Robert Stutz (Colorado)

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

Robert Stutz

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1983 - 2004

Personal

Birthplace

Denver, Colo.

Religion

None

Profession

Design manager, lead piping designer

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Robert Stutz (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 34. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

Stutz was born on February 21, 1965, in Denver, Colorado. He has attended classes at Colorado State University. His professional experience includes working as a design manager and lead piping designer. He has been affiliated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, UA Pipefitters Local 208, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Project Management Institute, and American Welding Society. Stutz served in the United States Navy from 1983 to 2004.

Elections

2022

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Jenny Willford defeated Kevin Allen and Robert Stutz in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Willford (D)	54.1	17,601
		Kevin Allen (R)	43.1	14,029
		Robert Stutz (L)	2.8	908

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,538
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chris Baum (Approval Voting Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Jenny Willford defeated Sam Nizam in the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Willford	58.7	4,679
	Submit photo	Sam Nizam	41.3	3,294

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,973
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Kevin Allen advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Allen	100.0	5,719

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,719
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Approval Voting Party convention

Approval Voting Party convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Chris Baum advanced from the Approval Voting Party convention for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on March 26, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Chris Baum (Approval Voting Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Kyle Mullica defeated Mark Bromley and Robert Stutz in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kyle Mullica (D)	56.2	19,845
		Mark Bromley (R)	38.8	13,694
		Robert Stutz (L)	5.0	1,760

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,299
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Kyle Mullica advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kyle Mullica	100.0	8,667

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,667
= 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 Colorado House of Representatives District 34

Mark Bromley defeated Audrey Herman in the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 34 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Bromley	57.6	2,805
		Audrey Herman	42.4	2,061

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,866
= 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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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert Stutz did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

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

I am a 3rd generation Coloradoan and US Navy Veteran, I am married with 3 grown daughters all of which graduated from Adams 12 High Schools. I am a career tradesman that owns a Piping Design/ Construction and Inspection Business. I am a Journeyman Pipefitter and Certified Welding inspector as well as a member of UA Pipefitters Local 208 for over 20 years. I was trained in both Nuclear Power and Construction while serving in both the fleet and within the Seabees. I was deployed for 2 long deployments and several shorter deployments during my career that afforded me the opportunity to see several countries and see the good and bad of various political policies. As our children are grown, I have decided to enter politics because I believe that both of the major political parties have lost track of the common citizen and our concerns and have focused too much energy on the subjects the parties wish to control. My background in the design and construction of commercial, industrial and petroleum projects as well as that as a business owner gives me a unique perspective of multiple sides of several issues. I try very hard to learn something new each day and in doing so, I try very hard to keep an open mind to better understand that which I am attempting to learn.

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?

• Respect: For far too long our local, state and federal legislatures have been far less productive than we deserve because we have forgotten how to address problems and most importantly we have forgotten how to respect others rights to their opinions. I would try and address my questions concerns and comments in a way as to invite open dialog rather than conflict in the hope that others might see its productive results.
• Representation: A member of the Colorado House of Representatives is just that a representative of ALL of the people of District 34. The person holding this office should first have allegiance to the people of the district rather than any party. People of all parties should be able to speak with the Representative and believe that this person understands their concerns and will take them into consideration
• Education and Involvement: The level of knowledge of the US political system by the average voter is embarrassing. Far too often, people are throwing around trigger words in and effort to look educated when in fact it often achieves the opposite. We need to correct this and in doing so motivate a greater level of educated involvement by the people to hopefully elect officials that look to represent all of their territories, not just those of the same party.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education and energy: I feel that a great number of our problems derive from an incredible inability for many Americans to look at a problem and resolve it through critical thought. We are in an era of instant gratification and as such, we now believe that decades old problems can be resolved with one law. This is rarely the case. Problems need to be broken down to the base actions and then these issues need to be resolved. But in order to do this, law makers need to be able to talk less and respect the opinions of others more to find the best possible solution given the stake holders at the time.

I believe that our education system should have greater flexibility to teach students how to learn and how to solve problems instead of =teaching them facts and dates to achieve a high score on a test only to forget the facts after the tests. Students need to be taught in such a way as they identify what it is in life they are passionate about and give them the courage and confidence to chase those passions.

Energy: There should be no argument as to the existence of Climate Change merely the degree in which it is changing and the proportion of that change that is the direct result of human actions. Once that is agreed upon, we need to look at realistic solutions based on solid facts rather than assumptions and guestimates. Construction of major energy production facilities of any nature take time to design and time to build.

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

Albert Einstein and Alfred Noble were both providers of significant changes in the world in which they lived and yet both believe they had failed because the power of their discoveries was used for more negative uses than positive. These mens sediments resonated with me from an early age and I have tried very hard to look at most of my decisions from as many angles as possible to limit the negative impacts they may have.
My grandfather, Jack Miller, who was fighting cancer from before I was born until I was a teenager. He taught me that if you cant be passionate about something, you might want to question why you are doing it. He taught me that the only thing that a man really ever has is his integrity. To this day, when faced with a tough decision, I ask myself how my grandfather would have approached it. The answer gives me peace in my decision.

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

The Killing of Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America
Book by Paul L. Williams and Rodney Howard-Browne

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

Integrity, Empathy, Respect and a Knowledge of the Political System.

Integrity- All elected officials should be of a character to be able to talk straight with whomever without want or need for deceit. A position in the General Assembly is an honor and should be treated as so. An elected official has been empowered to represent ALL of their constituents.
Empathy- No officials district is entirely populated with those of a single mind. As such, a n effective official should be able to look at issues from the perspective of the stakeholders bringing the issue to them and understand it to such a degree as to accurately defend that position in discussions. How can an official actually represent if they do not understand.
Respect-An elected official is the lead example of the people of their district, as such, they need to understand and respect the position they have earned and the duties and responsibilities it involves. This is far bigger than anyone single view and if an official cannot grasp and respect that, then they are not doing the job they were elected to do and should be held accountable.

Knowledge of the System_ Is absolutely amazes me how many times I se and elected official on the air advocating for an action of process that is not allowed by law. The embarrassing part of this is that most of the public are also sufficiently uneducated enough to catch it themselves. So much time and effort is spent grandstanding that could be better spent serving their constituents.

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

I have the ability to speak with and understand people of a wide array of educational backgrounds. I can speak with the youngest laborer or the senior project engineer and have a perspective from either.

I am a problem solver, not a problem identifier.
I am one of those that thinks outside the box. I see more angles to issues than most and as such, I am able to develop a greater array of potential solutions.
As a member of the Libertarian Party that advocates for less government involvement not more, many of my solutions will tend to give the responsibilities back to the people.

I believe that this office holder works for the people and should be the one that the people of District 34 felt they could come to with an issue and knew that potential solutions would be identified and considered.

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

Represent and respect those that elected you. Act in a manner in which ANY person in your district will be proud of your behavior irrelevant of the position being advocated.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be known as the man that was able to look at a problem objectively. Identify as many of the issues possible base causes and address them in such a way as to solve them to the agreement of the most people.

I would also like to be known as the man that people felt comfortable coming to with a problem. Not because I had the answer but because I knew how to find the answer.

I would hope that I would be remembered as one that looked at a person by their character rather than their ethnic origin.

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

The Shootings at Kent State in May 1970. I was 5 years old. My mother was very vocal about her positions about the Constitution, military and the war. She taught me about the Constitution almost as early as I could read. She believed that one could support their loved ones even if they disagreed with the war. It was called respect.

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

Dishwasher then Cook in a family Italian Restaurant. 2 years

What is your favorite book? Why?

The best salesman in the world by Og Mandino. It lays the cornerstones for the potential to lead a productive live, no matter your religion, background or ethnicity. It, the Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun and the Art of War are books I reread periodically when I feel my focus can be strengthened .

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

Methos of the Highlander Series. To be able to live through the centuries, the level of knowledge and understanding of perspective would be incredible. Outliving all of you loved ones and family, not nearly as enjoyable.

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

Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton

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

My childhood was not ideal and as such I had several opportunities to look back and wonder what if I had done something different, how would the present be different. It wasn't until my 30's that I was taught to understand that if you think through a decision thoroughly and take into consideration as many possible solutions, even if you decision is less than ideal later, you should take stock in that it was the best decision at the time and learn from it. This works most of the time, but I still stop and think, "What If ?", sometimes.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

In Colorado, as in most 2 chamber systems, the one chambers should represent the people of the defined districts. The representatives should focus their attention on the issues that affect the population of their district and leave the issues that affect the governments and the system to the senate. Each will have to address the issues before a bill heads to the governor, but their origins should not be so cluttered.

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

Yes, but as with any position of responsibility, a person may possess the understanding and knowledge of government, responsibility, and accountability in sufficient quantities to demonstrate to those they ultimately answer to, the voters, that they are the best person to take their concerns to Denver.

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

The influx of college educated professionals as well as those moving to Colorado for the benefit of the legalized marijuana has rapidly tilted the political platform of the state to a more urban liberal stance and alienated a vast majority of the counties outside the Front Range on many issues. Work and effort must be given to develop an mutual respect by both parties to reduce the tension and out right civil disobedience of many areas.

It takes more than a simple day trip to the mountains or the plains to truly understand how these people live and prosper and as such, the legislators need to develop a greater level of respect and empathy when passing laws that benefit Denver but hurt the True Colorado, outside of Denver.

Greater effort needs to ne given to developing the confidence and knowledge of Coloradoans to know how to find solutions. Many are advocating programs that will enable people survive on the support of the state, when we should be developing ways that these people can survive on the support of themselves.

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

I believe that the governor should be the final step in legislation not the first. There is a reason that the Governor is not part of the legislation and therefore cannot write bills. The Governor is the representative of the State. That being said, governors, like any elected member should work to ensure the smooth operations of the state and leave the legislation to the General Assembly.

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

I believe it is imperative to build trust and understanding with other legislators. It is important that you know what subjects each of you are passionate about and why. Which topics each of you has knowledge of and why and most importantly, when it comes time make a difficult call, the other know that your integrity will be your guide.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Gerrymandering is one of the single most evident examples of the corruption and suppression of public opinion by the 2 major parties in existence. Every ten years the districts are redrawn by the party in power in an effort to gain the greatest advantage. The lines are almost never clean and most often confusing. A simpler system should be devised is which the political dominance of any particular area is not involved in the drawing of district boundaries.

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

Energy- Due to my background in the area and an understanding of the variables.

State, Veterans and Military Affairs- Again, because of my background in the area and an understanding of the variables.

Education- I believe that our inferior education and particularly our inability to resolve problems without hostile conflicts is the basis of many of our problems both here in Colorado and nationally. I believe between this and teaching students how to find their passions, we can change the board on which this game of life is played.

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

I am presently not part of my parties leaderships and until such time as I am a member of the legislature, I would be remiss in seeking out a position in leadership without knowing the caliber of the leadership present. I believe that the first responsibility of a leader is to motivate others to follow. Until I know the ultimate destination, how and why would I motivate others to follow me?

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

President James Garfield: Had President Garfield not been assassinated, I believe the negative actions resulting from the Election of 1876 could have been reversed and the issues of Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws and the Suffrage of both wolen as well as former slaves could have been resolves several decades earlier. Garfield came from modest beginning yet never felt that his origin made him less of a man or less able to enact change.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Not at this time.

Both sitting legislators 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?

My campaign started late and was directly affected by covid, so no, I do not have such a story to share at this time.

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

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Colorado House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Julie McCluskie

Majority Leader:Monica Duran

Representatives

District 1

Javier Mabrey (D)

District 2

Steven Woodrow (D)

District 3

Meg Froelich (D)

District 4

Cecelia Espenoza (D)

District 5

Alex Valdez (D)

District 6

Sean Camacho (D)

District 7

Jennifer Bacon (D)

District 8

Lindsay Gilchrist (D)

District 9

Emily Sirota (D)

District 10

Junie Joseph (D)

District 11

Karen McCormick (D)

District 12

Kyle Brown (D)

District 13

Julie McCluskie (D)

District 14

Ava Flanell (R)

District 15

Scott Bottoms (R)

District 16

Rebecca Keltie (R)

District 17

Regina English (D)

District 18

Amy Paschal (D)

District 19

Dan Woog (R)

District 20

Jarvis Caldwell (R)

District 21

Mary Bradfield (R)

District 22

Kenneth DeGraaf (R)

District 23

Monica Duran (D)

District 24

Lisa Feret (D)

District 25

Tammy Story (D)

District 26

Meghan Lukens (D)

District 27

Brianna Titone (D)

District 28

Sheila Lieder (D)

District 29

Shannon Bird (D)

District 30

Rebekah Stewart (D)

District 31

Jacque Phillips (D)

District 32

Manny Rutinel (D)

District 33

William Lindstedt (D)

District 34

Jenny Willford (D)

District 35

Lorena Garcia (D)

District 36

Michael Carter (D)

District 37

Chad Clifford (D)

District 38

Gretchen Rydin (D)

District 39

Brandi Bradley (R)

District 40

Naquetta Ricks (D)

District 41

Jamie Jackson (D)

District 42

Mandy Lindsay (D)

District 43

Robert Marshall (D)

District 44

Anthony Hartsook (R)

District 45

Max Brooks (R)

District 46

Tisha Mauro (D)

District 47

Ty Winter (R)

District 48

Carlos Barron (R)

District 49

Lesley Smith (D)

District 50

Ryan Gonzalez (R)

District 51

Ron Weinberg (R)

District 52

Yara Zokaie (D)

District 53

Andrew Boesenecker (D)

District 54

Matt Soper (R)

District 55

Rick Taggart (R)

District 56

Chris Richardson (R)

District 57

Elizabeth Velasco (D)

District 58

Larry Suckla (R)

District 59

Katie Stewart (D)

District 60

Stephanie Luck (R)

District 61

Eliza Hamrick (D)

District 62

Matthew Martinez (D)

District 63

Dusty Johnson (R)

District 64

Scott Slaugh (R)

District 65

Lori Sander (R)

Democratic Party (43)

Republican Party (22)