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Stephen Varela
Stephen Varela (Republican Party) was a member of the Colorado State Board of Education, representing Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 19, 2023. He left office on October 1, 2024.
Varela (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on June 25, 2024.
Varela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Varela resigned from the Colorado State Board of Education on October 1, 2024, to pursue a role working with students with disabilities in the Pueblo 60 school district. State law bars school district employees from serving on the State Board of Education.[1]
Biography
Stephen Varela served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Colorado State University, Pueblo in 2013 and a graduate degree from the University of Southern California in 2016.[2]
Elections
2024
See also: Colorado's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
Colorado's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Republican primary)
Colorado's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (June 25 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Colorado District 3
Jeff Hurd defeated Adam Frisch, James Wiley, and Adam Withrow in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jeff Hurd (R) | 50.8 | 201,951 |
 | Adam Frisch (D) | 45.8 | 182,147 | |
 | James Wiley (L)  | 2.7 | 10,734 | |
 | Adam Withrow (Unity Party) | 0.7 | 2,721 | |
| Total votes: 397,553 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Frank Hernandez (Unaffiliated)
- Gary Swing (Unity Party)
- Mark Elworth Jr. (L)
- David Whitley (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 3
Adam Frisch advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 3 on June 25, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Adam Frisch | 100.0 | 51,719 |
| Total votes: 51,719 | |||
| = 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
- Anna Stout (D)
- Debby Burnett (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 3
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 3 on June 25, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeff Hurd | 41.2 | 36,505 |
 | Ron Hanks | 28.5 | 25,211 | |
 | Stephen Varela | 9.8 | 8,638 | |
 | Lew Webb | 8.0 | 7,094 | |
 | Curtis McCrackin | 6.5 | 5,772 | |
 | Russ Andrews | 6.0 | 5,304 | |
| Total votes: 88,524 | |||
| = 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
- Austin O'Connell (R)
- Jason Bias (R)
- Joe Granado (R)
- Robin Heid (R)
- David Karpas (R)
- Kimberly Swearingen (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Varela in this election.
Pledges
Varela signed the following pledges.
2022
See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Colorado State Senate District 3
Incumbent Nick Hinrichsen defeated Stephen Varela and Alex Mugatu in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nick Hinrichsen (D) | 51.2 | 33,795 |
| Stephen Varela (R) | 48.6 | 32,090 | |
 | Alex Mugatu (R) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 90 | |
| Total votes: 65,975 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 3
Incumbent Nick Hinrichsen advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 3 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nick Hinrichsen | 100.0 | 16,196 |
| Total votes: 16,196 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 3
Stephen Varela advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 3 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephen Varela | 100.0 | 14,121 |
| Total votes: 14,121 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Varela's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephen Varela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Varela's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a battle-tested conservative. I’m running for the future of Colorado, and for the future of our nation. When I hear young people say they are not proud to be Americans, it breaks my heart. I want to stand for American greatness and common-sense conservative policies in Congress.
I’m a veteran, a family man, and a clinical social worker (MSW). I served four years in the Army and four more in the Colorado Army National Guard (COARNG). My service included two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in which I experienced plenty of active combat. My service gave me a tremendous appreciation and passion for our veterans. Upon completing my Army service, I took a position at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While serving in the Colorado Army National Guard, I attended Colorado State University-Pueblo, and graduated with a Bachelors in Sociology and a minor in Chicano studies. I later obtained a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California.
I’m a family man. I met my wife, Kayla, while jumping out of airplanes when we both served in the Army! Kayla and I are long-time residents of Southern Colorado. We live in Pueblo, where we raise our four children.
My passion for Colorado is reflected in my community engagement. I currently serve on the Colorado Board of Education, representing CD 3, and have used my position to advocate for education opportunity and choice. I previously served as Board President of a tremendous Pueblo charter school.- Close the border
- Reduce the cost of living
- Defend rural Colorado's values and interests
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.
2022
Stephen Varela completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Varela's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I served four years in the Army and four more in the Colorado Army National Guard (COARNG). My service included two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. My service gave me a tremendous appreciation and passion for our veterans. Upon completing my Army service, I took a position at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While serving in the Colorado Army National Guard, I attended Colorado State University-Pueblo, and graduated with a bachelors in Sociology and a minor in Chicano studies. I later obtained a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California.
I’m a family man. I met my wife, Kayla, while jumping out of airplanes when we both served in the Army! Kayla and I are long-time residents of Southern Colorado. We live in Pueblo, where we raise our four children.
My passion for Pueblo County is reflected in my community engagement. I currently serve on the Pueblo County Planning Commission, which is responsible for advising the Board of County Commissioners on land use-related matters. I was elected to the board of the K-12 Chavez Huerta Preparatory Academy in 2020. I also serve on two early education boards: the Early Learning Ventures Policy Council and the East Side Childcare Center. Our focus is on access to childcare and early childhood education for underserved and low-income families. I also serve on the board of the Pueblo Zoo!
- Reduce the cost of living: President Biden, Congress, and the Federal Reserve are largely responsible for the nation’s worst inflation in 40 years. But here in Colorado, legislators are making the problem worse. As a result, inflation in Colorado is even worse than the rest of the nation. I will work to reduce the cost of living.
- Restore order by reining in crime, drugs and vagrancy: Crime across Colorado has exploded in recent years, as a small but vocal far-left movement has succeeded in promoting the interests of criminals instead of victims, demonizing police, and tolerating lawlessness and vagrancy. This is hurting the quality of life across our state. We deserve safe neighborhoods. That’s job one of government.
- Ensure access to first-rate schools: The COVID-19 pandemic was an eye opener for many parents who got a first-hand glance of what is going on in our schools. Lockdowns, remote learning, and mask mandates did little to advance public health and short-changed our students. Pueblo County’s parents and kids deserve access to quality schools. We have tremendous potential. There is so much we can do!
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
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Colorado District 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Chalkbeat Colorado, “Pueblo Republican resigns from Colorado State Board of Education 3 months before his term expires" accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 5, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Colorado State Board of Education District 3 2023-2024 |
Succeeded by Sherri Wright (R) |
