GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Medicaid Cuts and Budget Deficit

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics

Nine Republican candidates for next year’s gubernatorial election participated in a debate Thursday night hosted by the Denver Press Club, where they faced questions on issues like the budget, cost of living, and Medicaid from moderators Marianne Goodland and Ernest Luning of Colorado Politics.

Those candidates were:

• Sen. Mark Baisley of Roxborough Park, an engineer who was elected to the State Legislature in 2018
• Bob Brinkerhoff, a retired State Trooper
• Jason Clark, an Army veteran from Centennial on his third run for governor
• Jon Gray-Ginsberg, an IT professional and cybersecurity specialist from Frisco
• Joshua Griffin, a former Colorado State University football player and Army veteran
• Kelvin “K-Man” Wimberly, an Oklahoma native who has lived in Colorado for over 50 years
• Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer of Brighton, a former Weld County Commissioner who was elected to the State Legislature in 2020
• Greg Lopez, a former mayor and director of the Colorado branch of the Small Business Administration, who served as a U.S. Representative from 2024-2025
• Will McBride, a trial attorney from Lone Tree

How to balance the state budget

When asked how they would balance the state’s budget, which is currently facing a deficit of over $1 billion, many candidates suggested “cutting red tape” and slashing regulations.

Kirkmeyer argued current Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, could “take care of this issue” right now if he wanted to and advocated for “across-the-board” budget cuts like former Gov. Bill Owens made during the 2001 recession.

McBride, meanwhile, advocated for eliminating the state income tax, adding that he planned to bring a ballot measure on the issue in the coming election. Doing so would bring $35 billion in revenue back to the state, McBride said, adding that he would “unleash free markets and slash government overreach.”

Lopez highlighted his experience serving on committee meetings for the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, arguing that the state should adopt a similar approach to eliminate “zombie” programs. He also said he planned to move away from the state’s current practice of using baseline budgeting. Instead, he said he would submit three budgets to the General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee: one based on the projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal year, one 10% above that, and one 10% below it.

State’s Medicaid program is mismanaged, candidates say

All nine candidates agreed that the state’s Medicaid program, Health First Colorado, is not running the way it should be. To fix this, some argued the state should end health care coverage for people who are in the country illegally procedures for transgender individuals.

Clark admitted his opinion on health care was “a little bit controversial” for a Republican: “I think that every American should have free health care,” he said. “However, the problem is that the government does it, and there’s nothing the government has ever done, other than our military, that works. The way to solve it is to get the government out of health care.”

Gray-Ginsberg argued that Republicans should be more open to negotiating with Democrats on Obamacare to “break the deadlock”.

“It seems like the Democrats will budge if the Republicans move on health care issues,” he said.

Griffin alleged that his wife was fired from her job in health care because she “refused to deny veterans health care” when her workplace told her to prioritize care for “people of the illegal lot.”

He also expressed support for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s orders to remove certain artificial dyes from food and advocated for more education on healthy eating and exercise.

Candidates advocate for ‘cutting red tape’

The cost of living has consistently been a top concern for Colorado voters in recent years. When asked what two things they would do to make living in Colorado more affordable, many candidates said they would reduce regulations and eliminate state-imposed taxes and fees.

If elected governor, Lopez said he would make sure the state was building starter homes that cost no more than $235,000. “Our younger generations need to live the American Dream,” he said. “It can be done.”

Kirkmeyer said she would continue the work she’s done as a state senator on lowering property taxes and partner with local governments to find solutions to affordable housing issues rather than work against them, as she believes the Polis Administration has done.

Griffin said major corporations manipulated the housing market during the pandemic by purchasing single-family homes. If elected, he said he would return those homes to the people.

Griffin also advocated for a sovereign wealth fund, which he said would “allow us to invest in ourselves” and incentivize “Republican corporations” to come to rural parts of the state.

Clark, who admitted support for certain Libertarian positions, put it bluntly: “There is nothing the government’s going to do to reduce housing costs.”

Lightning round features questions about Peters, wolves, and working with the Democrats

During the lightning round, candidates were asked whether they would pardon Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk who was convicted of multiple crimes tied to her role in tampering with election equipment and records during the 2020 election. The majority of candidates said they would pardon Peters, while Griffin said he would commute her sentence and Kirkmeyer said she would only consider a pardon “if faced with new facts” on the case.

All nine candidates said the supported removing grey wolves from the Endangered Species Act, which would allow them to be hunted and trapped. Grey wolves were reintroduced to Colorado in 2023 and have since caused an uproar among the ranching community for preying on livestock.

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