By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice
Against the backdrop of the Rockies, where the day fades in Colorado’s House District 17, the election of 2024 has emerged as a battleground where democracy’s integrity is as much at stake as a campaign victory.
Picture this: You’re Gordon Bertoglio, a 74-year-old Republican volunteer, near a campaign sign that you’ve just gotten to stand straight. The air is crisp, the stakes high. Suddenly, a confrontation turns violent.
Bertoglio, a longtime precinct leader and dedicated volunteer, found himself not just defending signs, but his very safety.
He was waiting in his car, keeping an eye on political signs in support of Republican House District 17 candidate Elizabeth Riggs. The campaign had noted previous thefts of signs in the immediate area.
“After putting up signs, I was in my car waiting and watching for anyone to show up to steal them again. It only took 30 minutes for this guy to come walking down Murray [St.] toward Airport [St.],” Bertoglio said. “He stopped in front of me in the car and squinted his face, looking at me, then continued a little further and turned and looked at me again. Then he continued down to the corner and turned right up Airport and looked at me again! He went up by the transformer and stopped, turned around and [leaned] down to the sign and pulled it up. That’s when I got out of the car and headed toward him, telling him to put the sign down.”
Bertoglio suspects the man is working for Democrat Regina English’s campaign.
“I asked if he’d been the one stealing our campaign signs,” Bertoglio said.
The man replied to Bertoglio, “You put your signs in front of ours and blocked it.”
Bertoglio then asked the man to replace the sign he’d taken.
“That’s when he shoved me,” Bertoglio said. “I hit my head on the asphalt and next thing I knew I was standing by my car with blood pouring down the back of my head.”
The impact left him disoriented and bleeding.
“I don’t remember how I got back to my car. I was knocked out and woke up with my head bleeding,” he added.
Bertoglio is out of the hospital now, but has doctor appointments scheduled to follow up on symptoms he’s feeling related to his concussion.
Despite his injuries, Bertoglio is attending candidate debates and was willing to tell his story. When asked what impact his story will have, he replied: “Maybe that people out there getting involved don’t get into people’s faces. [And] to be aware of what’s around you. If people want to fight, back away and take pictures from a distance. Let the police sort things out. But it sounds like the police are overwhelmed.”
Before retiring, Bertoglio worked at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Longmont in-route air traffic control center as a tech ops specialist, maintaining equipment and automation systems. In retirement, he has been a dedicated volunteer, aiding House District 16 and 17 Republican candidates.
Rebecca Keltie, the Republican candidate in House District 16, and Riggs have expressed their gratitude for Bertoglio’s support.
“Gordon is such a dedicated volunteer. He’s always out there, making sure signs are up, helping with whatever we need. He’s just incredible,” Keltie said. “He cares about his community and wants to make a difference. We need more people like him.”
For Riggs, Bertoglio’s impact extends beyond campaigns.
“Gordon is amazing. He’s always there helping out, driving people around or putting up signs. He’ll do anything to help,” she said.
Riggs views him as a personal support figure.
“He’s like a grandfather to me. He helps everybody, not just candidates.”
Just days before Bertoglio’s ordeal, Riggs experienced her own trial by fire.
“I went out door-knocking, and a man who opened the door was having a civil conversation with me. And then the conversation turned on a dime,” she said. “The man opened the door and engaged in a conversation with me about illegal immigration. All of a sudden, he said he was finished talking. I was caught off-guard when he punched me in the face.”
Despite the assault, Riggs chose not to press charges, hoping instead to extend the olive branch of peace.
“Pressing charges wasn’t going to fix anything,” she reasoned.
For Keltie, the violence hits close to home. With 80-year-old volunteers who do so much for her campaign, which many she considers dear friends, she can’t stand the thought of a similar attack happening to them.
“I can’t have them get hurt on my watch. I’m putting signs up myself now,” she said. “I was in the military for 21 years. I had 180 kids that I was responsible for. Certain missions we did, it was truly life or death.”
Keltie compares that experience to the campaign trail.
“Everyone just needs to chill out,” she said. “It’s an election [not a war zone]. No one’s dying. There’s no life or death here. The violence just needs to stop.”
Keltie’s stance as a candidate begs scrutiny for those close to this incident.
“As a candidate, if I knew my people were treating others like that, I would immediately apologize and take responsibility. You can’t turn your back on bad behavior because otherwise, it just gets worse.”
This isn’t just about Bertoglio, or Riggs and Keltie, they say. The district is simmering with tension, where political signs are not just markers of support, but targets of hostility.
“This has been going on for years,” Bertoglio said. “They just keep taking them.”
Yet, in the face of such adversity, the message from these warriors of democracy is clear.
“We need to stay involved in this process,” Bertoglio insists.
Riggs adds, “Don’t let the violence discourage you. Your vote matters.”
And Keltie says Republicans must “show up and take part, or else they win.”
In light of the violence, Bertoglio, with the support of Riggs and Keltie, is calling on the attacker to take responsibility for the assault and step forward. Bertoglio hopes the individual will come forward and make amends for the assault.
“I hope this person comes forward and turns himself in. At least to make restitution for the expenses I’ve had — ambulance ride, hours in the ER getting patched up. None of that’s cheap anymore,” Bertoglio said.
Keltie encourages the attacker to step forward and make things right: “If this person comes forward, maybe we can avoid harsher consequences. The least they can do is cover the medical costs Bertoglio’s had to deal with.”
If the attacker is connected to the El Paso County Democrat Party, Bertoglio is calling on the party to take responsibility and cover the costs incurred. Riggs echoes the call as an act of making things right for Bertoglio.
Keltie also stresses the importance of accountability.
“Someone needs to be held responsible,” she said. “It’s not okay for the other side to think they can get away with it. This is not just about the signs. If they tear down my signs, fine. Just don’t hurt my people.”