Candidates quizzed on new issues in Douglas County GOP Women’s forum; Flora wins 64% of straw poll vote

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice

LONE TREE — A smaller collection of Republican candidates vying for the 4th District seat in the U.S. House offered potential delegates and voters an opportunity to get into more detail Wednesday here during the Douglas County Republican Women’s forum.

Five candidates vying for either a place in the special election or the party’s primary were quizzed on their priorities, national defense, the House Speaker, inflation, positions on diversity, equity and inclusion in government, and more.

“I will never give up, never stop fighting and never abandon you in this district,” said Douglas County resident and candidate Deborah Flora, who again decisively won a straw poll in the county.

She was joined on the panel by Lauren Boebert, Richard Holtorf, Chris Phelen and Jerry Sonnenberg.

“I’m a veteran, rancher and no-nonsense conservative,” said Richard Holtorf, who discussed his military service several times and flipped more votes in the straw poll than anyone. “I first swore an oath in 1983. I learned a long time ago what selfless service is.”

Lauren Boebert, currently serving in the 3rd District and a resident of Windsor in the 4th District, shared a message of conservative unity. She finished second in straw polling.

“We are all in this together,” she said. “We need to come together. We have members of Congress who have abandoned us.”

Jerry Sonnenberg is a farmer and rancher living on a Centennial farm in Colorado, he explained.

“Those deep roots are important to electing someone who will represent you every day in Congress,” Sonnenberg said. “If you’re looking for someone who will be on TV all the time, that will probably not be me. I’m a workhorse, not a showhorse.”

Phelen shared his background serving with Rep. Doug Lamborn in the 5th District and positioned himself as a candidate who could change Congress.

“We need to bring back function to Congress,” he said. “Congress has been dysfunctional for too long. We need to stop the division, unify the party and start legislating.”

‘If you had a magic wand…’

Three of the five candidates told those in attendance securing and sealing the border would be their top priority, if they had a magic wand to accomplish what they wanted. Two others selected term limits and water as their top priority.

“I would pass my ‘build the wall, deport them all’ bill,” Boebert said, leading off the debate. “Coupled with that, we need to designate fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. We’re losing 300 Americans a day, this has to stop and it can stop.”

Holtorf indicated his priorities are term limits and a balanced budget.

“The swamp comes from career politicians,” he said, offering House members should get a maximum of four terms. “I would pass a balanced budget to make the government live within their means.”

Supporting the border as her priority, Flora indicated she had visited the southern United States.

“We have to finish the wall and then actually allow the border to patrol,” she said, adding her other priority would be to cut staffing of Washington bureaucracies in half and end the Department of Education.

Farmers and ranchers on the Western Slope and Eastern Plains, along with others in Colorado, should get more control of the state’s water, Phelen said.

“Let’s allow Colorado to keep our water and do with it as we see fit,” he said. “Any water that originates in the state should be ours.”

Sonnenberg was also a proponent of the border being a priority.

“We have the laws in place. This administration chooses not to enforce them,” Sonnenberg said.

He also agreed with Holtorf that term limits are a priority.

“Our forefathers did not set this up to have career legislators,” he said.

In support of defense

Each of the five candidates mostly agreed with approaches toward concerns on investing in defense, removing woke ideology and concentrating on defense recruiting.

“If we do not keep our competitive edge, we will not be able to win,” said Holtorf, who retired as a colonel from the Army.

Flora called for military spending to be separated from all other spending in Congress.

“Then we cut the budget in other discretionary areas,” she said. “It is time to put our national defense first.”

Phelen argued removing redundancies would “save billions” and allowing regulation to sunset would save more.

“If we do that, we could fund defense,” he said.

Sonnenberg pointed to the corruption of Washington, D.C., which inflates costs involved with national defense.

“It’s the backroom favored deals in Washington,” he said. “Fund our military and let them serve as they see fit.”

Boebert reminded the audience she had fought to get individual appropriation for areas such as defense spending.

“We have to focus on preparedness and readiness,” Boebert said. “We need President Trump back in office to reimplement ‘Peace Through Strength’ policies.”

She also got applause when she referenced one fix for the military would include not leaving equipment behind in Afghanistan.

Selection of a House Speaker

Boebert was seated in Congress when two Republican Speakers were selected.

“My red-line was a one-member motion to vacate,” she said. “You know why? Thomas Jefferson put that in. I nominated Mike Johnston and I now regret it.”

The candidates also discussed Newt Gingrich, a former House Speaker and now a national media personality.

“I loved Newt’s ‘Contract With America’,” Sonnenberg said. “Newt lost favor because he lost integrity. When you lose integrity, you can’t lead.”

Boebert took issue with his memory of Gingrich’s term, saying the former House Speaker never faced a motion to vacate.

Flora was critical of a House Speaker process that left Republicans without leadership for 21 days. Phelen indicated House rules hold leadership accountable to members.

“As long as Republicans fight Republicans, Democrats win,” Holtorf said, to another round of applause.

Solutions to inflation

On the issue of rising prices from eggs and milk to a Happy Meal, Phelen offered a simple response: “Cut taxes, reduce regulation, encourage small business to do what they do.”

Sonnenberg introduced a philosophy he has been known to promote back home in Sterling: “Get the government out of the way. The best way to stimulate the economy is to open the door.”

While she agreed with Sonnenberg, Boebert looked at deeper causes, to another round of applause.

“We need to prevent China from buying our farmland,” she said. “Also, we’ve been regulated into poverty.”

Holtorf called for bringing manufacturing and production back to the U.S., a Trump-era program.

“If we have the majority, let’s lead, but Republicans fall short every time,” he said.

Flora indicated energy production and being a net exporter is a significant priority tied to the economy.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Sonnenberg batted leadoff on a discussion of hiring practices in the federal government, which now include diversity, equity and inclusion, and has been known by other names in previous Democratic administrations.

“We don’t hire the best employee anymore,” he said. “You have to check off so many boxes before we hire you.”

But it is not just hiring, Boebert said, telling the audience she has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

“These DEI and woke policies are confusing our children,” she said. “You go woke, you go broke.”

Holtorf called to defund agencies implementing the policy.

“Congress has the power of the purse,” he said. “It needs to be defunded, and Congress can do that.”

Flora indicated there’s also the element of the American people “standing up and letting their voices be heard.” Phelen added, “every office in the federal government has an office of diversity and inclusion,” and said it is “out of control.”

Flora, Boebert lead straw poll

Organizers of the forum conducted a “before and after” straw poll to gauge delegate and voter sentiment for candidates.

Flora won both polls, entering with 61% support and exiting with 64%. Boebert finished second in both polls. She collected 23% support from the audience prior to the forum and exited with 25% support.

The big gainer in the straw poll was Richard Holtorf, who had no votes prior to the forum and exited with 6.7%. Sonnenberg opened with 5.6% favor and exited with 3.3%. Phelen had no votes prior to the forum and picked up a vote in the exit tally.

Ted Harvey entered the forum with 11 votes, but was not in attendance and did not record votes in the exit poll. Mike Lynch also held two votes in polling prior to the forum, but was not in attendance and did not record votes in the exit poll.