Ed Duffett

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

Ed Duffett

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Graduate

Colorado Technical University, 2012

Other

Walden University, 2016

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1980 - 2005

Personal

Birthplace

Gainesville, Ga.

Religion

None

Profession

Finance manager

Contact

Campaign website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Ed Duffett (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Duffett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ed Duffett was born in Gainesville, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1980 to 2005. Duffett earned a master’s degree from Colorado Technical University in 2012. He also attended Walden University.

Duffett’s career experience includes working as a finance manager. Previously, he worked as a business and human relations trainer, training manager, grant and loan officer, state quality judge, and water utilities operator. Duffet has also served as a Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Elections

2020

See also: Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020

Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)

Colorado's 5th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 5

Incumbent Doug Lamborn defeated Jillian Freeland, Ed Duffett, Marcus Murphy, and Rebecca Keltie in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Doug Lamborn (R)	57.6	249,013
		Jillian Freeland (D)	37.4	161,600
		Ed Duffett (L)	3.4	14,777
		Marcus Murphy (Independent)	0.9	3,708
		Rebecca Keltie (Unity Party)	0.8	3,309

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 432,407
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Doug Lunde (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5

Jillian Freeland advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jillian Freeland	100.0	76,033

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 76,033
= 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

• Brandon Bocchino (D)
• Ryan Lucas (D)
• George English (D)
• Brian Ebinger (D)
• Mario Sanchez (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5

Incumbent Doug Lamborn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Doug Lamborn	100.0	104,302

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,302
= 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5

Doug Lunde advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on April 13, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Doug Lunde (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Unity Party convention

Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5

Rebecca Keltie advanced from the Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 5 on April 4, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Rebecca Keltie (Unity Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ed Duffett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duffett's 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.

Ed Duffett retired from the Air Force after 25 years and has lived in Colorado for almost 25 years. While in the military, he helped individuals cope with life-changing events such as the death of loved ones or a financial crisis. Ed also taught business improvement and human relations in Albuquerque, as well as served as a New Mexico State Quality Judge. He finished his career as the superintendent of Officer Accessions at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Ed completed two masters degrees (an MBA and a Master of Science in Management), followed by a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Business Administration. He currently serves with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

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?

• Less Government, More Freedom
• The 2nd Amendment is critical to our freedom
• The two-party system has failed us

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Increasing the protections afforded by the 2nd Amendment. Reducing the size and cost of government. Term limits are a must unless we wish to have something like an aristocracy. Finally, elected officials control too much of the economy, which should be turned back to the control of the average citizen.

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

It may sound cheesy, but I look up to the founding fathers. They were up against seemingly insurmountable odds but kept persevering towards freedom, even in the face of death or ruination.

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

Braveheart!

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

Honesty and transparency.

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

I'm honest and have proven myself capable of picking up a duty I have never done before and excelling at that duty.

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

To uphold the freedoms provided to us by the Constitution.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Someone who helped change the political system for the better.

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

The resignation of President Nixon. I was eleven years old.

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

My first real job was the United States Air Force. I had it for about 25 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

It's Our Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. It is literally a no-nonsense guide to leadership. It hits all of the basics while being succinct.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Forrest Gump. He accomplished many things but never let that get in the way of being humble and wanting to serve others.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

More than a feeling by Boston. A radio station was playing it as bumper music and it took me back to my days in High School.

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

Empathy. I find it difficult to ignore someone's problems in order to make decisions about their situation easier.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Politicians should not be involved in the process. If deemed necessary through a ballot initiative, an independent body should be commissioned to accomplish the task. Their work should then be approved through the state court system.

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

I have a passion for speaking up and defending the rights of the average citizen because I am an average citizen. No one in government should believe they are special or somehow ordained to govern other people. I am a voice for the district, not a dictator of others.

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

Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, politics should not be a profession. If it becomes a profession, then politicians will only care about getting elected to continue drawing a paycheck and wielding power. Power is like a drug, and once you get addicted, you will stop at nothing to keep it.

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

Keeping socialism and communism at bay. Capitalism and the rights of the ordinary citizen are what makes America special. Socialism and communism lead to oppression of the ordinary citizen and kill economic prosperity.

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

The Armed Forces, Energy and Commerce, and Veterans Affairs.

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

Yes, but there should be a limit to how many terms a representative should be allowed to run for.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

As I have said earlier, term limits are a must to make sure the word 'representative' is maintained.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would rather work for the people in the district rather than work for any party.

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

Not really. I have yet to see a representative model the values I would bring to the table.

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?

I look forward to hearing the personal stories from the residents of my district.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

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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)