The spread of the coronavirus and the government’s response has disrupted nearly every facet of life in Colorado. And how we practice politics, including gathering for county assemblies or party conventions, is no exception.
Gov. Jared Polis on March 17 signed an executive order that allows Colorado counties to hold virtual assemblies and conventions, conduct mail-in ballots or delay assemblies altogether as the state government works to limit in-person contact and the spread of the coronavirus.
Because of health risk of in-person assemblies, candidates might not speak with voters about their policies and qualifications.
In advance of the virtual assemblies, The Journal and Durango Herald spoke with candidates to compile their positions on issues including public lands, health care and the economy.
The Republican incumbent is Sen. Cory Gardner. Democrat challengers are Trish Zornio, Andrew Romanoff, John Hickenlooper and Stephanie Spaulding.
Health careTrish Zornio, Democrat
Zornio, a 34-year-old scientist and lecturer, said she is concerned by the lack of scientific representation in Congress. Zornio said she was seeking election to the Senate because after attending Senate hearings as a scientist, she realized no scientists were creating federal laws for things like the coronavirus.
Measures that former President Barack Obama put in place to counter the Ebola outbreak were undone by President Donald Trump’s administration, Zornio said. Because Trump cut officials qualified to prepare for pandemics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zornio said the U.S. is “on par to look much more like Italy than South Korea.”
According to Zornio, the latest models show that there will be “over 1 million deaths if we do not take aggressive actions to shut down.”
Zornio said she supports universal health care that includes mental health, vision, dental, women’s services and vaccinations.
Colorado has never had a woman in the Senate, and Zornio said female representation is important, not just for policies like paid family leave, but also to inspire young women to be involved in politics.
Zornio said her campaign is “not just me, it’s my entire network and the next generation.”
Andrew Romanoff, Democrat
Romanoff supports a transition to Medicare for All, including coverage for mental health and substance use treatment, prescription drugs, vision, dental and long-term care.
Testing, treatment and a vaccine for the coronavirus should be given to everyone for free, Romanoff said. The idea that some people have access to the coronavirus test because they have connections or because they are wealthy is “un-American.”
Romanoff has also emphasized telecommunications infrastructure for health care.
“The internet can connect people to jobs and health care,” Romanoff said. For rural communities, telehealth is an important part of combating the coronavirus, since they lack quick, easy access to a hospital.
In a time of social distancing, mental health also is a concern, and telehealth networks for counseling is important to reduce the suicide rate in Colorado, Romanoff’s website says.
His campaign is holding virtual town halls throughout the assembly process on the campaign website.
Stephany Rose Spaulding, Democrat
The coronavirus outbreak has revealed the problems with U.S. health care, such as affordability, Spaulding said.
She supports Medicare for All, and said she would work for Americans to ensure they have access to vision, dental, substance use treatment and reproductive planning insurance.
In addition to the high cost of care, some counties don’t have the health care providers needed to care for each patient, Spaulding said. Telemedicine is important for Southwest Colorado needs telemedicine, but lacks the broadband infrastructure to support it, Spaulding said.
“Our communities have been crying out for telehealth, and this crisis is exposing the many gaps in our health care system,” Spaulding said in a phone interview.
John Hickenlooper, Democrat
Former former Gov. Hickenlooper is seeking election to the Senate after pulling out of the presidential race. He has prioritized affordable health care and prescription drugs.
While he has made the Democratic ballot via petition instead of the caucuses, Hickenlooper backs a public health insurance option, rather than a broader government-run health care plan through Medicare for All.
Progressive plans like Medicare for All resonated with caucusgoers in Colorado earlier in March, but Hickenlooper contends this is because people who attend caucuses tend to be more progressive than most people in Colorado.
Hickenlooper has advocated for using the “full resources of the federal government to fight COVID-19,” including enlisting the Army Corps of Engineers to build hospitals in the communities that need additional facilities.
“FEMA must be available to local communities,” Hickenlooper wrote.
Sen. Cory Gardner, Republican
Gardner has been pushing Congress to allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to bill Medicare for telehealth services.
“Especially at this time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released crucial social distancing guidance, we must ensure that our most vulnerable be able to access telehealth services without limiting restrictions,” Gardner said in a news release.
The senator himself has self-quarantined after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
“I was alerted today by the Tri-County Health Department that a Coloradan who visited my Washington office for a constituent meeting has tested positive for coronavirus. While I am not showing any symptoms at this time, I have made the decision to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution,” Gardner said in a statement.
Along with Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Gardner is requesting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide clear guidelines for state, local and tribal governments on the options available to them for reimbursement for actions taken to fight the coronavirus under the national emergency declaration.
Impact of the coronavirusTrish Zornio, DemocratZornio is calling for Congress to stop student loan payments and supports the freeze on mortgage payments.
To get people back to work, Zornio said there needs to be a “rapid response to get people trained,” to increase production of ventilators for patients and to have backup medical staff ready in case providers get sick.
The best-case scenario is that we work to minimize the impact,” Zornio said in a phone interview.
Zornio said she supports raising the minimum wage, relieving students of some of the burden of their loans and “working to create the next generation of good-paying jobs in the greening, automated and modernized economy,” according to her campaign website.
As a scientist, Zornio said she wants to bring scientific experts to the table to speed up the transition to renewable energy and carbon pricing.
Andrew Romanoff, DemocratAs a former member of the Colorado Legislature, Romanoff has proposed ending tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas, ensuring large corporations and wealthy Americans pay taxes, raising the minimum wage to match the cost of living and extending broadband access rural Colorado.
During the economic disruption of the coronavirus, Romanoff suggested a national freeze on evictions, foreclosures, utility shut-offs, farm loan payments and student loan payments. Additionally, Romanoff has stated Congress should expand unemployment insurance and paid family sick and medical leave.
“The first order of business is making sure people don’t lose their lives,” Romanoff said in a phone interview. But once the crisis slows, rebuilding the economy will be “much like the 1930s and the 1940s,” Romanoff said.
To put millions of people back to work in America, Romanoff said rebuilding the transportation system and energy infrastructure through plans like the Green New Deal would ensure Colorado and the U.S. lead the world toward a clean energy future. Rebuilding the economy is an “opportunity born of a crisis and a tragedy,” Romanoff said.
“People understand in a time of crisis you need to take bold measures; there is bipartisan recognition of that,” he said. The “worst thing we can do is return to the status quo,” where a quarter of the country is uninsured or underinsured, Romanoff said.
Stephany Rose SpauldingSpaulding said the Colorado state legislature and Gov. Jared Polis have handled the crisis well, and the eviction freeze should be extended to the national level.
Paid family leave should have been the norm as well, Spaulding said. Rural residents, single mothers and people of color are unemployed and underemployed at far greater rates, according to her website.
Spaulding said she will work for equitable pay and livable minimum wage while opposing corporate tax cuts.
While Southwest Colorado depends on agriculture, fossil fuels and tourism, Spaulding said she will support legislation to shift workers in these industries to “sustainable alternatives such as clean energy and cybersecurity.”
Regarding tourism, she said people won’t be traveling as far or spending as much, Spaulding said. But “our resiliency is the strength of Colorado,” she said, adding, “So we will survive and also thrive.”
“We all know the colloquial definition of insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results,” Spaulding said about the prospect for a female senator. “We are seeing the absolute need for new ideas and new perspectives.”
John HickenlooperThe Senate voted to provide billions of dollars in aid for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes provisions for paid sick leave, expanded food aid and free diagnostic testing.
But as a former small businesses owner, Hickenlooper wrote on Twitter, “We must do more.”
“If we ask small businesses to make sacrifices, the government needs to do its part to prevent layoffs. We can’t simply look out for the big guys and declare victory,” Hickenlooper wrote.
He proposes small-business loans that can be converted into grants if they don’t lay off workers.
“The quickest way to get people cash right now is through unemployment insurance,” Hickenlooper wrote on Twitter. He supports Bennet’s proposal to provide every American with $2,000 to help weather the crisis. Should the outbreak continue, the government should keep making payments.
Hickenlooper also supports expanding paid family leave and deferring student loans for six months.
Sen. Cory Gardner, RepublicanFriday, Gardner introduced a bill to support a network on manufacturing centers, at a time when manufacturers of medical supplies and pharmaceutical products face fluctuating demand and insufficient supply chains.
The senator also asked the Department of Agriculture to waive remaining Forest Service fee payments in 2020 for ski areas that lease public lands, to reduce the lost revenues the closed resorts face.
“This economic loss is unprecedented for the industry, and any relief would be welcomed news as they take all measures to comply with the health and safety guidelines related to this deadly pathogen,” Gardner said in a news release.
Gardner added he would have voted to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act if he were not in self-quarantine.
“Congress must move heaven and earth to protect American workers by providing them with immediate financial assistance and make sure workers and businesses can get through this crisis,” Gardner said.
Public landsTrish Zornio, DemocratZornio describes herself as an “avid outdoors woman” and “advocate for protecting public lands.”
She said she was climbing at the Bears Ears National Monument when she saw an article on the Trump administration’s decision to reduce its size, and realized “the place I’m standing on is going to be sold for oil and mining.” That’s “not what Coloradans stand for.”
Zornio said she encourages outdoors people to be involved in policy to protect lands where they hike, climb and cycle. She said she supports the overall goals of the Green New Deal but wants to create a more concrete, scientifically backed plan by bringing together scientists and industry experts to implement partnerships between the public and private sector. Zornio said she believes this is more efficient than trying to pass legislation.
“When you look ahead for things like climate change, it’s really the little things that make a difference,” not just changes in transportation and electricity.
Her website includes a 12-page policy platform and plan for climate change.
Andrew Romanoff, DemocratRomanoff features renewable energy, public lands and water security prominently in his plans for a Senate seat.
“Most people I’ve met love this place because of its beauty and don’t want to see public lands open to drilling,” Romanoff said.
He criticized Gardner and Hickenlooper for allowing drilling and mining on public lands, and for opposing the Green New Deal.
Public lands are a source of revenue for the tourism industry when they are open for hunting, hiking and camping.
“It should not take an election year epiphany for a senator like Gardner to see the light,” Romanoff said of Gardner’s support to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Stephany Rose Spaulding, DemocratAs people are told to socially distance themselves, families can go to the public lands in Colorado and “see the richness and beauty,” Spaulding said.
“Now is the time Colorado can shine,” Spaulding said. The environment will help people emotionally and physically during this difficult time, she said.
But people won’t have as much expendable income to spend on activities like skiing on the Western Slope, so Congress needs to invest in its federal lands and expand them, Spaulding said.
Simultaneously, Spaulding said Coloradans need to “make sure we cohabitate with wildlife” while we escape to public lands during this time of social distancing.
Spaulding has said she supports the goals of the Green New Deal such as banning fracking on public lands, and she has promised to fight against opening parks, wildlands and open spaces to drilling or other resource extraction,” according to her campaign website.
John Hickenlooper, DemocratHickenlooper’s website says he is committed to protecting the state’s public lands while also combating climate change. He has vowed to expand wilderness areas in the state while curbing new oil and gas leases on federal land, which he first proposed in his Democratic presidential nomination campaign.
His “great outdoors” platform includes proposals to establish a national recreation office that extends into the Department of the Interior, Commerce and Agriculture. He also plans to dedicate funding to secure access to public lands.
Hickenlooper also supports the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, which would designate about 73,000 acres as wilderness areas in Colorado and add 80,000 acres of recreation and conservation management areas.
Last year, Hickenlooper compared the Green New Deal to the work of Karl Marx and Joseph Stalin.
Republican Sen. Cory GardnerThe Trump administration’s proposed budget for 2021 originally slashed spending for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, but after a meeting with Gardner and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the president urged Congress to permanently fund the fund.
“We fought for this, we went to the mat,” Gardner said of Trump’s support. The senator said he showed Trump a photo on his phone of canyons in Colorado to help secure the funding.
Suzanne O’Neill of the Colorado Wildlife Federation said it is a “very much needed piece of legislation” that “Gardner has worked on for quite a long time.”
Last week, Gardner introduced a bill adding 40,038 acres of wilderness to the Rio Grande National Forest. Gardner’s first wilderness bill for Colorado would add more than 40,000 acres of wilderness in the San Luis Valley.
Democratic challengers have accused Gardner of election-year politics, since he has consistently voted with Trump to expand oil and gas drilling across the West. Gardner has argued that the revenue from oil and gas helps support programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, but they also damage the environment the lands are meant to protect.