Dom Waters

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Dom Waters

Unity Party

Education

Other

University of Mississippi, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Dallas, Texas

Religion

Non Denominational

Profession

Graphic artist

Contact

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Dom Waters (Unity Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 1st Congressional District. She did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Dom Waters was born in Dallas, Texas. Waters received a degree from the University of Mississippi in 2011. Waters' professional experience includes working in freelance graphic arts and cultural education. Water taught English to children and adults in Japan from 2012 to 2013.

Elections

2024

See also: Colorado's 1st Congressional District election, 2024

Colorado's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Democratic primary)

Colorado's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 1

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana DeGette (D)	76.5	264,606
		Valdamar Archuleta (R)	21.6	74,598
		Critter Milton (Unity Party)	1.2	4,084
		Daniel Lutz (Approval Voting Party)	0.7	2,351
		Charles Norris (D) (Write-in)	0.0	88
	Submit photo	John R. Johnson (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	8

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 345,735
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Morton Brooks (Approval Voting Party)
• Dom Waters (Unity Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1

Incumbent Diana DeGette defeated John Wren in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana DeGette	99.8	78,548
	Submit photo	John Wren (Write-in)	0.2	130

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 78,678
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1

Valdamar Archuleta advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Valdamar Archuleta	100.0	11,421

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,421
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lawrence Davis (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Waters in this election.

Pledges

Waters signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Colorado's 1st Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 1

Incumbent Diana DeGette defeated Jennifer Qualteri, John Kittleson, and Iris Boswell in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana DeGette (D)	80.3	226,929
		Jennifer Qualteri (R)	17.5	49,529
	Submit photo	John Kittleson (L)	2.2	6,157
	Submit photo	Iris Boswell (G) (Write-in)	0.0	70

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 282,685
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dom Waters (Unity Party)
• Steven Childs (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1

Incumbent Diana DeGette defeated Neal Walia in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana DeGette	81.1	79,391
		Neal Walia	18.9	18,472

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 97,863
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dom Waters (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1

Jennifer Qualteri advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 1 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Qualteri	100.0	18,568

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,568
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dom Waters did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Dom Waters completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Waters' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'd like to introduce myself; my name is Dom Waters. I was born to working class parents in Dallas, Texas, and have been a Colorado D1 resident for most of my life. I was a mixed race latchkey child with a divorced mother who had to work multiple jobs simply to put food on the table. From a young age I helped out with responsibilities whenever I could, which engrained in me a sense of determination and hard work. I've had an array of odd jobs over the years, from volunteering at memory care centers, participating at haunted houses that helped city food drives, and working for a cultural education non-profit foundation, to styling wigs, freelancing art work, and teaching English in Japan.

I'm running for CD 1 because we need change. We've had the same incumbent for a quarter of a century, and much of our district has declined in quality since then. The economy is in a shambles and people are hurting, yet nothing is being done to improve it. We're tired of price gouging and rampant inflation. We're tired of our crowded, crumbling roads. We're tired of student loan debt, the outrageous cost of living, the gender pay gap, and discrimination against Native Americans and the LGBTQ+ communities.

You have two options: keep a career politician in place, or vote for me, a fierce candidate who will champion for the working class, the undeserved, the discriminated, and families. Together, we can bring magnificent transformation for generations to come.

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

• I'm your District 1 neighbor, not some political elite, and will listen to your needs, concerns, and questions.
• Vote for me, and I will be your voice and champion to reach previously unobtainable goals.
• Together, we will march forward, strong and steadfast, to a bright new tomorrow.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equal pay for women, student loan debt, lowering taxes, strengthening the economy, tempering the cost of living.

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

I look up to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez because she was not considered a serious competitor by many in the political establishment, yet she was the David who took down the Goliath. She's a brilliant, hard-working, and honest person; this is the type of person we need in Washington DC.

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

Aesop's Fables.

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

Honesty, skillful communication, transparency, exceptional listening skills, empathy, and knowing how to put others first.

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

I am honest, have skillful communication, am transparent, an exceptional listener, empathic, and know how to put others first.

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

Keeping promises, introducing bills, working well with others, and serving on committees.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A better future for all.

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

The Challenger shuttle disaster on 1/28/86. I was very young, but old enough to understand the devastation.

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

Working for a cultural education foundation that engages with Colorado schools, underserved communities, and assisted living centers. My role is still ongoing.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Seeing District 1 Colorado crumble over the years.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House of Representatives is unique because it brings together people of all backgrounds, beliefs, color, sexual identity to work as a unified body in creating and instituting the laws of our land.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. What is necessary is to possess drive and passion, coupled with a desire to help others.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Healing the rift between people and creating a united country again.

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

I would like to be a part of environmental committees, homeless coalitions, Native American Rights groups, and Medicare for All.

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, two years is an adequate amount of time in which to bring forth ideas and implement change.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Recently, I met a homeless man who shared with me that he had lost his livelihood and family over a period of six months. When I told him I' believed in helping the homeless by providing security and futures, he started to cry and thanked me.

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

Yes, there is always a certain amount of compromising that is necessary to reach a desired outcome. The key is to be an effective and sincere listener.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I 'm not seeking this role just for myself; I would make sure that I prioritized correctly to benefit everyone I'm representing first.

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

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Dom Waters campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Colorado District 1	Withdrew general	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. House Colorado District 1	Withdrew general	$4,123	$3,907
Grand total			$4,123	$3,907
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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Candidate

U.S. House Colorado District 1

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Footnotes

[show]

Colorado's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Michael Bennet (D)

John Hickenlooper (D)

Representatives

District 1

Diana DeGette (D)

District 2

Joe Neguse (D)

District 3

Jeff Hurd (R)

District 4

Lauren Boebert (R)

District 5

Jeff Crank (R)

District 6

Jason Crow (D)

District 7

Brittany Pettersen (D)

District 8

Gabe Evans (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)