water future for all Coloradans. Our statewide Water Plan provides the blueprint for the kind of conservation, storage and innovation we need to protect and fund our water future, and as governor I will continue this work.

We cannot sustain a strong statewide economy without universal broadband availability. Our entrepreneurs, our students and our health care workers can’t get the information they need to succeed without this connectivity. We’ve set an ambitious goal to reach 100% across the state, and as governor I will make sure we achieve it.^[39]

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—Lynne for Colorado^[43]

Jared Polis

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Education
Free Full-Day Preschool and Full-Day Kindergarten in Colorado
As Governor, I will bring together a winning coalition to establish universal full-day kindergarten and preschool in every community across our state within two years.

High-quality, full-day kindergarten and preschool promotes school readiness, closes achievement gaps, and supports the healthy development of all children. Improved access to preschool and kindergarten would also save parents money on daycare, and allow parents the flexibility to go back to work sooner if they choose, not only helping families pay rent and put food on the table, but also generating additional tax revenue for the state while decreasing reliance on public assistance programs.

Full-Day Kindergarten

Colorado will achieve universal full-day kindergarten by making state kindergarten funding full-time (equivalent to the full-day for 1st grade) for all students in public schools. Investing in giving our kids a comprehensive 21st-century education. Full-day kindergarten will give our kids a better opportunity to learn at a high-level earlier in their lives. This is critical in giving children the tools to succeed throughout school, and also when they enter the workforce. In fact, eleven states and the District of Columbia already offer full-day kindergarten to their children, and it’s time for our state to be added to this list.

Currently, Colorado funds about 5,400 full-day kindergarten slots under the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) but only children who meet certain at-risk factors are eligible. The middle-class deserves a free, high quality, full-day kindergarten program, too, as a matter of simple fairness and to ensure that every child gets a strong start, and that’s what my plan will provide for.

Full-Day Preschool

Structure and Quality

While any full-day kindergarten program would work through school districts, preschool incorporates a larger set of quality community providers. I will collaborate with school districts on meeting their capital needs to be able to offer preschool themselves, as well as develop ways to ensure that today’s early childhood workforce can get the training and skills they need to become professional educators. The fact is that the CPP is simply not currently meeting the needs of Coloradans, and my goal will be to invest in creating universal access to high-quality early childhood classrooms.

According to the new Preschool Yearbook, Colorado serves 23 percent of four-year-olds and eight percent of three-year-olds in mostly half-day programs (2.5 hours/day).

To achieve universal preschool in Colorado, I support creating a new program, the Colorado Universal Preschool Program (CUPP), which would direct state funding to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to provide formula funding to any three-and-four-year old Colorado child whose parent wants the child in preschool. The program would direct CDE to allocate the amount of a full per-pupil-funding (PPF) to any high-quality preschool provider (such as a school district or community-based organization like Head Start) that a parent chooses, as long as the provider – after the first three years of the program – is rated at least a level 4 out of the state’s 5-level rating under the Colorado Shines rating system. CUPP would be co-administered by CDE and the Colorado Department of Human Services.

CUPP would be an added layer on top of the existing Head Start and child care funding for low-income children, who are already served, to provide preschool access for all Colorado children whose parents want it. To transform the existing CPP into the universal full-time CUPP program, I would work with the legislature and relevant stakeholders to adjust funding to full-time PPF. CDE also provides funding for a limited number of slots for the Early Childhood At-Risk Expansion (ECARE) program, which has more flexible funding options that include full-day preschool and Kindergarten. This program would also be folded into the new CUPP funding system, as would other funding for early childhood education.

Local Early Childhood Councils

Local Early Childhood Councils would ensure quality in all early-care and education settings, including helping build supply and improvements, in addition to their current role as integrating entities and community hubs for all early childhood services and supports.

Specific Needs

The CUPP would have a special fund to invest in more facilities (using BEST funding, working with businesses/non-profits to leverage private capital); and greater workforce support, such as coaching, job-embedded professional development, evidence-based communities of practice, and scholarships to increase credentials and degrees. The state’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan promotes the state’s professional development information system (PDIS), which outlines workforce coursework competencies framework for birth-to-3rd-Grade educators, and is aligned with educator effectiveness.

This is the foundation for coursework in Colorado’s community colleges, and we need to make sure that our educators are well-trained to meet the needs of young children and that they have career opportunities to support themselves and advance in their career.

Basic Standards

All CUPP-funded programs would be required to have at a minimum:

Support for inclusive practices for children with special needs Support for dual language learners Family engagement Comprehensive services (health, mental health, nutrition, dental) Coordination among all early childhood education programs, including Head Start and school districts. Preschool policy must be connected with child care policy in every local region to ensure continuity of care for families with young children. Other CUPP Provisions:

CUPP would encourage shared services so that a network of early childhood programs could build shared organizational capacity Small centers and child care providers could form alliances on fiscal management, data reporting, staff and human resources, and other overhead expenses to streamline administrative costs, strengthen quality, and shift dollars to serving more children with quality services. Innovative and diverse delivery systems to address the rural and frontier communities, such as mobile/modular/temporary classrooms to address barriers such as transportation. Fully implement the new Every Student Succeeds Act requirement for school districts to form agreements with Head Start and child care providers on key coordination issues, including joint professional development, records, transition issues, and parent communication and involvement. CUPP will also require coordination on data, standards, curriculum, assessment, outcomes, recruitment, and retention efforts to support a Pre-K-3rd Grade alignment. Continuous development of CUPP policy and practice will draw on the successes and lessons learned from Colorado’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant, implementation of the newly reauthorized Every Student Succeeds Act, recently released Head Start Performance Standards and the reauthorized Child Care and Development Block Grant.

Birth-to-Three

To expand the state’s child development efforts during the peak years of brain development, I will fight for state investment in the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership to expand access to quality care for the state’s most vulnerable infants and toddlers.

This federally-funded program aims to improve child care for infants and toddlers by bringing the quality components of the Early Head Start program into child development centers and homes. This expansion would be targeted to low-income children, children with special needs, and children experiencing homelessness. Together, we can ensure that all kids get the learning support they need in their most important early years.

While in some families, a parent can stay home full-time to support their zero-to-six year-old, in too many others that simply isn’t a realistic option. That’s why we need to bring full day kindergarten and preschool to every community across Colorado.

Making Colorado the Best State for Teachers, Parents, and Students
Making Colorado the Best State for Teachers, Parents, and Students

We’ve all heard politicians tell us that giving our kids a good education is a Colorado value, but at the same time, our public school budgets have been slashed across the state, and our teachers are undervalued—and even vilified. It’s time to stop talking about investing in our children, and actually start doing it.

I’ve been in, and won, fights at the ballot box to improve our schools and pay our teachers better before. As governor, I won’t be afraid to roll up my sleeves and do it again so that our kids can get a world-class education that prepares them for the workforce.

As someone who has founded several non-profit schools, served on the State Board of Education, and fought for our kids as a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I’ve worked with teachers, parents, and administrators to take bold ideas and turn them into real results for our classrooms. I’ve put words to action in making our school meals healthier, and in reducing unnecessary standardized testing in our classrooms.

When I announced my campaign, I pledged that as Governor, within two years I will bring together a winning coalition to establish universal full-day kindergarten and preschool in every community across our state. Learn more about that plan by clicking here. Making sure every child has access to early childhood education is one of the best ways to set our kids up for success, and we can make innovative improvements to our school system at every level to keep up the momentum!

Together, we can make Colorado the best state to have a child in a public school, and to be a teacher in the classroom. We can do this by paying teachers what they are worth as professionals, implementing school policies in collaboration with educators, administrators and students, and by making sure that a good education is within reach, no matter a child’s zip code, readiness to learn, or family’s income.

Ending our Teacher Shortage by Providing Student Loan Relief, and Building Affordable Housing

Communities throughout our state are struggling with both a high cost-of-living and low teacher pay. As a result, it’s very difficult to recruit teachers to these high-need areas, leaving our schools understaffed. That’s not fair to kids in rural Colorado and in low-income communities. We can work to solve this problem by paying teachers well, providing student loan relief to those who serve in a high-need area, and thinking out of the box to help our teaching professionals have access to affordable housing.

Student Loan Relief for Colorado Teachers

As Governor, I will work with local governments and the business community to help relieve student loan debt for teachers, especially for those that work in a rural, or high-need, area for a number of years determined by local school districts who want to participate. Student loan forgiveness for teachers who serve in our highest-need areas will be a key recruitment tool in our mission to end teacher shortages. This will increase take-home pay for teachers, and lower the bar for entry into the profession. Just as I have used my profile as a Member of Congress to strongly support the passage of local school funding initiatives by writing letters to the editor and opinion pieces, I will leverage the profile of the Governorship to support local district measures that provide for more resources to recruit high-quality teachers across the state. Affordable Housing for Educators

At a time when the cost of housing is rapidly outpacing incomes, we can recruit and retain teachers in our classrooms by raising the cap and finding new funding sources for the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program. If we do this, we can meet our capital construction needs and broaden BEST’s mission to include coordinating with local school districts to build affordable housing that will be available to educators in high-need areas. I’ve found creative solutions to solving our affordable housing crisis before. I was proud to pass legislation that required the federal government to sell 40 acres of land to Summit County for the development of over 400 units of affordable housing in Lake Hill. My administration will prioritize working closely with counties to leverage other available resources similar to Lake Hill to make sure teachers are able to live closer to their jobs. Consistent with the mission of the School Trust, we will work with local communities in zoning land under the jurisdiction of the State Land Board to be used for the development of affordable housing, and I will make sure that educators are well-represented as commissioners on the board. There is currently only one commissioner with any background in public education, and I will commit to giving teachers a voice on the State Land Board.

Paying Teachers What They’re Worth

Teaching is not an entry-level job. It’s a skill earned through hard work and dedication, and I’m grateful for those who commit their lives to the classroom. It’s time to honor that commitment by valuing it as a profession. Colorado’s economic growth should benefit our classrooms and teachers, too.

Raising Teacher Pay

Teachers are some of the most important people in our children’s lives. When our economy is booming, it doesn’t make sense for our classrooms to be underfunded and under-resourced, and for our teachers to be undervalued. Making sure that the best-qualified, and most talented, teachers leading our classrooms are treated as the professionals they are is the right thing to do for our kids and our economy. My administration will work closely with districts, educators, and the legislature to better anticipate our state budget, and make the necessary changes to public school funding to focus on improving the classroom experience for kids, and in paying teachers what they deserve. From local school funding initiatives to modernizing our state’s budget constraints, paying teachers what they’re worth requires a Governor who knows how to build winning coalitions that result in victory for our kids at the ballot box, and responsible budgeting for our state. I’m ready for that challenge after successfully campaigning for and passing Amendment 23, which reversed the budget cuts that were plaguing our schools for years, and numerous local bonds and mill levys over the years. Making sure that the Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) is solvent for years to come is more than just smart budgeting: it’s keeping our promise to those who serve our state. Any attempt to reform PERA on the backs of our teaching professionals will be rejected by me as Governor. Creating Ladders of Opportunity for Teachers

Teachers deserve meaningful opportunities to learn and grow in their work. As Governor, I will work with school districts to establish a strong career advancement pipeline for teachers who want to bring their talents and skills learned in the classroom into leadership roles and administrative positions. I believe that teachers who have served on the front lines in our classrooms can be effective administrators and teacher mentors if those who would like to do so are given more opportunities to collaborate with leadership in their schools. I’ll fight to build strong growth opportunities for teachers by creating a commission of educators and administrators to provide school districts with a model to support teachers interested in taking on a mix of classroom, mentorship, and administrative responsibilities.

Giving Teachers a Voice on the Job

Teachers are professionals who have the best interests of students at the top of their minds. I’m proud to support teachers’ right to collectively bargain for the benefits and pay they deserve, and for the tools they need to give students the best classroom experience possible.

Oppose efforts to eliminate collective bargaining

As Governor, I will be an ally for teachers by continuing my support for the right to collectively bargain for benefits, pay, and the tools teachers need to give every child a great education. Students and families win when teachers have a strong voice at the table. We need to stop attacking teachers and the organizations that give them a voice on the job. My administration will push for collaboration with teachers and paraprofessionals and other school support personnel, not conflict. Inviting Teachers to the Table

My administration will encourage administrators to work closely with teachers in creating school and district policies that result in the best learning environment for our kids, and strongest working conditions for teachers. We will do this by ensuring teachers have stronger representation on the commissions and working groups that shape not only our education system, but other issues of importance to educators like transportation, infrastructure, and affordable housing.

Put Coloradans to Work to Build and Renovate Our Schools

Children and teachers deserve schools that contribute to a strong learning environment and do not serve as a distraction. From classroom improvement to modern plumbing and well-kept playgrounds, students deserve world-class facilities that parents can feel confident in sending their kids to, and we will use the best-qualified and trained workers in the state to make it happen.

I’ll challenge the legislature to improve the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program by seeking out new funding sources to make improvements to our school infrastructure, and by raising the cap on funding that can be allocated to high-need schools. When federal legal issues surrounding cannabis tax receipts are cleared up, I will advocate for bonding of school capital construction revenues from Amendment 64 and subsequent cannabis tax initiatives.

Increase Collaboration with Teacher-Led Professional Learning Communities

Students benefit when teachers have time to prepare for their lessons. As Governor, I will fight for schools to have increased time for teacher-led Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to help teachers analyze data, plan their lessons, collaborate with their colleagues, and be receptive to the needs of students. PLCs are most effective when teachers are put in charge of the process. By letting teachers take the lead in sharing their best practices, lesson plans, and analyze student data, we can make sure our kids are getting the best education possible. Littleton Public Schools recently decided to provide weekly time for PLCs every Wednesday morning, giving parents scheduling consistency throughout the school year while making sure kids still get a full day of school, and giving teachers time to plan. As Governor, I will work with school districts to make this a reality for more teachers, and will work with the legislature to incentivize districts to provide affordable childcare before and after the bell.

Preparing Kids for the 21st Century Economy

Our economy is rapidly changing, and the jobs of the future are going to require our students to compete in a global marketplace. Putting our kids on an early path to success is why I will be the strongest advocate in the state for full-day preschool and kindergarten, and we have to make smart adjustments at all levels of our education system. This means encouraging enrollment in trade schools and community colleges, apprenticeships, prioritizing dual and concurrent enrollment programs, and making sure the riches of a great education are available to every child regardless of their background and circumstance.

Whether a student wants to earn a liberal arts degree, or learn to be a diesel mechanic, our schools should be pathways of opportunity for a diverse set of skills that will boost our economy, support entrepreneurship, and fill much-needed jobs in high-needs areas, like manufacturing and technology. Dual and concurrent enrollment programs are giving high school students across the state a head start on getting their college degree or certificate. In fact, just over 30 percent of Colorado students are in a dual enrollment program of some type. We will prioritize making sure that 100 percent of Colorado’s school districts are able to offer dual and concurrent enrollment programs through an Associates Degree or professional certification, and work to boost enrollment in them. To further address the teacher shortage and diversify the educator workforce, we should also increase dual and concurrent enrollment opportunities around teacher preparation. We have high expectations for our kids to succeed. I will fight for Colorado to be a national leader in creating educational programming that reflects the increasing value of a diverse set of skills, reinforce social interaction, and put our students on a path to success in college and careers. Colorado should expand access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs to recognize the importance of art and design’s role in shaping our economy. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) programs recognize the creative potential of students in building and shaping the world we live in to be more accessible, environmentally friendly, and durable to a changing economy. Colorado should lead the way in prioritizing creativity in our classrooms. Every single student in our schools is uniquely suited with valuable skills that can contribute to Colorado’s economy and way of life. In Congress, I’ve fought to provide teachers with the tools they need to meet the needs of our gifted and talented students. I will work alongside parents and local districts to make sure every school in our state has the infrastructure and teachers necessary to accommodate every student with disabilities, and that district policies, as well as the policies of the Colorado Department of Education, are in the spirit of that goal. Involving families in their child’s learning both at home and at school is critical to educational success. Student performance is improved when parents are engaged at home, and parent-teacher conferences aid in boosting collaboration and parental involvement. The Governor’s office can play a critical convening role for districts, parents, and teachers interested in improving educational success and recognizing best practices around family engagement.

Health Care
Let’s just get right down to it: Health care is a human right. Treating an illness or injury should never be a luxury afforded only to the wealthy few who can afford it. Your income, location, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or current state of health should never be a barrier to receiving affordable, high-quality health care. I believe passionately in universal health care, and I always will.

As with so many other issues, politicians in Washington will stop at nothing to make life harder for Coloradans for the benefit of special interests. In Colorado, we have an opportunity to aggressively reduce the costs of care, expand access to the services people depend on, and put Coloradans first.

Too often, politicians talk about health care as if it begins and ends when you get sick or need to visit a doctor. I propose a bolder path.

We need to give more Coloradans the opportunity to build lifelong healthy habits and have access to services that reduce the chances of ending up in a hospital room or a doctor’s office to begin with. This approach puts the everyday health of our citizens at the forefront of our policy-making while ensuring that when the unimaginable happens, no Coloradan experiences the fear of not being able to afford the treatment they need, or that their loved one needs, to get better.

Here is my vision for a 21st-century health care system in Colorado:

Universal Coverage for Colorado
Medicare for All

Way back in 2008 when I announced my first campaign for Congress, the common thought among political professionals was that supporting single-payer health coverage would end your political career. But, I’ve always put people over politics and, in that spirit, championed single-payer health care in that race. I’m happy to report ten years later as a congressman running for governor that I’ve put those words to action time and time again in pushing for Medicare for All legislation in Congress.

This idea is now gaining momentum across the political spectrum. Not only is Medicare for All a good deal for customers, who will be able to see a wider network of providers at a lower cost, but it’s good for small businesses, too. By taking the burden of administering employee health care off the shoulders of employers, businesses can focus more on their core products and services. Providers benefit due to the favorable reimbursement rates, and because there is no profit motive for this plan, administrative costs go down and efficiencies in care are increased.

Perhaps most importantly, this plan takes the guesswork out of seeing a doctor in your network and navigating different levels of health care plans. It simply works for everyone the same way that Medicare works for our seniors.

Keeping up the fight for universal coverage will take tremendous advocacy and effort from our next governor. Should I have the honor of serving Colorado in that capacity, I will build upon Governor Hickenlooper’s work in advocating for comprehensive health care solutions at the regional and federal level and will fight for Medicare for All as the best solution to our rising health care costs. It’s the option that works for patients and providers, reduces costs, and improves the delivery of care.

Pioneering a Western Single-Payer System

Western states across the political spectrum suffer from many of the same issues plaguing Colorado, such as rising health care costs and premiums that price rural Coloradans out of access to their provider of choice. In the absence of leadership coming from Washington, we need to think outside the box and lead the charge ourselves to bring universal health coverage to Colorado.

I will work to develop partnerships with other western states to pioneer a groundbreaking regional multi-state consortium to offer a common-payer system in the West to reduce prices, expand coverage, and improve the quality of care.

With states partnering in cost sharing, development, and implementation, we can provide coverage to more people at a lower cost than a state implementing such a system alone would be able to do.

We can turn this idea into reality by working in a bipartisan way on a shared set of strong legal

standards for implementing the system so that no citizen is treated unequally in getting insurance coverage or is denied coverage due to the complexity of differing standards. By removing moral hazards and perverse incentives to deny coverage, we can put people over politics and be a regional model for the rest of the nation.

Providing Coloradans More Health Care Options

We should leave no stone unturned in our effort to reduce the overall cost of health care for citizens in our state. Colorado shares jurisdiction over Medicaid with the federal government and has experienced enormous success in expanding coverage to thousands of Coloradans through the Affordable Care Act. Working with President Obama to pass the ACA is among the proudest chapters of my career. Unfortunately, there are still too many Coloradans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but struggle to afford the cost of private insurance. This is particularly evident in the mountain communities of Colorado.

That’s why, as I pursue universal coverage, I also support more public and non-profit options on the exchange, including resurrecting a customer-owned co-op, exploring the possibility of opening the state employee benefit plan and Medicaid as options on Connect for Health Colorado, and bringing non-profit and government risk pooling to more Coloradans.

Paid Family and Medical Leave

Imagine your employer telling you that you can’t visit a loved one in the hospital or threatening to fire you if you need treatment for a serious illness. Whether you are a CEO or an hourly worker, no Coloradan should ever be asked to make the false choice between employment and health.

Making sure that every Coloradan has paid family and medical leave will be a priority for our state when I’m governor.

This policy is tremendously important to leveling the economic playing field for women. Paid family and medical leave helps us close the wage gap and provides all workers with equal opportunities to assume the role of caregiver, regardless of gender — free from outdated and unfair societal expectations often placed solely on women.

This policy is good for business, too. By providing employees the peace of mind to tend to life’s most important moments, we will be able to improve productivity and employee retention while attracting employers to the state.

Bolstering Colorado's Health Infrastructure
Colorado must prepare to bolster our existing health care infrastructure to withstand President Trump’s endless attacks on the successes we’ve had as a state. Having worked on health care issues for the past decade, I know how we can make sure our state is well-positioned to remain a great place to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

From providing flexibility for municipalities and counties to tackle substance abuse issues and recruit providers, to developing a nimble network of providers in rural areas, to winning the war on women’s reproductive rights, I believe the next decade is critical in establishing Colorado as the leader in the nation on health care progress.

You can count on me to always be bold in identifying and pursuing creative, attainable innovations in our health care system:

Rural Solutions & Food Insecurity

Invest in deployment of mobile health care clinics in rural and distressed urban areas by partnering with towns, counties, providers, and insurance companies. Create special health districts, similar to Park County’s, to allow towns to invest in building permanent clinics for residents. These clinics can then be rented to providers at a low-cost to bring high-quality, full-service medical care to rural Colorado communities. Develop partnerships with supermarkets, health-focused foundations, and public transit agencies to refurbish unused buses, for example, and turn them into mobile fresh food markets in food deserts. Expand the Rural Colorado Venture Capital Fund to work for the public good by investing in cutting-edge and data-based solutions to rising health care costs and to incentivize entrepreneurs to open markets to combat food insecurity in food deserts. Promote entrepreneurship opportunities for young farmers in farming, ranching, and food delivery in underserved local markets through the Agricultural Workforce Development Program.

Wellness and Physical Activity

Work with school districts to ensure that children are receiving quality physical education and that these activities are never restricted as punishment. Ensure that students with disabilities are granted equal access to a quality physical education. Adopt best land-use practices that improve the walkability and bikeability of Colorado towns and cities and ensure that points of transit correspond with the location of recreation centers. Expand coverage for gym and health-club memberships in insurance plans. Repeal the outdated and Big-Tobacco-friendly law that prohibits local communities from raising their own tobacco taxes without being forced to surrender revenue from the state’s tobacco tax.

Reproductive Care and Reproductive Justice

Use the position of Governor to center the voices of women of color and create a task force to identify and address the systemic barriers to reproductive health for women due to economic, racial, ability, and immigration-status factors and propose corrective legislation and rule making. Make Colorado a more family-friendly state by fighting for equal-pay policies and ensure that workforce protections are in place that allow women to seek the care they need when they need it. Fully fund, and make permanent, the Long-Acting Reversible Contraception program, which has succeeded in reducing teen abortion rates by 64 percent in Colorado. Ensure women are able to engage in pregnancies that are healthy and safe for both them and the child, including being free from environmental pollution, such as water contaminants, air toxins, industrial development pollution, and more. Colorado will never equivocate in our battle to protect a woman’s reproductive freedom and decision when to begin a family.

Mental Health and Confronting the Opioid Crisis
Health Care Cost Transparency and Reducing Drug Costs

Improve support for Colorado’s state-of-the-art All Payer Claims Database and conduct a system-wide audit of the database, cross-referencing other publicly available data to help identify additional health care savings and implement improvements to data collection. Improve transparency of prescription drug costs by requiring pharmaceutical companies to publicly disclose development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution costs to ensure patients are paying a fair price. Cut down on prescription drug price gouging by requiring pharmaceutical companies to justify exorbitant price increases that vastly outpace inflation, and penalize companies that put profit over patients. Demand the federal government allow our state to import prescription drugs from Canada.

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Coloradans. We will work alongside policy makers, advocates, and educators to create suicide-prevention plans; to add administrative positions in Colorado schools to identify risk factors of suicide; and to coordinate suicide prevention services for students and parents. Improve the ability of school-based health clinics not only to conduct mental health assessments, but also to deliver treatment to students who need help. Lead the nation in recognizing that human beings deserve equal treatment and opportunity, no matter their physical or cognitive abilities. Everyone will be afforded the full protections of their civil rights in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Evaluate the current system of state and local resources for delivery of care and treatment for Coloradans with intellectual, developmental, physical, and acquired disabilities and identify areas of improvement in services, agencies, and state departments.

Confronting the Opioid Crisis

Work with departmental leadership in enhancing collaboration between physicians, pharmacies, and other medical professionals to adopt best practices from the Colorado Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) project to prescribe safer medications and improve care in our emergency rooms and hospitals. Ensure that funding from the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program reaches communities by engaging with local governing bodies and police departments to share best practices in diverting low-level drug offenders to treatment rather than jail. Needle exchanges are often the first point of contact for Coloradans suffering from opioid addiction and are the stepping stone to receiving treatment. We will use the resources of the state to coordinate foundational and grant funding opportunities to help those participating in needle exchanges access supportive and effective treatment services. Provide Colorado communities latitude to experiment with solutions for treating people currently suffering from opioid addiction, and work with local police departments to adopt enforcement measures focused on harm reduction. Increase the number of school-based health clinics in rural and urban Colorado that are able to offer treatment for addiction. Work alongside Colorado’s marijuana industry to identify funding opportunities from marijuana revenue to invest in detox beds in areas of Colorado most impacted by the opioid epidemic and to expand pilot programs that use marijuana revenue to assist physician assistants and nurse practitioners in training to treat opioid overdoses. Protect access to legal alternatives for pain management, like Kratom and medical marijuana.

CO Workers
Colorado’s economic growth makes us the envy of other states near and far. Our entrepreneurial spirit has pioneered massive advances in technology, manufacturing, and energy development. But when you take a closer look at our economy, there is a glaring problem: Colorado’s cost of living has far outgrown most people’s incomes.

Take-home pay has barely increased while the costs to rent or buy a house have skyrocketed. Salaries are almost flat at the same time that our state is experiencing unprecedented growth. In Colorado, we share the value that we should succeed together. Front Range economic growth should be coupled with prosperity on the Western Slope, the Eastern Plains, and Southern Colorado.

We are all #COworkers in our fight to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

The Colorado way of life should be within reach for everyone.

Together we will raise wages for working families and make sure incomes keep pace with the cost of living. And we’ll take advantage of innovative policies to put money back in the pockets of Colorado families and prepare us for the economy of the future.

For instance, providing access to free, full-day preschool will provide savings of more than $11,000 per year for families with young kids. Utilizing free open-source textbooks will save college students more than $1,200 every year, and dual and concurrent enrollment programs that give students the chance to earn college credits, and even a degree, while in high school are shown to improve achievement while saving parents and students thousands of dollars.

In today’s workforce, unions are more relevant and important than ever before in creating a pathway to achieving the American Dream for middle class workers and to sustain an equitable democracy. All workers should have the right to form a union without fear of retaliation. In addition, supporting all families with policies like paid family and medical leave means employees will no longer have to choose between paying rent or caring for a loved one in need. More employee-ownership ensures that when companies do well, it’s not just the executive and shareholders who make money but the workers alongside them.

Altogether, these policies will help us build a Colorado economy where working families can not just get by, but earn a good living. Here is how we will succeed as #COworkers:

Raising Wages and Empowering Workers
Provide paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave for all Coloradans. Reduce paperwork and remove barriers to employee ownership of businesses, profit sharing, and stock options, which will help more people enjoy Colorado’s economic success Defend PERA, protect its defined benefit status, and ensure that Colorado is keeping its promise to workers of a dignified retirement. Protect and expand collective bargaining rights while actively opposing attacks on organized labor like so-called “right to work” laws and paycheck deception. Enforce our best-value contracting laws and better utilize project labor agreements. Address pay-equity gaps for women and people of color in our state contracting, and support workers who suspect they are being paid unfairly in their job to file a complaint. Support apprenticeship training, and ensure the longevity and quality of state projects by hiring the best-trained workers. Convene a task force to help small businesses compete with large corporations on a level playing field. Streamline the permitting process for housing development, encourage inclusionary zoning laws, invest in bike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and enact transit-oriented land-use policies. Work with counties, municipalities, and the State Land Board to identify opportunities such as vacant lots or rundown properties to incentivize leasing for affordable housing development. Allow municipalities to raise the minimum wage in their area.

Giving Coloradans a World-Class Education and Valuing Educators
Universal, free, full-day preschool through a quality provider for every family Full-day kindergarten for every child in Colorado Invest in our teachers and raise teacher pay while offering student loan relief and access to affordable housing for educators who choose to teach in underserved areas of the state. Reduce the costs of education by improving access to, and use of, open source textbooks in public schools and universities. Make dual and concurrent enrollment programs available to 100 percent of Colorado students so that students have a head start on preparing to join an increasingly global and competitive workforce. Improve funding for childcare programs for parents who are balancing starting a family with furthering their education to earn new skills.

Future-Proof Our Economy
Convene a statewide task force to confront the challenges and opportunities of automation, protect workers, invest in new technology, and create jobs. Work with vocational schools and trade unions to craft certification programs to increase access to jobs in advanced manufacturing and robotics, and increase technical skills training. Improve workforce protections and access to benefits for freelance workers and entrepreneurs. Incentivize employers to consider alternative work arrangements that reduce the need to commute and help people utilize their skills no matter where they live. Bolster our startup community and small businesses by facilitating pathways to capital and making it easier to start a business throughout Colorado

Environment
Keep Colorado Wild
We are privileged to live in a state that has no rival when it comes to our outdoors and our iconic natural landscapes.

Colorado’s peaks, forests, valleys, rivers, deserts, and plains inspire millions of people who choose to call this state home. With a quality of life that can’t be beat and opportunities to recreate outside all year, open successful businesses, and raise healthy families, we are committed to protecting what makes Colorado so special — our pristine landscapes, our natural resources, and a world-class recreation economy. More than 71 percent of Coloradans participate in an outdoor recreation activity each year.

As Coloradans, we truly have a spiritual fellowship with our land and water that we rely on for our very lives.

Spending time outside recharges and challenges us as individuals, strengthens our bonds with family and friends, and is one of the primary reasons we are among the healthiest populations in the nation.

With Washington, D.C., abandoning its role in fighting climate change and protecting our environment and wildlife, it’s on us as Coloradans — those of us who love the outdoors and those whose livelihoods depend on it — to Keep Colorado Wild.

Keeping Colorado wild means resisting the urge to stand idly by as attempts are made to diminish access to our lands. We must roll up our sleeves and fight for the Colorado we know and love. That means ensuring conservation efforts and strengthening our recreation economy works in conjunction with our existing natural resource development.

This is plain old good economics, too. Every year, Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy contributes:

$28 billion in consumer spending; 229,000 jobs which generate $9.7 billion in salaries and wages across the state; and $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. Here is my plan to protect our public lands and our wildlife:

Create Colorado Conservation and Recreation Districts — Colorado is home to 42 state parks and 13 National Parks which welcome millions of visitors per year. I will create Colorado Conservation and Recreation Districts that harness the economic power of these landscapes to highlight Colorado’s natural outdoor assets and promote each community’s unique attractions. Through a coordinated effort alongside conservationists, sportsmen and sportswomen, and the outdoor recreation industry, we will provide educational opportunities and access to grant funding to support conservation and recreational entrepreneurship. Housed under the shared jurisdiction of the Office of Economic Development and Colorado Parks & Wildlife, this program will help more Coloradans forge a special connection with our natural resources, further strengthening the Colorado economy.

Oppose Selling Our Public Lands to the Highest Bidders — As governor, I will fight any attempt to sell our public lands to the highest bidder or diminish them in any way. Nearly a third of our state is made up of public lands, and these lands belong to all Coloradans, no matter their background, zip code, race, or income. Our public lands, clean air, and rivers are critical to protecting our fish and wildlife habitat, providing the public with places to hunt and fish, ski, climb, bike, raft, and enjoy the Colorado outdoor experience. The activities are foundational to Colorado’s recreation economy, providing good-paying jobs for thousands of Coloradans and attracting national attention through events like the Outdoor Retailer trade show. Thoughtful and effective conservation of these resources is paramount in supporting Colorado’s strong outdoor economy and way of life.

Ensure Colorado Has a Voice in Federal Decisions on its Public Lands — Coloradans understand in our core that public lands have value far beyond industrial development. As governor, I will work to ensure that our public lands are protected from overzealous development and that every Coloradan has every opportunity to have their voices heard in these decisions that affect the future of these lands. Colorado deserves a strong seat at the table here and in D.C. when it comes to conversations about what happens to the land, wildlife, trails, and resources in our backyards.

Improve Funding for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Division — CPW manages 42 state parks, facilitates wildlife and habitat management issues, and is responsible for issuing hunting and fishing licenses, which fund much of the Division’s budget. A lack of sustained, adequate funding has forced us to cut down on maintenance to 110 dams in Colorado and has begun to threaten the work of managing state land. Our current funding system relies on user fees rather than general tax dollars, and places 80 percent of CPW’s funding burden on hunters and anglers. Unfortunately, this is not sufficient to get the job done, especially as public demands and expectations for outdoor recreation grow. Our natural environment is a public resource that we all have a stake in. As governor, I will assemble a Commission of outdoor recreation representatives, sportsmen and sportswomen, and environmental experts to develop a sustainable, fair, and sufficient plan to fund CPW. For example, I will explore modernized ways for people to contribute to maintaining our parks. One possible option would be to digitize the voluntary donation boxes found at trailheads across the state to make investing in protecting our open spaces as easy as using Venmo to pay your friends for dinner.

Provide More Resources for Wildlife Habitat Restoration, Conservation, and Enhancement — Our biodiversity is our strength. Today, there are about 2,300 species listed under the Endangered Species Act. State wildlife agencies across the country have identified more than 12,000 species that are in serious decline, and thus are in greatest conservation need. By the middle of this century, as many as 50 percent of all species could be heading toward extinction, leading to more and more ESA listings and conflicts with the private sector. When populations of critical species collapse, it throws entire ecosystems irreparably out of whack. I support the work of Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops, and former Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Non-Game Habitat Funding, which recommend that Congress provide states with $1.3 billion per year to improve habitat for non-game species. As Governor, I will have the experience as a former Member of Congress to ensure that Colorado is advocating effectively for federal funding, is on the front lines of wildlife habitat restoration efforts, and works closely with neighboring states on habitat conservation and wildlife corridors.

Require Habitat Mitigation for Habitat Damaged from Development — It is becoming a more common practice for western states and federal agencies to require companies that develop projects, like oil and gas wells and wind farms, to pay private ranchers to enhance or restore habitat on their lands to compensate for habitat damaged in the development process. Colorado should join our western neighbors in adopting this requirement, which would improve habitat across the state, helping wildlife and providing a new revenue stream for participating ranchers.

Support Full Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) — This $900-million per year fund was established in 1964 to help conserve America’s natural resources, but only twice since then has it been fully funded. This program has broad support among sportsmen and sportswomen, environmentalists, and the outdoor recreation community. I will work with my fellow governors and the Colorado Congressional delegation to generate sufficient political support to reauthorize and fully fund the program.

Expand Use of Wildlife Crossings — Collisions between vehicles and wildlife are common in Colorado, often leading to dead animals and damaged cars and trucks. Wildlife fencing and overpass crossings, such as those recently constructed on Highway 9 between Silverthorne and Kremmling, have dramatically reduced wildlife collisions. I will work with CDOT to undertake a systematic evaluation of hotspots in Colorado where vehicle-wildlife collisions are common and develop a multi-year plan to install wildlife fencing and crossings using public and private resources.

Protect Our Bears and Wild Horses — This past year had one of the highest number of human-bear conflict incidents in recent history. Our changing climate has altered feeding cycles and has led to a rising number of bears wandering into cities and towns in search of trash or alternative sources of food. Unfortunately, this too often results in CPW having to kill bears to prevent any danger to the community. As governor, I will sign an executive order requesting that CPW evaluate alternative methods to mitigate human-bear conflicts. This will include developing and executing a marketing plan that educates Coloradans in how to prevent luring bears into towns. CPW will then study the results of these efforts to ensure we are making progress in reducing human-bear encounters. I will also seek to preserve Colorado’s historic wild horse herds, and oppose inhumane methods of population control, like confinement and castration, in favor of more humane methods to maintain a healthy population.

A Vision for Colorado's Outdoors
Colorado’s outdoors offers a multitude of benefits, including social and health benefits, but it is also the foundation of a powerful economic engine that drives innovation, employment, and consumer spending. Our outdoors has the power to transform the economies of communities across the state.

In addition to direct economic benefits, there are many indirect benefits that come from investment in Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy. While hundreds of “homegrown” outdoor businesses have launched here, other national and international companies are moving to Colorado for its highly educated workforce, access to the outdoors, and a population that is healthy and active. As a result, Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry supports almost $10 billion in wages, salaries, and benefits, and fuels more than $28 billion in consumer spending in our state.

Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy is being threatened by climate change, with the outdoor industry and agriculture being among the first to experience its impacts. From longer, hotter summers, and increasingly devastating wildfires, to decreased snowpack and subsequent water shortages, leadership at the state and local levels to address climate change has never been more important, particularly in the absence of leadership at the national level.

Like the broader economy, Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy requires solutions that promote smart and well-managed growth, including land use that balances growth with conservation of public and private lands and accessible trails, and which sets a goal of a park or other open space within ten minutes of every home in Colorado.

Here is my plan to protect and promote recreation in our great outdoors:

Improve Our Transportation Infrastructure — We will develop and implement transportation infrastructure plans that consider trails, bike paths, and other recreation infrastructure as alternatives and supplements to congested roads and highways. Support Reauthorization of the Colorado Lottery Division — The Colorado Lottery Division funds the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO) and the Conservation Trust Fund and contributes to CPW. I will support ensuring this funding source remains intact. Grants from GOCO directly support 11,800 jobs and provide more than $507 million in labor income. Securing funding for this program is important to Colorado’s economy. Increase Access for Sportsmen and Sportswomen — Sportsmen and sportswomen often lack sufficient access to places to hunt and fish. I support the proposal to dedicate 1 percent of LWCF funds for improved access to federal lands. I will also explore expanding Colorado’s Ranching for Wildlife program, and Farm Bill Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program funding in Colorado to pay private landowners to open their lands to hunting and fishing if they choose. Invest Royalties from Development on State Lands in Habitat Remediation and Recreation Infrastructure similar to the way the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) operates using federal offshore drilling royalties. Increase High Quality, Fun, Safe Shooting Ranges for Sportsmen and Sportswomen — To help reduce dispersed shooting in inappropriate areas and improve safety and fun, I will work with local authorities, and the various groups that sportsmen and sportswomen belong to, such as Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, to build and maintain shooting ranges convenient for residents.

"Here is a land where life is written in water..."
Colorado’s water is our lifeblood, our most valuable natural resource, and is essential to our very brand as a state.

Eighteen downstream states, and Mexico, receive water that starts here in our snowpack. Our nine interstate compacts and two equitable apportionment decrees mean that we have access to roughly one third of the water that accumulates in our state annually. Moreover, our water is under stress from both a warmer climate and growing populations. We must strategically plan for such a critical aspect of Colorado’s economy and environment. I support the first Colorado’s Water Plan developed under Governor John Hickenlooper, and, as your Governor, will strive to implement, fund, and update that plan, including conservation measures for the benefit of our economy and environment.

As Colorado’s Water Plan states, “People love Colorado.” People want to grow their families and businesses here because of our high quality of life, productive economy, vibrant and sustainable cities, innovative spirit, viable and productive agriculture, access to locally grown food, strong environment, robust outdoor recreation opportunities, and healthy watersheds, rivers, and streams. Water touches or runs through what we love about Colorado. As your Governor, I will protect our right to use water that originates here, while planning for a warmer, drier, more populated future. Colorado’s Water Plan was built from the grassroots up with the many voices of Colorado’s water community… Let’s face it, we’re all stakeholders when it comes to water.

Gone are the days when one part or industry of our state runs roughshod over another when it comes to water. As our history has shown, water can divide Colorado. But, as Colorado’s Water Plan demonstrates, water can also unite us. This is hard but rewarding work. We must harness our grassroots structure to implement smart water infrastructure and conservation measures that attack the forecasted gap between supply and demand.

Here is my policy roadmap for water in Colorado:

Implement Colorado’s Water Plan Our state’s water plan calls for the conservation of 400,000 acre feet of additional water storage, and 400,000 acre feet of additional water conservation, as well as conservation of 50,000 acre feet of alternatives to the buy-and-dry of our irrigated agricultural lands. I will work to do even better by our state’s water system by leveraging new technology and best practices to prioritize conservation.

We will also ensure that we meet our goal to have 80 percent of locally prioritized rivers and 80 percent of critical watersheds covered by stream management and watershed protection plans. We can’t accomplish any of this without responsible funding of municipal, industrial, environmental, and recreational water infrastructure, as well as prioritizing the integration of local land-use and water planning.

Update Colorado’s Water Plan It will be up to the next Governor to upgrade our water funding, financing, and investment mechanisms to take advantage of new revenue streams and partnerships to fully fund the water plan.

We will prioritize refreshing our water data with recent drought and hydrologic information, and our policies will reflect updated Basin Implementation Plans from our Basin Roundtables across the state. This will allow us to identify regional water opportunities where integrated water systems, and water management, can produce a more resilient water supply. Additionally, we can advance our water reuse capability by removing regulatory barriers and incentivizing water reuse without injury to downstream water rights.

Safeguard Colorado’s Water Quality and Quantity Under my leadership, Colorado will resist federal efforts to dictate water decisions. Management of Colorado’s water is best left to Coloradans, and we will resist attempts to export our water to moneyed interests outside of our state. I will continue the work of formulating interstate contingency plans that benefit Colorado and which can be implemented as we face warmer temperatures, reduced precipitation, and diminished reservoir levels. Finally, we can make the permitting process more efficient and effective for water projects. We must be able to address changing water supply and demand with more agility than we currently demonstrate.

Colorado is ready to apply its brand of innovation to its water challenges. We can and will lead the nation on water policy, management, and innovation as the headwaters state. When other states face water stress or need to solve a critical water challenge, Colorado can and should be the model of how to succeed.

Collaborative Approach to Transmountain Diversions To many Coloradans in the high country and on the Western Slope, future transmountain diversions pose an existential threat to the health of our rivers and our agriculture economy. Meanwhile, the towns and cities of the Front Range are rapidly growing, and so are their water needs. Our state currently diverts between 450,000 and 600,000 acre feet of water from the Western Slope to the Front Range each year. We must adhere to a collaborative process that results in balanced approaches to solving this issue in the future.

That’s why I support the conceptual framework agreed upon by our state’s Western and Eastern basin roundtables to manage the consideration of any proposed future diversions. I will enforce its use should the need ever arise. The seven principles of this agreement include: conservation; storage; agricultural transfers; alternative transfer methods; environmental resiliency; a collaborative program to address Colorado River system shortages, already identified projects and processes (IPPs); and additional Western Slope uses. This should provide context for any discussion regarding future diversions.

Economy
Every election cycle, we hear from politicians promising to “strengthen our economy,” but often all they offer are vague plans and platitudes. I’m running for Governor of Colorado to turn bold ideas into real results. I know Colorado can lead the way in creating an economy that works for everybody, not just those at the top, and I have a plan to do it. I support allowing cities and counties to raise the minimum wage, providing paid family medical leave, and ensuring equal pay for equal work, and we can do even more to address rising income inequality and ensure that workers share in the value they help create.

Profit Sharing
Colorado can be first-in-the-nation for companies that share their profits and success with their workers. Income inequality is worse than it was in the “Gilded Age,” and ensuring workers see the results of our state’s economic success is an important step in solving the problem. More employees should have access to stock options, profit sharing, and company ownership. The companies I started shared ownership with employees, and I want to make it easier and reduce red-tape for businesses across Colorado to do the same. Colorado companies like Leever’s Supermarkets, New Belgium Brewery, and Namaste Solar are great examples of how companies of all sizes can adopt this practice. Colorado should support Employee Ownership Business Centers that provide expertise and mentoring to foster the retention of good employees and encourage better performance from workers while leading to better pay and benefits.

Adapting to a Changing Economy
In Colorado, we know that work isn’t just about the paycheck — it’s also about dignity and having pride in how we support our families. Though many of our communities are thriving in parts of our state, too many families and communities are being left behind

We will help rural and coal communities find meaningful work in their field retrain for a new career if they choose, and become entrepreneurs by establishing Workforce Development Commissions across the state. Coal workers deserve the healthcare and retirement benefits they were promised and we will fight for miners to receive the healthcare and retirement benefits they are owed We will give shut-down factories and mines a new mission and create jobs by bringing local governments and business together to bring new industries to rural Colorado. Some of the highest-skilled and hardest-working men and women in our workforce come from coal country. We will revitalize rural communities by bringing jobs in manufacturing, forestry, agriculture, and renewable energy development to rural Colorado in a way that takes advantage of the skills our workers already have We’ll create a blue-ribbon commission of business leaders, Labor leaders, and citizensto work with the state’s top economists and researchers to put Colorado in the best position to confront the challenge of automation.

Inclusive Capitalism
Colorado will hold irresponsible corporations accountable when they try to take advantage of our laws and our workers. Too many special interests game the system by seeking exemptions to paying their taxes, resulting in millions of dollars being cut from our classrooms and local economies, and often pay poverty-level wages that force Coloradans to rely on public assistance. We need bold ideas that change our economy from the bottom up to be pro-worker, reward responsible corporations, and give every Coloradan the opportunity to earn a good life.

Corporations filing their taxes in Colorado shouldn’t be able to hold their earnings in off-shore tax havens. If we ended this practice, it’s estimated that we could bring $70 million in revenue to Colorado’s infrastructure, classrooms, and neighborhoods. Making Colorado first-in-the-nation for Public Benefit Corporations that measure their impact on our economy, community, and our environment, and then make investments in keeping Colorado the best place to live.

A Dignified Retirement
Every Coloradan deserves the healthy, dignified retirement they’ve earned through a lifetime of hard work.

We’ll help Coloradans without employer-supported retirement programs invest in their future by creating a retirement savings plan for workers to enter into. In 2016, The Bell Policy Center found that 45 percent of workers in Colorado lack a retirement savings plan at work. Colorado can help people plan for a dignified retirement by providing them a portable savings account to make it easier to save for the future. Over 500,000 Coloradans rely on PERA benefits they earned over a lifetime of service to the public. In fact, $3.8 billion in benefits were paid to retirees in Colorado alone. I believe that we must preserve PERA as a defined-benefit pension system, and would do everything in my power to honor the committments we have made to workers. Any changes made to PERA need to be as fair as possible to all involved – retirees, current employees, and employers.

Rural High-Speed Internet
Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, and it’s not just a tool to stream our favorite TV shows. Lack of internet access in our rural areas means that schools aren’t able to give students a fair opportunity to prepare for college, or the workforce. Entrepreneurs are being told to live elsewhere to pursue their dreams, and medical patients are being forced to travel to far-away hospitals instead of utilizing telemedicine.

Our Broadband Deployment Fund could be funding internet projects across the state, but the law surrounding it is vague and murky, resulting in slow-moving investments in building out high-speed internet. We will speed that investment by changing the law to move resources faster. We’ll give rural towns and citizens the freedom to plan for and invest in broadband by removing the antiquated requirement to conduct costly and time-intensive elections to do so. Colorado will partner with local governments to create strategic regional broadband plans and support partnerships by encouraging state agencies to collaborate in building reliable internet across the state using existing resources. I will nominate Public Utility Commission members that support building out rural broadband and side with consumers over well-funded special interests, and will encourage CDOT to coordinate with local governments in using existing fiber lines and resources to close service gaps.

Transportation
We’ve all seen and felt the impacts of Colorado’s growth in recent years. Traffic makes commutes longer and more crowded. Taking a quick trip to the mountains on the weekend means preparing for hours of delays. For our mountain communities, that results in more wear and tear on I-70, more accidents, more pollution, and hours of gridlock, closure, and lost jobs.

Making matters even more urgent, Colorado is expecting nearly one million new residents to move into our state in the next ten years alone , which equates to a 20 percent increase in vehicle travel. When you combine the expense of accidents, lost productivity, and dollars burned in travel delays, our transportation woes are already costing Coloradans more than $6.7 billion per year. We simply can’t afford not to act!

To create more opportunities for people to live a good life, we can’t just throw money at old problems without any new solutions. We need a bold new vision to make our state more livable and to improve our economy, and I have a plan to do it:

1. Fixing Colorado’s Crumbling Infrastructure

2. Establishing Freedom of Mobility with Front Range Rail and Mass Transit

3. Creating a Smarter Approach to Infrastructure

Fixing Colorado's Crumbling Infrastructure
Colorado must make sure that our roads and highways get the maintenance they need. Nearly 70 percent of our roads and highways are in poor or mediocre condition, and each Colorado driver pays $287 in car repairs per year as a result of the damage due to driving on roads. Correcting this is as much about public safety as it is about reducing congestion.

As Governor Hickenlooper has said, Utah has half as many people as Colorado, but invests nearly four times what Colorado does toward improving road capacity each year. Underinvestment has left us with $9 billion of unmet transportation needs as congestion gets worse and worse. This is simply not fair to Coloradans and puts the future of our economy at risk.

That’s why I agree with the large and diverse coalition of local governments, businesses, Republicans, Democrats, advocacy groups, and citizens that believes Colorado voters should have a say in investing new revenue toward fixing our crumbling infrastructure.

As governor, I will:

Support and work alongside a diverse group of stakeholders of all geographic and political persuasions to ensure that we narrowly identify new sources of revenue and wisely invest where it’s needed most, such as relieving congestion across the state, improving rural roads, and fixing potholes that damage our vehicles and cause accidents. Challenge lawmakers who are serious about finding existing dollars in our General Fund to devote to transportation to roll up their sleeves and work with me in identifying and redirecting resources without harming K-12 students, seniors, our public safety, and our healthcare system. Ensure that locally driven multimodal transportation options share in any revenue. Continue support for existing, effective electric vehicle (EV) and EV infrastructure policies — such as the purchase incentive, HOV lane access, and charging station network expansion— which have led to high uptake of EVs across the state, up to nearly 10,000 from just 20 in 2011. Introduce new policies that will incentivize our state’s vehicle fleet to go electric and streamline the charging station permitting process, including clear planning guidelines, ordinances, and codes that support adoption of electric vehicles that will reduce pollution in our state. Prioritize the hiring of Coloradans first, and utilize the best-trained workers in the state by using contractors that invest in United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship programs, and our state’s best-value contracting law, to make sure the job is done well and with fair compensation and safe working conditions for workers.

Establishing Freedom of Mobility with Front Range Rail and Mass Transit
For decades, policymakers in Colorado have asked citizens to invest billions in short-term efforts to relieve congestion. It’s time for policymakers to think beyond short-term solutions that fail to reduce congestion in the long-term, and begin to give Coloradans more freedom over their commutes.

In 2017, the Colorado General Assembly created the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission to pursue building a high-speed commuter rail line that serves the Front Range of Colorado. Initial reports are promising and show a real path towards providing Coloradans with a modern high-speed transportation option that connects to our statewide transportation system. The Commission has requested an additional $8.7 million to conduct a high-quality public input process to determine the preferred route, station locations, and what type of train would best meet our transportation needs. As governor, I would support continuing the important work of this Commission.

Imagine being able to quickly commute anywhere between Fort Collins and Pueblo without the usual hassles of driving up and down I-25, like air and noise pollution, traffic, and icy roads. A comfortable, wi-fi connected, mass-transit option that is accessible and affordable may be the solution that makes this vision a reality.

Effective rail can help us get to work quicker and less expensively than driving a single-occupancy vehicle, especially when you consider the mounting costs of gas, maintenance, and depreciation of a car’s value. While Colorado will always continue to evaluate and aggressively pursue bringing emerging technologies like Hyperloop to our state, an economically viable rail option is a promising and attractive alternative to traveling by car.

Colorado’s congested transportation system costs us $2.9 billion per year in lost productivity, and in traffic-related delays. That’s more than $500 for every Coloradan per year. There are human costs to this problem, as well; the Colorado Department of Transportation estimates that Coloradans spend 124 hours per year in congestion-related delays. That’s nearly 10 hours of extra time we could be spending with our friends and families per month if we reprioritized our efforts and fixed it.

Here are my priorities:

Provide the funds necessary to continue the commission’s work and to initiate a statewide stakeholder process. Ensure that any funding proposal offered to the voters by my administration has undergone a rigorous, transparent, and statewide public-input process with high standards placed on responsiveness and community engagement. Coloradans will be the deciding factor on the type of train and route they want to build that will be best for them. Aggressively pursue federal dollars for this project, such as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, and foster valuable industry partnerships that share in the cost of building Front Range Rail along new and existing rail lines. Incentivizing use by connecting to our existing transportation system, including I-70, with access to the Denver-Winter Park Ski Train, Bustang, Light Rail, city buses, and ride-sharing services, while ensuring that Coloradans can easily get to and from transit options from their homes. Push RTD to fulfill the commitments it made to voters under FasTracks including Northwest Rail Strictly vet potential operators to make sure that Coloradans are getting the best bang for their buck. Innovate as we design by working with local communities to zone for and provide transit-oriented attainable housing at stops along the rail that help people live affordably closer to their work and multiple transportation options. Prioritize the hiring of Coloradans first, and utilize the best-trained workers in the state by using contractors that invest in United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship programs, and our state’s best-value contracting law, to make sure the job is done well and with fair compensation and safe working conditions for workers.

Create a Smarter Approach to Infrastructure
The fastest and most cost-effective transportation system is one that reduces our need to travel and provides us the freedom to travel easily when we do. Building a universal 21st-century digital infrastructure enables more Coloradans to telecommute and can be a lifeline for many rural communities that rely on telemedicine. Whether you’re a senior who wants to video chat with the grandkids in Texas, or an entrepreneur looking to compete in a global economy, creative approaches to infrastructure play a significant role in making sure all Coloradans can live a good life in a changing economy.

Expanding broadband to every corner of the state:

Small businesses know that hiring top talent might mean recruiting workers who live hundreds or thousands of miles away, and rural Coloradans can benefit from telecommuting and the wider availability of telemedicine/telehealth. Any plan for infrastructure that doesn’t include making sure Colorado has universal access to high-speed internet is simply an outdated proposal.

Our Broadband Deployment Fund could fund internet projects across the state, but the law surrounding it is vague and murky, resulting in slow-moving investments in building out high-speed internet. We will speed that investment by changing the law to move resources faster. We’ll give rural towns and citizens the freedom to plan for and invest in broadband by removing the antiquated requirement to conduct costly and time-intensive elections to do so. Municipal broadband is one of the most powerful consumer protection tools we have to preserve net neutrality and maintain an open internet. Colorado will partner with local governments to create strategic regional broadband plans and support public-private partnerships by encouraging state agencies to collaborate in building reliable internet across the state using existing resources. I’ll leverage existing public broadband infrastructure from CDOT and school districts to enhance access in communities across our state. I will nominate Public Utility Commission members who support building out rural broadband and side with consumers over well-funded special interests. I will also encourage CDOT to coordinate with local governments in using existing fiber lines and resources to close service gaps. Enacting thoughtful best-practice land use policies that reduce the need for travel by:

Recruiting local governments in developing statewide design guidance that help communities pursue mixed-use zoning, increased density where appropriate, and transit-oriented attainable housing. Adopting best practices for land use by shifting our focus from parking requirements to pedestrian friendly streets, and development that maintains our architectural soul, improves the character of our cities and towns, enhances the built environment, and creates a sense of place. Investing in walking and biking paths across the state, ensuring connectivity with our transit systems and making bike commuting a reality for more Coloradans.

Coloradans deserve to live the life they choose and enjoy the offerings of the incredible state we get to call home. Along with reducing traffic and saving Coloradans money, our state can dramatically improve the quality of life for citizens with limited transit options. We can provide seniors who can no longer drive with the independence and mobility that comes with affordable and accessible transit options. People with physical limitations will be better served by thoughtful planning that provides for equity in our transportation system, and provides the opportunity to travel safely and conveniently. By helping Coloradans achieve freedom of mobility, we can protect the Colorado way of life for generations to come, strengthen our economy, and manage our growth effectively.

Broadband
Building a universal 21st-century digital infrastructure enables more Coloradans to telecommute and can be a lifeline for many rural communities that rely on telemedicine. Whether you’re a senior who wants to video chat with the grandkids in Texas, or an entrepreneur looking to compete in a global economy, creative approaches to infrastructure play a significant role in making sure all Coloradans can live a good life in a changing economy.

Expanding broadband to every corner of the state
Small businesses know that hiring top talent might mean recruiting workers who live hundreds or thousands of miles away, and rural Coloradans can benefit from telecommuting and the wider availability of telemedicine/telehealth. Any plan for infrastructure that doesn’t include making sure Colorado has universal access to high-speed internet is simply an outdated proposal.

Our Broadband Deployment Fund could fund internet projects across the state, but the law surrounding it is vague and murky, resulting in slow-moving investments in building out high-speed internet. We will speed that investment by changing the law to move resources faster. We’ll give rural towns and citizens the freedom to plan for and invest in broadband by removing the antiquated requirement to conduct costly and time-intensive elections to do so. Municipal broadband is one of the most powerful consumer protection tools we have to preserve net neutrality and maintain an open internet. Colorado will partner with local governments to create strategic regional broadband plans and support public-private partnerships by encouraging state agencies to collaborate in building reliable internet across the state using existing resources. I’ll leverage existing public broadband infrastructure from CDOT and school districts to enhance access in communities across our state. I will nominate Public Utility Commission members who support building out rural broadband and side with consumers over well-funded special interests. I will also encourage CDOT to coordinate with local governments in using existing fiber lines and resources to close service gaps.

Enacting thoughtful best-practice land use policies that reduce the need for travel by
Recruiting local governments in developing statewide design guidance that help communities pursue mixed-use zoning, increased density where appropriate, and transit-oriented attainable housing. Adopting best practices for land use by shifting our focus from parking requirements to pedestrian friendly streets, and development that maintains our architectural soul, improves the character of our cities and towns, enhances the built environment, and creates a sense of place. Investing in walking and biking paths across the state, ensuring connectivity with our transit systems and making bike commuting a reality for more Coloradans.

Energy
In the absence of national leadership from the White House, it is up to states like Colorado to chart our course for energy freedom. For our climate, for our national security, for our health, and for our economic growth, we need a bold goal of 100 percent renewable energy. As Governor, I will work with all involved parties to accomplish our statewide clean energy transition by 2040 while saving Coloradans money on their utility bills, and creating green energy jobs in Colorado that can never be outsourced.

Some of our highest-skilled, and hardest working, women and men in the state currently work in coal or oil & gas development, and we cannot ignore the impact the transition to a renewable energy economy is having on our friends and neighbors. As Governor, I recognize the importance of skills learned in coal and oil & gas development towards building a 21st century energy portfolio that will revitalize our rural communities and create jobs in infrastructure, manufacturing, and renewable energy development.

In both the short and long term, this transition will help fuel a vibrant Colorado economy. Projections show that reaching our renewable energy goals in Colorado will create over 49,000 construction jobs and over 21,000 operations jobs while saving consumers 10 percent on energy costs.

Consumers will benefit from this transition. According to a 2016 federal government study, the cost of utility-scale wind is now cheaper than natural gas. The onset of new energy storage technology promises to further improve the cost benefits of a fully renewable energy system, and the cleaner air and water that will come as a result of a 100 percent renewable energy economy will help reduce healthcare costs.

Our technology is finally advanced enough to get this done. Communities in Colorado already have ambitious goals, like Pueblo, which is committed to achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. The entire city of Fort Collins is committed to an 80 percent reduction of all carbon from 2005 levels by 2030, and to being completely carbon neutral by 2050. Cities and towns are leading the way, and with a statewide effort, will create jobs and lower utility costs.

I’ll collaborate with everyone willing to contribute to achieve this goal. This has been my exact approach in Congress. For instance, I teamed up with Rep. Frank Gosar (R-AZ) to streamline permitting procedures for solar, wind, and geothermal projects on public lands. Working with Republicans, Democrats, and other constituencies to cut red-tape and compliance costs around clean energy projects is an important and necessary bipartisan route to success. I look forward to forging these kinds of partnerships as Governor.

Incentives for Energy Efficiency
We can create strong incentives for energy efficiency by:

Increasing regulatory incentives for energy efficient construction and energy efficient lighting. Expanding State Energy Savings Performance Contracting. Ensuring that utilities have strong incentives for managing their increasing energy efficiency. Increasing regulatory incentives for grid infrastructure upgrades and smart grid investments to improve the efficiency of electricity transmission. Building on Governor Hickenlooper’s recent Executive Order to establish policies that account for the costs of carbon to our economy, public health, and environment.

Investment in New Local Renewable Energy Projects
We can spur investment in new local renewable energy projects by:

Appointing Public Utilities Commissioners who support consumers and renewable energy. Encouraging rooftop solar by ensuring that utilities give homeowners, schools and businesses receive full credit for the energy they produce through rooftop solar panels. Creating a Colorado-based contingency fund for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for solar home improvements. Allowing homeowners and cooperatives to install energy storage equipment. Expanding the market for shared renewable energy projects such as geothermal, solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, wind, biomass, municipal solid waste, and increase size limits on production. Creating special districts for small to medium scale renewable energy, especially in rural areas.

Support for Our Workforce
Support and utilize our skilled workforce by:

Using innovative financial mechanisms to recapture stranded coal assets and assist communities where coal plants have been retired; retraining and redeploying workers for green energy jobs that can never be outsourced. Investing in coal communities where coal plants have retired by creating Workforce Development Commissions to help skilled workers find meaningful work in their field, become entrepreneurs, or retrain for a new career if they choose. Fighting for miners to receive the healthcare and retirement benefits they are owed. Working with industry and local communities to create partnerships that give shut down mines and factories new missions in manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, and renewable energy development.

I truly believe that this policy will benefit the entire state – especially rural Colorado, where most of our renewable resources are generated. Politicians that claim we can’t do this are selling an empty promise to some of our hardest working men and women in the state. I will always fight for long-term solutions that prepare our kids for a changing economy, improve our quality of life, and build up main streets across the state.

With this goal, we’ll galvanize a statewide effort that will forge a stronger and more economically vibrant Colorado for everyone. From the Eastern Plains – a hub for wind energy – to the San Luis Valley – where solar is creating more and more jobs – the potential for the entire state to be a part of this effort is too promising not to seize. Striving to achieve this goal will cement Colorado’s economic standing as the best and safest place to raise a family in the nation.

Gun Violence Prevention
Less talk, more action in tackling gun violence
We should continue to demand action from Congress. But there is also a lot we can do right here, right now to save lives in Colorado. We just have to stop rehashing partisan talking points and commit to taking real action.

On Feb. 14, 17 children and educators were gunned down inside their school in Parkland, Fla. The idea of parents saying goodbye to their kids in the morning only to never see them again is too horrific to put into words. But while most of us know about the tragedy in Parkland, we’ve heard barely a thing about the dozens of other shootings that have occurred already in 2018.

Americans have become so desensitized to horrific violence that many tragedies that would be unthinkable in most developed nations barely register in the news cycle in the United States. In fact, on that day alone, there were at least seven other victims killed in shootings throughout the country.

Here in Colorado we are all too familiar with the agony of gun violence. Communities like Littleton, Thornton, Colorado Springs, and Aurora still grapple with the reality of family members never returning home from a movie, school, their doctor’s office, or simply running errands.

In my time in public office, I’ve encountered few issues as polarizing as our nation’s deadly gun violence epidemic. It shouldn’t be this way. Like most Coloradans, I support our Second Amendment right to use guns for defense and sport. And like most Coloradans, I think we should take action to reduce gun violence and help save lives. Nothing about these views is incompatible.

We’ve already taken bold action here in Colorado to tackle gun violence, including passing universal background checks and closing the gun-show loophole. As governor, I would stand up to the gun-manufacturing lobby and build on the progress we’ve made in several ways.

First, we need to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Again and again, we see mass shootings carried out by men with a history of abusing the women in their lives. Every year in this country, more than 750 people, mostly women, are murdered by current or former intimate partners with a gun. What’s more, the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide for women by 500 percent. When a domestic abuser with a pattern of violent threats or actions is issued a restraining order, law enforcement should be empowered to go to court to suspend the abuser’s access to firearms. We can do this in a way that protects due process for the accused

We also must do a better job getting weapons of war — which serve no legitimate sporting purpose — off our streets. And we should ban bump stocks, devices designed solely to convert legal weapons into illegal weapons that can kill dozens of people in less than a minute.

Too often when we discuss gun violence, we don’t acknowledge the toll it takes on the men and women of law enforcement. Since Dec. 31, three Colorado sheriff’s deputies have been shot and killed in the line of duty. Though we can’t fully eliminate the risks officers face on the job, we can work to minimize them — starting with ensuring all officers in Colorado are equipped with bullet-proof vests. I would also like to convene a task force of community leaders and law enforcement members to put forward best practices for police safety such as the use of ballistic plates, helmets, and other advanced protective gear that doesn’t result in situation escalation.

Another too-often overlooked but deadly issue is black-market gun sales, which are enabling violent criminals and gangs to purchase firearms without background checks. The root of this issue is gun theft. In 2015 and 2016 alone, smash-and-grab gun store robberies resulted in nearly 400 guns being stolen in Colorado. We should work to equip gun shops with strong security measures like closed-circuit cameras, discrete signage, and reinforced windows, which are already required of marijuana dispensaries in Colorado. We can also look to the example of communities outside Colorado, such as Richmond, Va., that have strengthened penalties for illegal gun sales and for selling guns to felons — and seen armed robberies and gun homicides drop substantially as a result.

Finally, when you examine the issue of gun violence closely enough, it’s impossible to discuss it without also addressing mental health care, addiction prevention, and criminal justice reform. It would take several more essays to do each of these subjects justice, but for now I will just say that a safer society is one in which mental illness is not stigmatized, addiction is treated through medical care rather than prison, and race doesn’t dictate one’s likelihood of being a victim of violent crime

It’s unfortunate that some politicians care more about what a handful of high-powered Washington lobbyists think than what the American people need. Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans — including more than three quarters of gun owners — support common-sense measures like universal background checks, we can’t even get a vote on them in either chamber of Congress.

These lobbyists will tell you that trying to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists is somehow equivalent to trying to ban law-abiding Americans from owning guns. That’s like saying supporting anti-drunk-driving laws is the same thing as trying to ban cars.

We should continue to demand action from Congress. But there is also a lot we can do right here, right now to save lives in Colorado. We just have to stop rehashing partisan talking points and commit to taking real action.^[39]

”

—Polis for Colorado^[44]

Erik Underwood

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Repeal Tabor and Gallagher Amedment
WE Must Repeal Tabor & Gallagher In 4 Steps & Stages

1. I will work to help elect enough Democrats in the State Senate to capture the majority. I will also work with moderate Republicans who are open to repealing Tabor & Gallagher.

2. As the next Governor, In January 2019, I will work with the State House leadership to create a repeal bill that will work in stages. We would also have to address the Gallagher Amendment. I would like to repeal Gallagher, so each individual county can set their own mill levy rates. It should not be a one size fits all formula at the State level. Gallagher in 2020 will devalue property values in rural communities between 20% - 30% if this is not addressed. The result will be a continued loss of school funding in disadvantaged school districts around this State.

3. Put the Tabor and Gallagher Repeal question up for a Statewide vote in the Fall of 2019. I will campaign in all 64 counties on educating Coloradans on why we need Tabor & Gallagher repealed, and also explain what the resulting benefits will be to each community around the State.

4. If the Statewide vote passes, it will get kicked back to the State House and State Senate to begin the process of unwinding Tabor and Gallagher out of our State Constitution.

Tabor is a very complicated amendment that is strangling our State resources. We must work together to repeal this amendment, so our State can meet our financial challenges. I am against the Tabor Amendment, because we need a rainy day fund for the unknown. Our State needs the flexibility in our budget to fund very important projects and programs. Colorado is growing, and so are the traffic problems. Our Schools are underfunded.

I will provide leadership working with mayors and other leaders around our State addressing these issues. We have to get the votes in the State Senate, in order to begin the process of repealing Tabor. We have to plan for our State's future, and getting rid of Tabor, will help to provide more resources to solve these very important problems. Our kids will greatly benefit as well, by properly funding our schools, we can give school districts more resources; so our kids can compete, grow, and learn.

Join me on this effort to properly fund our future!

Free In State Tuition at a Public College, Trade School, or University
The Colorado Hope Grant

I plan take the excess state lottery revenues to give hard working families and deserving students a helping hand. The State grant will give free college in - state tuition to graduating high school seniors with a B+ average or better. The grant will also include tuition for trade schools. In return, students will have to give 25 hours per year (4 years total) of community service to the Colorado State Parks & Recreation Department. Graduating high school seniors who do not have a B+ can apply and attend a public community college tuition free. Students that go to a community college for one semester and raise their grades to a B+; can then transfer to a state public college or university, in Colorado, tuition free.

By cultivating the brightest minds in Colorado, this program in the long run will contribute greatly to our growing economy. That means more jobs and more entrepreneurship here in Colorado for generations to come.

Colorado Rural Urban Agricultural Hemp Manufacturing Initiative

I am pleased to announce my plan and statewide initiative that will bring good paying agricultural and manufacturing jobs back to rural and urban Colorado. As I travel around the State from Greely to Pueblo, and to other less populated cities in Colorado, the one question that keeps popping up; how do I propose to bring back jobs to rural Colorado? I have an answer, and plan for our State called CRUAHMI [Pronounced “Crew –Ah – Mi”], Colorado Rural Urban Agricultural Hemp Manufacturing Initiative.

                                       Rural and Urban Economic Plan

         Colorado Rural Urban Agricultural Hemp Manufacturing Initiative (CRUAHMI)

Trade is killing our jobs here in America. So many countries have an unfair advantage over our workers and companies based here in the U.S. It is hard to compete when an economic trade system is stacked against you. I want to give the State of Colorado back that advantage through my economic plan and initiative that I call CRUAHMI, the Colorado Rural Urban Agricultural Hemp Manufacturing Initiative. I want Colorado to become an economic leader in industrialized hemp for manufacturing purposes. Through this program, we would help farmers and manufacturers with State funded loans to spark entrepreneurship and job growth. Farmers and Manufactures will have a streamlined program where they can come together, and spark massive growth here in Colorado. The result can export many hemp based goods from Colorado to all over the world.

The Problem: Lost jobs in rural and urban Colorado, the need for high paying jobs, and entrepreneurial opportunity for a new multibillion dollar economy and cash crop. Also, the need to reduce environmental short falls of cutting down trees, which takes longer to produce than Industrial Hemp.

The Solution: To create an agricultural and manufacturing initiative that will make Industrial Hemp an exportable cash crop for Colorado, creating jobs in hard hit rural counties. Through this initiative, Colorado will see billions of dollars in new revenue form hemp. This new tax base can help improve our schools, roads, and create more job opportunities, lifting more Coloradans out of poverty. Uses From Hemp: Clothing, Shoes, Rope, Paper, Furniture, Hempcrete, Plastics, Graphene Batteries, Beauty Products, and so many more manufactured items.

My plan will not only help the environment, but will to help usher in a new cash crop for the manufacturing and agriculture industry. Colorado has a chance to create a global hemp industry right here in our beloved State.

Since the legalization of marijuana, the time is now to let our farmers and entrepreneurs partner on an agricultural and manufacturing initiative that will produce products from hemp. Industrial hemp breaths in 4x the carbon dioxide (CO2) of trees during its 12-14 week growing cycle. Trees take 20 years to mature versus 4 months for Industrial Hemp. Forests are being cut down 3x faster than they can grow. Colorado can become a leader in the Hemp industry through growth and exports of goods around the globe. My plan will help farmers to obtain financing through private and public partnerships in designated rural areas around Colorado.

The plan also includes farmers and entrepreneurial manufacturers to partner up. The farmers will supply the hemp, and the manufacturers will produce; clothing, shoes, paper, and other hemp made items through the farmer/manufacture partnership. In order for manufacturers to get tax and abatement incentives from the state, including help of financing through public and private partnerships, the manufacturing facilities of Hemp made products must be located in designated rural counties and urban cities hit hard by job loss opportunities.

This initiative will help hard working families to have more job opportunities in counties where the opportunities are less. It will also help to spark an entrepreneurial revolution here in our State, which will rival the technology industry.

Protect Undocumented Immigrants -Come Out Of The Shadows Program
Keeping families together is a priority of mine. No longer can we afford to keep our head in the sand. If Washington is unwilling to act, then I will act as the next Governor. The goal of my program is to protect Undocumented Immigrants, so we can fight to give them base level legal status as a state resident.

                                     Protecting Undocumented Immigrants

                                        Come Out Of The Shadows Program

We have to bring undocumented immigrants into the fold of our society. With DACA up in the air, I have a solution for Colorado. Doing nothing is not an option. We are a nation of immigrants. My plan (COOTS) will allow all undocumented immigrants to become a legal state resident of Colorado through a process. Pay a nominal program fee, stay out of trouble, after two years, they can become a resident of Colorado. The nominal fee that participants pay will help subsidize the program. We will set up State advocates to guide immigrants on how to become a U.S. Permanent Resident or a U.S. Citizen, after completing the COOTS program. Colorado will not share our registry list with any federal agency, except in a serious case where someone commits a felony.

If any Undocumented immigrant cannot afford to pay into the program fee, they can apply for waiver. I may not be able to solve the nation’s immigration problem, but I can at least provide a serious solution here in Colorado. If my COOTS legislation passes and it gets legally challenged, we will defend the program in the courts. I hope to give other State’s in our union legal precedent when it comes to protecting undocumented immigrants. As state legal residents, undocumented immigrants can work, pay taxes, and have a beginning to a pathway to becoming a U.S. Citizen.

The Colorado Youth Voting Act

My Response and Proposed Action Against the NRA if Elected Governor

The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida struck me in a different way than pervious school shootings around this country. Unfortunately, Colorado knows the pain all too well, as we have had countless gun violence tragedies here in our State. The time to act in solving this problem should have been long ago. The NRA in my view, have become a political terrorist organization; they constantly threaten and harass our politicians on both sides of the aisle. The threats from the NRA freezes both Democrats and Republicans who want to do the simplest measures such as, universal background checks, cross referencing information with others states, banning bump stocks, and other proposed laws that would keep us safe. These threats are unleased time and time again, especially during election season. Also, in my view, this is a national security issue for me; no other country on this planet has the gun violence that we do as a nation.

The time to act is now! Since the February 14th, shooting at Stoneman Douglass, I have watched several rally’s organized by these high school students wanting their law makers to do something about gun violence. Weapons of war should not be on our streets period. The last time I checked, you don’t need a 100 round clip to shoot an elk. Listening to some of these brave students like, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, and Cameron Kasky, was very inspiring. These students sound more articulate than most adults and they make more sense than our current politicians.

These students need political voting power behind them to take on the NRA and other special interest, and thus, I will introduce our very best weapon; our youth. I want Colorado to serve as a national model for the rest of our country. I am going to empower a constituency that the NRA will not be able to bully or corrupt. I introduce to you, The Colorado Youth Voting Act.

This State Voting Act is not just about the NRA. We need our youth engaged in the political process early on, so we can develop their civic duty to vote and participate in our democracy.

1. If you’re old enough to drive, you’re old enough to vote! I want lower our State’s voting age from 18 to 16. If your 15, you will be able caucus and vote in primaries only.

2. I want to institute a high school requirement that you must be registered to vote and participate in at least one election before graduating high school.

3. I want to lower the age requirements for State Rep and State Senate. For State Rep, I want the minimum age to be 18. For State Senate, I want the minimum age set at 21.

I challenge other politicians around this country to institute this proposed law in their home States. Let’s empower our youth now! They are ready to lead! If you want to see Red States turn to Blue, this is how you do it by 2020! – Erik Underwood for Governor of Colorado

Department of Rural Affairs
The Department of Rural Affairs will focus on but will not be limited to; Broadband, water rights, farming, protecting public lands and the environment, creating economic opportunities for our rural Coloradans, closing the gap on paying our rural teachers, and recruiting teachers to rural communities, and much more.

Also, I pledge to open 4 satellite Governor's offices on the Eastern Plains, San Luis Valley, Grand Junction, and somewhere between Routt and Larimer County. A Governor has to stay connected to the people and issues of Colorado. It is not all about the Front Range.

Colorado Rural Broadband Initiative
I will treat broadband as a public utility and not place broadband into the hands of private companies. By treating broadband as a public utility, it will keep the cost affordable for all Coloradans. I will prioritize broadband as an infrastructure project as a benefit to repealing Tabor. In the meantime, I propose we raise the gas tax by 3 cents for 5 years to jumpstart our broadband initiative. By the way, the State gas tax has not been raised since 1991, we would only raise the gas tax temporarily for broadband, so that it would sunset as a tax.

Expand Medicaid
I will work to expand Medicaid to the most vulnerable Colorado who need access to quality health care. We will make sure that our Coloradans are taken care of...Outward - Inward.

Expunge Nonviolent Marijuana Convictions
Lets make things right in Colorado, and expunge nonviolent marijuana convictions so affected Coloradans can move on with their life.

Opioid Addiction
As the next Governor, I will treat the opioid epidemic here in Colorado as a disease, not as crime. I will work on both sides of the aisle to make sure Colorado has resources in place for treatment and other innovative ways to stop opioid deaths.

Equal Pay for Equal Work
I admire and respect women greatly, having been raised by a single mom. As Governor, I will make sure all state workers who are women, are making the same as their male counterparts. It is the right thing to do and we will get it done!

I also support efforts in the private sector for paid family leave for both men and women.

Homeless Vets
We have to put our patriotism where our mouth is, and that means helping our men and women who are heroes. I will work the public and private sector to implement a program for homeless vets here in Colorado. I also will work communities and organizations to address addiction and mental health issues affecting vets. We need to create a housing and treatment program for vets. Where upon successful completion of a 3- 6 months program, we will help them get back on their feet, with permanent housing and workforce development training, so they can reenter the workforce. We can do better on this issue and we must!

Protecting Our Environment
We have to invest in our clean energy future here in Colorado. I will support all industries, that reduces the carbon footprint where we can keep Colorado pristine for the next generation. Its good for the economy, for job creation, and it is good morally to leave this place better than we found it.

Economic Equality
As Governor, I will work with the public and private sectors on creating new and inclusive economic opportunities for rural and urban Coloradans. Everyone deserves to have an opportunity and access to the American Dream. It is our job to provide access to opportunities for all Coloradans, because not everyone is born with the same access to opportunities as certain socioeconomic groups. We must work together as a team to solve these challenges. Uplifting all Coloradans is a goal that I want to achieve in my future administration.

Protecting Our Farmers
I support our ranchers and farmers here in the State of Colorado. They are important to us for a source of food, economy, and environment. I will work with the agricultural industry here in Colorado, to protect famers and rancher's water rights. I will also work to encourage agricultural innovation where our farmers can have a chance to expand their operations. I will be a big cheerleader promoting our agriculture here in Colorado and abroad.

Equality in Public School Education and Innovating New School Programs
I'm an innovator. As Governor, I will work to innovate public school programs that gives students a foundation to succeed in the future. Some of what I will propose will reinforce the basics, like civics, and community service. We live in a digital age, and I want to implement computer programming skills and teach students how to create code. This could give future students a strong base for an entrepreneurial spirit. We have to rethink the old woodshop electives that we took back in the day and embrace the 21st Century. Lets give our students a solid base with skills that they can come out of high school with so they can apply it directly to the workforce if they choose.

Campus Rape
As Governor, I will not tolerate any kind of violent acts of violation against any woman. Campus rape is real and leaves a lasting effect amongst its victims. I will support strict and tough new laws regarding campus rape. I will also work with survivor groups on giving them the resources they need to rebuild their lives and to strengthen their courage. Unfortunately, one of my opponents (A congressman from the Boulder area) in our gubernatorial race, believes that accused rapists on college campuses should only be expelled or just "transfer" to another college (Click Here for Article Link).

While I believe in due process, colleges and universities should be turning over every rape case to authorities who have the power to prosecute. Rape is a very serious crime, and if someone who commits this heinous crime is found guilty by a court of law, then they should go to jail and do not pass go. I will not tolerate colleges and universities giving slaps on the wrist to offenders, where they can transfer and continue to victimize women. I will not equivocate like the Boulder congressman, who likened rape to some infraction in the student handbook that can get a student expelled. We have to treat rape as a criminal matter first! Period!^[39]

”

—Underwood for Governor^[45]

Context of the 2018 election

Colorado was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Path to the ballot

Candidates seeking a major party nomination for governor of Colorado in 2018 could qualify for the primary ballot as a result of collecting signatures or by nomination at the state party convention. In order to qualify for the primary ballot via signatures, candidates were required submit 1,500 signatures from party members who are registered voters in each of the state's seven congressional districts. An individual's signature could only appear on the nominating forms of a single candidate, meaning that if one petitioner signed multiple candidates' nominating petitions, the signatures only counted for the candidate who was first to turn their petitions in. The cost of collecting the required signatures could exceed $200,000, according to The Denver Post. In order to qualify for the primary ballot via nomination at the state party convention, candidates were required to receive at least 30 percent of the nominating vote at the party convention. Candidates were permitted to pursue both avenues simultaneously.^[46]

Signatures

Michael Johnston
The first candidate to submit signatures in the 2018 primary election was former state Sen. Michael Johnston (D), who turned in just over 20,000 signatures on February 21, 2018.^[47] Johnston's signatures were verified by the secretary of state on March 16, 2018.^[48]

Jared Polis
Polis was the second Democratic candidate to submit signatures, turning in 33,000 signatures on March 14, 2018.^[49] After Polis qualified for the ballot at the state assembly, he withdrew his nominating petitions, which had not yet been verified.

Donna Lynne
Lynne was the third and final Democratic candidate to submit signatures, submitting 25,000 signatures on March 19, 2018.^[50] Lynne's signatures were verified by the secretary of state on April 20, 2018.^[48]

State convention

The Democratic Party of Colorado held precinct caucuses on March 6, 2018. At the caucuses, party members voted for delegates to attend county assemblies, which occurred between March 15, 2018, and March 21, 2018. Delegates at the county assemblies voted on delegates to attend the state convention on April 14, 2018.^[51] Any candidate who received 30 percent or more of the vote at the state convention was guaranteed a spot on the ballot.

Precinct caucuses

Precinct caucus attendees participated in a non-binding vote on the gubernatorial candidates who had indicated that they would seek the party's nomination at the convention rather than (or in addition to) submitting nominating petitions. Cary Kennedy (D) receieved 50 percent of the vote. She was followed by Jared Polis (D) with 32.5 percent of the vote and Mike Johnston (D) with 8.8 percent. Noel Ginsburg (D) registered 1.7 percent support, while Erik Underwood (D) received 0.4 percent.^[52]

Click [show] to view full results for the precinct caucuses

Democratic Party of Colorado precinct caucuses, 2018
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Cary Kennedy	50.0%	11,593
Jared Polis	32.5%	7,542
Mike Johnston	8.8%	2,049
Noel Ginsburg	1.7%	400
Erik Underwood	0.4%	95
Uncommitted	6.5%	1,504
Total Votes		23,183

State convention

At the April 14, 2018, state convention, the only two candidates to receive the 30 percent of the vote required to advance to the primary were Cary Kennedy (D) with 62 percent and Jared Polis (D) with 33 percent.^[53]

Satellite spending

Frontier Fairness

Frontier Fairness was a political action committee which supported the campaign of Michael Johnston (D).^[54] The group received a $1 million contribution from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I).^[55] As of June 4, 2018, the PAC had raised over $4 million.^[56]

Sierra Club

See also: Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is an activist group whose mission is "To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives."^[57] The Colorado affiliate of the Sierra Club spent $600,000 on advertising in support of Jared Polis (D).^[58]

Race rating

Race ratings: Colorado gubernatorial election, 2018
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2018	October 30, 2018	October 23, 2018	October 16, 2018
The Cook Political Report	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Colorado Governor 2018, Democratic primary
Poll	Poll sponsor	Jared Polis	Cary Kennedy	Mike Johnston	Donna Lynne	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size

Strategies 360 (May 29 - June 6, 2018)	Service Employees International Union Colorado Small Donor Committee	34%	23%	12%	2%	29%	+/-5.0	387
Magellan Strategies (May 30-31, 2018)	Unknown	31%	18%	9%	3%	39%	+/-4.4	503
Magellan Strategies (March 20-23, 2018)	N/A	27%	23%	8%	5%	37%	+/-4.84	410
AVERAGES		30.67%	21.33%	9.67%	3.33%	35%	+/-4.75	433.33
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Past elections

2014

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

John Hickenlooper ran for re-election as governor of Colorado in the 2014 election. Hickenlooper was unopposed in the Democratic primary.^[59]

Campaign tactics and strategies

Campaign advertisements

Michael Johnston

Support

"Gun Safety - Stand Up to the Gun Lobby" - Johnston campaign ad, released February 27, 2018

Oppose

"A+" - Teachers for Kennedy ad, released May 29, 2018

Cary Kennedy

Oppose

"Really" - Bold Colorado ad, released June 6, 2018

Donna Lynne

Support

"Leadership and Experience" - Lynne campaign ad, released June 12, 2018

Jared Polis

Support

"Béisbol" - Polis campaign ad, released June 11, 2018

"Bold" - Sierra Club of Colorado ad, released June 5, 2018

"Imagine" - Polis campaign ad, released April 13, 2018

Oppose

"A+" - Teachers for Kennedy ad, released May 29, 2018

Online presence

June 19, 2018

The following social media statistics were collected on June 19, 2018.

	Facebook			Twitter
Candidate	Followers	Likes	Comments on Last Ten Posts	Followers	Following	Tweets
Johnston	14,710	13,735	13	10,584	411	3,472
Kennedy	10,357	9,831	35	4,550	1,517	1,134
Polis	39,571	38,017	314	2,324	588	1,357
Lynne	1,502	1,398	4	772	884	489

Tweets by Mike Johnston Tweets by Cary Kennedy Tweets by Jared Polis Tweets by Donna Lynne

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election.

Colorado utilizes a semi-closed primary system. According to Section 1-7-201 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, "An eligible unaffiliated elector, including a preregistrant who is eligible under section 1-2-101 (2)(c), is entitled to vote in the primary election of a major political party without affiliating with that political party."^[60]^[61]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.^[62]^[63]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

In Colorado, an individual can pre-register to vote if they are at least 15 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old to vote in any election. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have established residence in Colorado to vote.^[64]

Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter must register online, through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or driver's license examination facility at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter that registers through a voter registration drive must submit their application no later than 22 days before the election to automatically receive an absentee/mail-in ballot. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.^[64]^[65]^[66]

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and certain other state agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.

Residency requirements

Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.^[65]

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.^[67] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with their mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.

The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of October 2025. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.

“

The following documents are acceptable forms of identification:

A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.)
A valid U.S. passport.
A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado.
A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S.
A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector.
A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector.
A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood.
A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector.
Certified documentation of naturalization.
A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S..
A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. department of veterans affairs veterans health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector.
A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership.

Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification.

The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting:

Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S.
Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S.
Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility.^[68]^[39]

”

Note: SB 1, signed into law on May 12, 2025, specified that tribal IDs issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, or another federal agency were also valid identification.

Early and absentee voting

Colorado conducts what are commonly referred to as all-mail elections. In Colorado, voting is conducted primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, by mail. Election officials automatically distribute mail-in ballots to active electors starting 18 to 22 days before an election. Colorado law requires county clerks to operate polling locations (Voter Service and Polling Centers, or VSPCs) starting 15 days before an election and continuing through Election Day, excluding Sundays. At these locations, eligible voters can do any of the following:^[69]

void their mail-in ballots to vote in person,
register to vote,
update existing voter registration records,
obtain mail-in ballots, or
vote in person via paper ballots or accessible voting devices.

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Colorado heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

The state had a split delegation (one Democrat, one Republican) in the U.S. Senate. Colorado did not hold elections for either U.S. Senate seat in 2018.
Republicans held four of seven U.S. House seats in Colorado, and Democrats held three.

State executives

As of May 2018, Republicans held three of 10 state executive positions. Democrats held two, and five were nonpartisan.
The governor of Colorado was Democrat John Hickenlooper, who was term-limited and unable to run for re-election in 2018. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.

State legislature

The Colorado state legislature was under divided control. Republicans had an 18-16 majority in the state Senate, with one Independent who caucused with the Democrats. Democrats had a 36-29 majority in the state House.

Trifecta status

Heading into the 2018 elections, Colorado was under divided government.

2018 elections

See also: Colorado elections, 2018

Colorado held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Colorado
	Colorado	U.S.
Total population:	5,448,819	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	103,642	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	84.2%	73.6%
Black/African American:	4%	12.6%
Asian:	2.9%	5.1%
Native American:	0.9%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	3.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	21.1%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	90.7%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	38.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$60,629	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	13.5%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2017, Colorado had a population of approximately 5.6 million people, and its two largest cities were Denver (pop. est. 719,000) and Colorado Springs (pop. est. 484,000).^[70]^[71]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Colorado from 2000 to 2016.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Colorado every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Colorado 2000-2016^[72]
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Hillary Clinton	48.2%	Donald Trump	43.3%	4.9%
2012	Barack Obama	51.5%	Mitt Romney	46.1%	5.4%
2008	Barack Obama	53.7%	John McCain	44.7%	9.0%
2004	George W. Bush	51.7%	John Kerry	47.0%	4.7%
2000	George W. Bush	50.8%	Al Gore	42.4%	8.4%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Colorado from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Colorado 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016^[73]	Michael Bennet	50.0%	Darryl Glenn	44.3%	5.7%
2014^[74]	Cory Gardner	48.2%	Mark Udall	46.3%	1.9%
2010^[75]	Michael Bennet	48.1%	Ken Buck	46.4%	1.7%
2008^[76]	Mark Udall	52.8%	Bob Schaffer	42.5%	10.3%
2004^[77]	Ken Salazar	50.4%	Pete Coors	45.7%	4.7%
2002^[78]	Wayne Allard	50.1%	Tom Strickland	45.2%	4.9%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Colorado, and take place in even-numbered years between presidential elections.

Election results (Governor), Colorado 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014^[74]	John Hickenlooper	49.3%	Bob Beauprez	46.0%	3.3%
2010^[75]	John Hickenlooper	51.1%	Tom Tancredo	36.4%	14.7%
2006^[79]	Bill Ritter	56.0%	Bob Beauprez	39.5%	16.5%
2002^[78]	Bill Owens	61.7%	Rollie Heath	33.2%	28.5%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Colorado in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Colorado 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016^[73]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2014^[74]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2012^[80]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2010^[75]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2008^[76]	2	28.6%	5	71.4%	D+3
2006^[79]	3	42.9%	4	57.1%	D+1
2004^[77]	4	57.1%	3	42.9%	R+1
2002^[78]	5	71.4%	2	28.6%	R+3
2000^[81]	4	66.7%	2	33.3%	R+2

Trifectas, 1992-2018

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Colorado Party Control: 1992-2025
Thirteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Four of 64 Colorado counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Conejos County, Colorado	3.56%	9.22%	12.93%
Huerfano County, Colorado	6.61%	8.27%	11.23%
Las Animas County, Colorado	15.60%	2.65%	7.04%
Pueblo County, Colorado	0.50%	13.99%	14.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Colorado with 48.2 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 43.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Colorado voted Republican 63.3 percent of the time and Democratic 36.7 percent of the time. Colorado voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but voted Democratic in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Colorado. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[82]^[83]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 37 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 27.3 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 40 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 28 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 25 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 25.8 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	63.79%	34.04%	D+29.8	59.82%	32.28%	D+27.5	D
2	72.48%	24.78%	D+47.7	75.22%	16.32%	D+58.9	D
3	52.36%	45.33%	D+7	53.90%	37.16%	D+16.7	D
4	79.17%	18.39%	D+60.8	76.84%	15.60%	D+61.2	D
5	76.41%	21.06%	D+55.3	74.82%	16.97%	D+57.9	D
6	66.55%	31.98%	D+34.6	70.34%	23.22%	D+47.1	D
7	82.54%	16.11%	D+66.4	79.82%	14.64%	D+65.2	D
8	84.00%	13.75%	D+70.2	83.59%	9.56%	D+74	D
9	63.82%	33.80%	D+30	64.82%	26.84%	D+38	D
10	79.29%	17.98%	D+61.3	80.62%	12.47%	D+68.2	D
11	58.66%	38.84%	D+19.8	58.25%	33.00%	D+25.3	D
12	65.33%	32.47%	D+32.9	66.50%	25.52%	D+41	D
13	68.88%	28.33%	D+40.5	66.61%	25.99%	D+40.6	D
14	29.31%	68.47%	R+39.2	28.41%	61.02%	R+32.6	R
15	35.17%	62.29%	R+27.1	30.23%	59.27%	R+29	R
16	38.44%	58.69%	R+20.3	33.98%	55.52%	R+21.5	R
17	58.28%	38.66%	D+19.6	46.07%	43.39%	D+2.7	D
18	55.69%	41.03%	D+14.7	50.76%	39.01%	D+11.8	D
19	23.20%	74.75%	R+51.5	21.00%	70.64%	R+49.6	R
20	36.90%	61.07%	R+24.2	36.13%	54.67%	R+18.5	R
21	44.76%	52.44%	R+7.7	33.08%	56.35%	R+23.3	R
22	43.22%	54.92%	R+11.7	41.43%	49.83%	R+8.4	R
23	56.59%	40.48%	D+16.1	53.37%	37.35%	D+16	D
24	56.97%	40.27%	D+16.7	54.87%	35.95%	D+18.9	D
25	45.68%	52.27%	R+6.6	46.55%	44.77%	D+1.8	R
26	56.52%	41.35%	D+15.2	55.34%	36.27%	D+19.1	D
27	47.59%	50.20%	R+2.6	45.58%	45.51%	D+0.1	R
28	56.14%	41.40%	D+14.7	52.88%	38.13%	D+14.7	D
29	55.15%	41.90%	D+13.3	49.23%	40.65%	D+8.6	D
30	58.12%	39.53%	D+18.6	50.98%	40.69%	D+10.3	D
31	57.57%	39.68%	D+17.9	49.47%	41.26%	D+8.2	D
32	68.41%	28.79%	D+39.6	59.50%	32.00%	D+27.5	D
33	54.04%	43.63%	D+10.4	54.79%	35.90%	D+18.9	D
34	58.24%	38.92%	D+19.3	50.21%	40.46%	D+9.8	D
35	56.93%	40.57%	D+16.4	53.11%	37.98%	D+15.1	D
36	58.93%	39.04%	D+19.9	53.58%	37.59%	D+16	D
37	46.74%	51.56%	R+4.8	48.68%	42.60%	D+6.1	R
38	45.32%	52.68%	R+7.4	46.96%	43.84%	D+3.1	R
39	33.46%	64.72%	R+31.3	31.36%	61.02%	R+29.7	R
40	57.39%	40.16%	D+17.2	53.06%	37.39%	D+15.7	D
41	62.83%	34.95%	D+27.9	60.91%	31.42%	D+29.5	D
42	72.27%	25.31%	D+47	66.99%	25.31%	D+41.7	D
43	40.49%	58.15%	R+17.7	42.44%	48.85%	R+6.4	R
44	37.59%	60.64%	R+23	37.16%	53.68%	R+16.5	R
45	32.91%	65.51%	R+32.6	32.80%	58.30%	R+25.5	R
46	55.76%	42.01%	D+13.8	45.78%	46.05%	R+0.3	D
47	47.31%	50.40%	R+3.1	37.98%	54.19%	R+16.2	R
48	37.53%	60.27%	R+22.7	30.35%	61.19%	R+30.8	R
49	41.56%	56.12%	R+14.6	36.54%	54.81%	R+18.3	R
50	55.50%	41.23%	D+14.3	45.81%	43.71%	D+2.1	D
51	43.13%	54.07%	R+10.9	36.83%	53.48%	R+16.7	R
52	57.53%	39.81%	D+17.7	55.70%	34.08%	D+21.6	D
53	61.38%	35.23%	D+26.1	59.03%	29.59%	D+29.4	D
54	28.39%	69.43%	R+41	22.69%	70.10%	R+47.4	R
55	36.10%	61.61%	R+25.5	32.32%	59.26%	R+26.9	R
56	40.95%	56.94%	R+16	36.37%	55.99%	R+19.6	R
57	38.90%	58.78%	R+19.9	34.52%	58.25%	R+23.7	R
58	36.91%	60.52%	R+23.6	31.94%	61.10%	R+29.2	R
59	50.62%	46.33%	D+4.3	47.02%	43.47%	D+3.5	D
60	39.26%	57.98%	R+18.7	31.71%	60.43%	R+28.7	R
61	55.13%	42.35%	D+12.8	52.90%	39.28%	D+13.6	D
62	58.86%	38.59%	D+20.3	47.77%	43.64%	D+4.1	D
63	40.61%	56.65%	R+16	33.06%	58.29%	R+25.2	R
64	31.01%	66.64%	R+35.6	22.78%	70.74%	R+48	R
65	29.29%	68.33%	R+39	20.30%	74.27%	R+54	R
Total	51.49%	46.13%	D+5.4	48.16%	43.25%	D+4.9	-
Source: Daily Kos

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado governor Democratic primary 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary) - Google News

External links

Suggest a link

Governor of Colorado official website

Footnotes

↑ Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,
↑ Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,
↑ ChalkBeat, "Where candidates in the Colorado Democratic primary stand on education issues," June 14, 2018
↑ Polis for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018
↑ Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Why I'm Running," accessed June 14, 2018
↑ Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018
↑ Lynne for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018
↑ 9 News, "Former Colo. State Sen. Mike Johnston announces run for governor," January 17, 2017
↑ Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Policies," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ Colorado Public Radio, "Ex-State Treasurer Cary Kennedy Announces Run For Governor," April 10, 2017
↑ Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ The Denver Post, "Donna Lynne makes it official, enters Colorado governor’s race," September 7, 2017
↑ Lynne for Colorado, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ The Denver Post, "John Hickenlooper’s No. 2 sounds like his No. 1 pick for Colorado governor in 2018," September 6, 2017
↑ The Denver Post, "Jared Polis to join crowded 2018 race for governor, tells The Post he wants 'a Colorado that works for everybody'," June 11, 2017
↑ Polis for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ Polis for Colorado, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018
↑ Denver Post, "Colorado’s 1 million-plus unaffiliated voters can participate for the first time in a primary election. Here’s what they need to know," June 2, 2018
↑ Gay Star News, "Civil Rights hero John Lewis endorses gay candidate running for governor," March 14, 2018
↑ The Denver Post, "In Colorado governor’s race, Ken Salazar backs Cary Kennedy," May 1, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm endorses Democrat Mike Johnston in governor’s race," February 7, 2018
↑ ^24.0 ^24.1 ^24.2 ^24.3 ^24.4 ^24.5 Jared Polis for Colorado, "More than 40 Latino Community Leaders Share Jared Polis’ Vision for Colorado, Endorse Him for Governor," February 2, 2018
↑ ^25.00 ^25.01 ^25.02 ^25.03 ^25.04 ^25.05 ^25.06 ^25.07 ^25.08 ^25.09 ^25.10 ^25.11 ^25.12 ^25.13 ^25.14 ^25.15 ^25.16 ^25.17 ^25.18 ^25.19 ^25.20 ^25.21 ^25.22 ^25.23 ^25.24 ^25.25 ^25.26 ^25.27 ^25.28 ^25.29 Colorado Politics, "Dozens of officials, civic luminaries back Democrat Cary Kennedy in her run for Colorado governor," October 18, 2017
↑ ^26.00 ^26.01 ^26.02 ^26.03 ^26.04 ^26.05 ^26.06 ^26.07 ^26.08 ^26.09 ^26.10 ^26.11 ^26.12 ^26.13 ^26.14 ^26.15 ^26.16 ^26.17 ^26.18 ^26.19 Colorado Pols, "Everybody And Their Mother Endorses Jared Polis," September 6, 2017
↑ The Gazette, "Gary Hart endorses Democrat Mike Johnston in Colorado's gubernatorial primary," August 9, 2017
↑ ^28.0 ^28.1 The Gazette, "Wellington and Wilma Webb endorse Democrat Mike Johnston for Colorado governor," August 3, 2017
↑ ^29.0 ^29.1 ^29.2 ^29.3 ^29.4 ^29.5 ^29.6 Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Endorsements," accessed February 13, 2018
↑ Facebook, "Donna Lynne," June 2, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "ENDORSEMENT WATCH: Backing for governor, treasurer, Congress hopefuls," May 23, 2018
↑ NORML, "NORML PAC Endorses Jared Polis for Colorado Governor," May 23, 2018
↑ PR Newswire, "Teamsters Local 455 Endorses Cary Kennedy For Colorado Governor," April 4, 2018
↑ ^34.0 ^34.1 KDVR, "Colorado teachers unions back Kennedy in governor’s race," January 31, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Cary Kennedy lands endorsements from union, renowned nature photographer," January 14, 2018
↑ Victory Fund, "Victory Fund Endorses Jared Polis in Colorado Governor’s Race," November 14, 2017
↑ Daily Kos, "CO-Gov: EMILY's List Endorses Cary Kennedy (D) For Governor," June 7, 2017
↑ Jared Polis for Colorado, "Endorsements," accessed February 13, 2018
↑ ^39.0 ^39.1 ^39.2 ^39.3 ^39.4 ^39.5 ^39.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Noel for Colorado, "Innovative Policies," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Policies," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ Lynne for Colorado, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ Polis for Colorado, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ Erik Underwood for Governor, "On the Issues," accessed March 18, 2018
↑ The Denver Post, "The 2018 campaigns for Colorado governor start today. And the candidates want your signature." January 16, 2018
↑ The Denver Post, "Mike Johnston becomes first Democrat to reach key mark in Colorado governor’s race," February 21, 2018
↑ ^48.0 ^48.1 Secretary of State of Colorado, "2018 Primary Election Petition Candidates With Formats Approved," accessed April 23, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Democrat Jared Polis submits signatures in bid to make primary ballot for Colorado governor’s race," March 15, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne becomes third Democrat to submit petitions in Colorado governor’s race," March 20, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Colorado Democrats set dates for 2018 state assembly, annual fundraising dinner," August 8, 2017
↑ Colorado Democrats, "Caucus Results," accessed March 7, 2018
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named assembly
↑ KDVR, "Truth Check: Misleading claims in Johnston PAC commercial," April 25, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "Michael Bloomberg putting $1 million into Mike Johnston’s super PAC," March 19, 2018
↑ Colorado Politics, "NOONAN | Now’s the time to see who’s getting — and spending — in the guv’s race," June 4, 2018
↑ Sierra Club, "Policies," accessed June 12, 2018
↑ The Colorado Independent, "PACs backing Polis jump into the TV air war in CO’s race for governor as campaigns complain about negativity," June 7, 2018
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2014 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed September 18, 2017
↑ LexisNexis, "Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-201," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Primary Elections FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Mail-in Ballots FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ LexisNexis, "Colorado Revised Statutes, § 1-7-101," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ ^64.0 ^64.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ ^65.0 ^65.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Voter Registration Form," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Go Vote Colorado," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 6, 2025
↑ This information came directly from the Colorado Secretary of State's office via email on September 13, 2016.
↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Colorado," accessed April 2, 2018
↑ World Population Review, "Population of Cities in Colorado (2018)," accessed April 2, 2018
↑ US Election Atlas, "United States Presidential Election Results," accessed April 2, 2018
↑ ^73.0 ^73.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 3, 2018
↑ ^74.0 ^74.1 ^74.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2014 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 3, 2018
↑ ^75.0 ^75.1 ^75.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2010 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ ^76.0 ^76.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2008 Primary & 2008 General," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ ^77.0 ^77.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2003 Coordinated, 2004 Primary, & 2004 General," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ ^78.0 ^78.1 ^78.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2001 Coordinated, 2002 Primary, & 2002 General," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ ^79.0 ^79.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2005 Coordinated, 2006 Primary, & 2006 General," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "2012 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2000 Presidential, 2000 Primary, & 2000 General," accessed April 4, 2018
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

[1] Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,

[2] Same-day registration was available for those voting in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers,

[3] ChalkBeat, "Where candidates in the Colorado Democratic primary stand on education issues," June 14, 2018

[4] Polis for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018

[5] Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Why I'm Running," accessed June 14, 2018

[6] Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018

[7] Lynne for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018

[8] 9 News, "Former Colo. State Sen. Mike Johnston announces run for governor," January 17, 2017

[9] Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018

[10] Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Policies," accessed June 25, 2018

[11] Colorado Public Radio, "Ex-State Treasurer Cary Kennedy Announces Run For Governor," April 10, 2017

[12] Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018

[13] Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018

[14] The Denver Post, "Donna Lynne makes it official, enters Colorado governor’s race," September 7, 2017

[15] Lynne for Colorado, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018

[16] The Denver Post, "John Hickenlooper’s No. 2 sounds like his No. 1 pick for Colorado governor in 2018," September 6, 2017

[17] The Denver Post, "Jared Polis to join crowded 2018 race for governor, tells The Post he wants 'a Colorado that works for everybody'," June 11, 2017

[18] Polis for Colorado, "Home," accessed June 25, 2018

[19] Polis for Colorado, "Issues," accessed June 25, 2018

[20] Denver Post, "Colorado’s 1 million-plus unaffiliated voters can participate for the first time in a primary election. Here’s what they need to know," June 2, 2018

[21] Gay Star News, "Civil Rights hero John Lewis endorses gay candidate running for governor," March 14, 2018

[22] The Denver Post, "In Colorado governor’s race, Ken Salazar backs Cary Kennedy," May 1, 2018

[23] Colorado Politics, "Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm endorses Democrat Mike Johnston in governor’s race," February 7, 2018

[PolisFeb2-24] 24.0 ^24.1 ^24.2 ^24.3 ^24.4 ^24.5 Jared Polis for Colorado, "More than 40 Latino Community Leaders Share Jared Polis’ Vision for Colorado, Endorse Him for Governor," February 2, 2018

[KennedyOct18-25] 25.00 ^25.01 ^25.02 ^25.03 ^25.04 ^25.05 ^25.06 ^25.07 ^25.08 ^25.09 ^25.10 ^25.11 ^25.12 ^25.13 ^25.14 ^25.15 ^25.16 ^25.17 ^25.18 ^25.19 ^25.20 ^25.21 ^25.22 ^25.23 ^25.24 ^25.25 ^25.26 ^25.27 ^25.28 ^25.29 Colorado Politics, "Dozens of officials, civic luminaries back Democrat Cary Kennedy in her run for Colorado governor," October 18, 2017

[PolisSep6-26] 26.00 ^26.01 ^26.02 ^26.03 ^26.04 ^26.05 ^26.06 ^26.07 ^26.08 ^26.09 ^26.10 ^26.11 ^26.12 ^26.13 ^26.14 ^26.15 ^26.16 ^26.17 ^26.18 ^26.19 Colorado Pols, "Everybody And Their Mother Endorses Jared Polis," September 6, 2017

[27] The Gazette, "Gary Hart endorses Democrat Mike Johnston in Colorado's gubernatorial primary," August 9, 2017

[JohnstonAug3-28] 28.0 ^28.1 The Gazette, "Wellington and Wilma Webb endorse Democrat Mike Johnston for Colorado governor," August 3, 2017

[KennedyEndorse-29] 29.0 ^29.1 ^29.2 ^29.3 ^29.4 ^29.5 ^29.6 Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Endorsements," accessed February 13, 2018

[30] Facebook, "Donna Lynne," June 2, 2018

[31] Colorado Politics, "ENDORSEMENT WATCH: Backing for governor, treasurer, Congress hopefuls," May 23, 2018

[32] NORML, "NORML PAC Endorses Jared Polis for Colorado Governor," May 23, 2018

[33] PR Newswire, "Teamsters Local 455 Endorses Cary Kennedy For Colorado Governor," April 4, 2018

[KennedyJan31-34] 34.0 ^34.1 KDVR, "Colorado teachers unions back Kennedy in governor’s race," January 31, 2018

[35] Colorado Politics, "Cary Kennedy lands endorsements from union, renowned nature photographer," January 14, 2018

[36] Victory Fund, "Victory Fund Endorses Jared Polis in Colorado Governor’s Race," November 14, 2017

[37] Daily Kos, "CO-Gov: EMILY's List Endorses Cary Kennedy (D) For Governor," June 7, 2017

[PolisEndorse-38] Jared Polis for Colorado, "Endorsements," accessed February 13, 2018

[quotedisclaimer-39] 39.0 ^39.1 ^39.2 ^39.3 ^39.4 ^39.5 ^39.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[40] Noel for Colorado, "Innovative Policies," accessed March 18, 2018

[41] Mike Johnston for Colorado, "Policies," accessed March 18, 2018

[42] Cary Kennedy for Governor, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018

[43] Lynne for Colorado, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018

[44] Polis for Colorado, "Issues," accessed March 18, 2018

[45] Erik Underwood for Governor, "On the Issues," accessed March 18, 2018

[46] The Denver Post, "The 2018 campaigns for Colorado governor start today. And the candidates want your signature." January 16, 2018

[47] The Denver Post, "Mike Johnston becomes first Democrat to reach key mark in Colorado governor’s race," February 21, 2018

[sospetitions-48] 48.0 ^48.1 Secretary of State of Colorado, "2018 Primary Election Petition Candidates With Formats Approved," accessed April 23, 2018

[49] Colorado Politics, "Democrat Jared Polis submits signatures in bid to make primary ballot for Colorado governor’s race," March 15, 2018

[50] Colorado Politics, "Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne becomes third Democrat to submit petitions in Colorado governor’s race," March 20, 2018

[51] Colorado Politics, "Colorado Democrats set dates for 2018 state assembly, annual fundraising dinner," August 8, 2017

[52] Colorado Democrats, "Caucus Results," accessed March 7, 2018

[assembly-53] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named assembly

[54] KDVR, "Truth Check: Misleading claims in Johnston PAC commercial," April 25, 2018

[55] Colorado Politics, "Michael Bloomberg putting $1 million into Mike Johnston’s super PAC," March 19, 2018

[56] Colorado Politics, "NOONAN | Now’s the time to see who’s getting — and spending — in the guv’s race," June 4, 2018

[57] Sierra Club, "Policies," accessed June 12, 2018

[58] The Colorado Independent, "PACs backing Polis jump into the TV air war in CO’s race for governor as campaigns complain about negativity," June 7, 2018

[59] Colorado Secretary of State, "2014 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed September 18, 2017

[60] LexisNexis, "Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-201," accessed August 6, 2025

[61] Colorado Secretary of State, "Primary Elections FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025

[FAQ-62] Colorado Secretary of State, "Mail-in Ballots FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025

[63] LexisNexis, "Colorado Revised Statutes, § 1-7-101," accessed August 6, 2025

[COreg-64] 64.0 ^64.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025

[regform-65] 65.0 ^65.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Voter Registration Form," accessed August 6, 2025

[66] Colorado Secretary of State, "Go Vote Colorado," accessed August 6, 2025

[67] Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."

[68] Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 6, 2025

[69] This information came directly from the Colorado Secretary of State's office via email on September 13, 2016.

[70] United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Colorado," accessed April 2, 2018

[71] World Population Review, "Population of Cities in Colorado (2018)," accessed April 2, 2018

[72] US Election Atlas, "United States Presidential Election Results," accessed April 2, 2018

[E2016-73] 73.0 ^73.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "2016 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 3, 2018

[E2014-74] 74.0 ^74.1 ^74.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2014 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 3, 2018

[E2010-75] 75.0 ^75.1 ^75.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "2010 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2008-76] 76.0 ^76.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2008 Primary & 2008 General," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2004-77] 77.0 ^77.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2003 Coordinated, 2004 Primary, & 2004 General," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2002-78] 78.0 ^78.1 ^78.2 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2001 Coordinated, 2002 Primary, & 2002 General," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2006-79] 79.0 ^79.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2005 Coordinated, 2006 Primary, & 2006 General," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2012-80] Colorado Secretary of State, "2012 Abstract of Votes Cast," accessed April 4, 2018

[E2000-81] Colorado Secretary of State, "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2000 Presidential, 2000 Primary, & 2000 General," accessed April 4, 2018

[82] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013

[83] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

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	v • e State of Colorado Denver (capital)
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Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)

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