By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
From the far stretches of the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and all places in between, candidates up and down the ballot have spent the past six months attempting to woo voters.
At one time earlier this year, a dozen candidates were vying for the Republican nomination in the 4th District to replace U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, and others in less ballyhooed races worked no less hard to earn support for their party nomination.
All the miles, chicken dinners, speeches, videos and ads culminate Tuesday in the election of party nominees to various offices – nominees Republicans hope can win in the general election this fall.
So what is the final message candidates hope to leave with voters? What efforts did candidates make to get voters to cast ballots in the final days of the election? That’s what the Rocky Mountain Voice asked a collection of candidates for office.
Kristi Burton Brown, formerly the chairwoman of the Colorado GOP, is one of those candidates in a down-ballot race seeking election. She’s opposed for the 4th District seat on the State Board of Education by Saundra Larsen, in a seat presently held by Republican Debora Scheffel. The winner advances to face Democrat Krista Holtzmann in the general election.
“I’ll fight for school choice and better academics,” said Burton Brown, who notes she’d like to use her background as a constitutional law attorney to empower parents. “One size doesn’t fit all, and we need to create real paths for success for our children, instead of leaning into the liberal political agenda and special interest groups.”
As a state party chairwoman, she traveled to each county and also visited areas of the 4th District to get out the vote in 2022.
“Voting is a key step to choosing the leaders who will represent you and empower you to exercise your rights,” Burton Brown said.
In the 8th District, state Rep. Gabe Evans is opposed by Janak Joshi in the Republican Party’s primary election. The winner will face Democrat Yadira Caraveo in the general election. Evans is a combat military veteran and former police officer, while Joshi is a retired medical doctor.
“I have spent my adult life taking on tough challenges,” Evans said. “Now, I’m ready for the next challenge: taking on and defeating Joe Biden’s extreme, far-left congressional ally, Yadira Caraveo. I have the experience and determination to shake-up Congress and bring the conservative change to Washington we need.”
Like many other Republicans seeking election to Congress, he supports a conservative platform of securing the border, holding criminals accountable, reducing prices and the cost of living, and empowering families to make educational choices, he said. He believes that platform has been heard by Coloradans in the 8th District.
“Conservatives and Republicans are energized by our ‘fight back’ movement,” he said. “We are calling, emailing, texting, mailing and knocking on doors throughout the district and doing media interviews to remind people to return their ballots by Tuesday.”
Evans notes securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and 13 of 22 mayors in the district as support for his candidacy.
Like Evans in the 8th District, Stephen Varela earned top-line support in the 3rd District, which includes a field of Ron Hanks, Lew Webb, Russ Andrews, Curtis M. McCrackin and Jeff Hurd. The winner will advance to face Democrat Adam Frisch for the seat presently held by Republican Lauren Boebert.
“Our campaign has made 80,000 volunteer phone calls, knocked on at least 11,000 doors, and made tens of thousands of volunteer (one-on-one) texts,” Varela said. “Volunteers are also sending personalized postcards to voters. We will continue to phone, text, knock doors and conduct media interviews throughout the district through Tuesday, reminding people to get out and vote.”
Varela is a combat military veteran, Hispanic conservative and State Board of Education member, he says. Varela’s a reformed Democrat “working to unite the Republican Party behind Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson so we can implement conservative policies,” he said.
He would support closing the border, ending woke ideology in schools, reducing prices and the cost of living and restoring respect for the rule of law, he says, in addition he has an endorsement from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
Arguably, the highest profile race of the primary has been in the 4th District, ranging from Douglas County along the Front Range to the eastern state line in a district comprised of some of the state’s 21 most solidly red counties. It is the reddest of the eight districts in Colorado, according to the Cook Political Report.
Richard Holtorf, a Washington County rancher and Republican Whip in the Colorado House, was among the earliest entries into the race along with media personality Deborah Flora of Douglas County. Jerry Sonnenberg, a Logan County rancher and former president of the Colorado Senate, soon joined the race. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert then announced her decision to run for the seat, shifting the dynamic. The race also includes businessman Peter Yu and Wellington rancher Mike Lynch.
Holtorf, a retired U.S. Army colonel, says his efforts have included assistance for voters. He claims to have driven 100,000 miles during the leadup to the election.
“Have you registered to vote? Do you have your ballot? What is your plan to mail it or get it to a voting center by Election Day,” Holtorf asked. “I’ve done person-to-person outreach like that. We need to get out the vote.”
He noted his nearly 30 years service in the military was an effort to protect such rights as voting and choosing elected officials. He’s also been critical of the Colorado Republican Party leadership for not leading get out the vote efforts, except maybe in the 5th District, he says.
Holtorf has added interest to the race, as he’s called Boebert a carpetbagger and argued with Flora over Department of Defense dependents.
Yu indicates his internal polling makes him a contender for second, also where Flora, Holtorf and Sonnenberg have indicated they are polling. Flora notes her success in Douglas County, where a lion’s share of voters reside, and figures to be the top contender to challenge Boebert, who has consistently polled first and took top-line on the ballot at the Republican Assembly.
“After close to six months of campaigning and spending every day knocking on doors and standing in front of venues to meet as many of you as possible, I am proud to be the candidate who has taken the time to provide each one of you personal attention,” Yu wrote in an email Saturday. “I am glad that I have been able to have conversations with you regarding what concerns you and to be your voice as your next representative in Congress.”
If Yu finishes second, it would be a hit to the delegate process. Yu failed to secure a delegate at the special selection committee contest in Hugo and did not attend the Republican Party Assembly. That’s where Sonnenberg comes in. He was runner-up in Hugo and at the Republican Assembly. In Hugo, he finished highest among candidates seeking the primary nomination.
“I am excited to see the results on Tuesday, after talking with so many constituents,” he said. “We have run a very positive campaign with lots of support. This is just another step to electing a congressman with integrity and character to represent the 4th District. The voters have an opportunity to select a workhorse that has a proven track record of getting things done.”
Polling has generally placed Boebert out to a Secretariat-like lead in the district. A Kaplan Strategies poll, from late May, found 40 percent of registered voters plan to vote for Boebert, with 40 percent undecided. None of her opponents drew more than 5 percent support in the poll – that’s a 35 percent margin; Secretariat only won by 31 lengths at the Preakness. Even though the polls have been kind, her campaign indicates it will work through the closing of polls to ensure victory.
“After traveling thousands of miles, making hundreds of personal phone calls and receiving the support of grassroots conservatives at the 4th District Assembly, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has earned the respect and support of 4th District voters and remains the only proven, conservative fighter in the race,” said Boebert’s campaign manager Drew Sexton. “From text messages helping voters identify where their closest drop box and voting center is to door knocking and phone banking, the Boebert campaign is finishing this race strong. We are not taking anything for granted as we continue to hold the strongest position of any candidate on TV, radio and in digital advertising for the final weekend. We are confident we are well positioned to be successful on Election Night.”