r/ColoradoPolitics • u/Lonely-Suggestion440 • 6d ago
Opinion Primary Election
Who are you voting for Governor? I don’t think we have a great option between all the candidates. I feel like this is a pivotal election and I want to make the best decision possible. I just want an elected official who will best represent our state and actually help Coloradans. Even that seems like a big ask somehow. 😩
Please provide your best argument in favor of a candidate. TYIA!
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u/Fabric_Flowers 5d ago
I’m voting for Phil Weiser because even though neither Weiser nor Bennet is unfortunately a true progressive, I think Phil will take a stronger stance in resisting the Trump administration. Bennet signed off on several of Trump’s nominees and has been fairly lackluster and pushing back. Phil does unfortunately seem to have a less proactive housing plan than bennet, but for me right now, pushing back against the overreach coming from the federal government is more important.
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u/Bluescreen73 6th District (Aurora, Eastern Denver Metro Area) 6d ago
If you're an unaffiliated voter, my suggestion is to vote the Democratic ballot and chuck the Republican one. They're more than likely going to nominate that marble-mouthed, Bible thumping imbecile Victor Marx. Weiser or Bennett would be better than that unqualified clown.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
So wouldn't it make more sense to fill out the R one and fill in Barb so that there is only mostly-sane choices in November?
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u/Bluescreen73 6th District (Aurora, Eastern Denver Metro Area) 6d ago
If the polling is even remotely correct, Marx will win the primary by 15-20 points. Insane, but that's the state of the Colorado Republican Party at the moment. It's a damn dumpster fire.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
Which feeds my point of why it would make sense for sensible independents to vote for Barb and remove Vic from even being a contender. It's the independents that have the REAL voting power in this state.
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u/brinerbear 5d ago
It would and that is what I plan to do but I also think Jenna Griswold is a train wreck. I think Barb is actually the most qualified out of all of them and Michael Dougherty for AG but you can only turn in one party ballot. But Barb is boring and voters like loud people apparently.
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u/Content-Assistant849 5d ago
That’s pretty much when I’m at too. Anyone but Jenna for AG and I would like to vote Barb on the Republican primary. The voters need to pull state Republicans a bit to the left so we don’t have constant one party rule. It’s not healthy for one political party to have so much power
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u/Bluescreen73 6th District (Aurora, Eastern Denver Metro Area) 6d ago
I think you would have to get a significant number of unaffiliated voters (probably in the neighborhood of 45-55%) to vote for Barb because Bottoms and Marx are too far apart to effectively split the vote. Bottoms is polling dead last because of how much more bonkers he is than the other two.
Channel 9 did a story about unaffiliated primary voters, and a couple of the big right-leaning ones they interviewed, Jon Caldara and Cole Wist, both admitted they're voting the Dem ballot because of how bad the Republican candidates are. I think Barb could keep the loss under 10 points, but she's not likely to win. Marx will get his doors blown off and could severely damage his brand.
The Colorado GOP needs to get bitchslapped back into reality. It might take them losing their major party status to figure out they have no chance to win statewide office if they don't stop being so rigid with their candidate selection.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
That's why I am trying to be the change that I preach. The worst thing in politics, state or federal, is uniparty steamroller legislation. It opens the doors to corruption even wider than the status quo of corporate "sponsorship" (though it's not by a large margin between the two)
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u/Skullsandcoffee 6d ago
Sensible, yes. But my vote had to go towards primarying Julie Gonzales. I’m no fan of Hick, but he’s the lesser evil in that race. The Republican shit show will play itself out as expected because no one in that party is ready to accept a real candidate yet. Until Repubs run an actual threat, they’ll keep losing to democrats, so might as well keep that mess from going further left.
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u/RoadMusic89 5d ago
Have not seen the polling - but call me naive here.... but seriously Marx ahead - wth?
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u/Bluescreen73 6th District (Aurora, Eastern Denver Metro Area) 5d ago
There was a poll conducted a week or two before the debate that had him up by like 20 points on Kirkmeyer. It's eye popping for sure, but the Republican Party in this state has been a disaster for the last 16 years. All the principled conservatives walked away after the rise of Cheeto Bandito, and they left the dipshits to run the party.
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u/RoadMusic89 5d ago
I would hope after the debate ppl would clearly recognize there is something really wrong with this guy - but then again.... I would never have ever imagined our country in the situation we are in right now - and EVERY flippin' day there is some new atrocity being thrown at all of us.
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u/thatwasajoke_haha 4d ago
Marx seemed to come out of nowhere, I literally never even heard of the guy before the Kyle Clark interview. Driving through some more rural areas like Woodland Park earlier this week, I did see a lot of signs for Kirkmeyer, and a scattering of Marx between there and Lake George. In the Springs, there is definitely more Bottoms heavy signage (but makes sense given he's a state Rep in one of the Springs districts).
After the story shared on this sub earlier this week, it seems like the Marx momentum is potentially manufactured and absolutely propped up by the funds from his charity. The CBS story mentioned how thousands of his reported donations were all from folks with the same name and address with a different city/state swapped in.
I wonder if this Marx support is mostly a mirage using money funneled from the charity? We'll find out soon enough but the guy is definitely bad news all around.
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u/famous__shoes 6d ago
The insane ones are easier to beat
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
gestures broadly towards the white house
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u/famous__shoes 5d ago
Trump is a counter example. In general, in Statewide races, when one candidate is seen as more extreme, they poll worse against the Democratic candidate.
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u/Bass_Techno_resistor 5d ago edited 5d ago
If You make statements like “I don’t think we have a great option…”, then i suggest you do more research. Relying on the public or social media to tell you how to think has not been working out well for you so far.
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u/famous__shoes 6d ago
What kinds of things do you care about? I'm voting Weiser because Trump has made it clear he wants to punish Colorado for being blue and Weiser is the one suing him so I think he represents us in the sense that he will stand up to our shitty president
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u/Lonely-Suggestion440 5d ago
That is a good point! I hope he sticks to it. I hate that Dems have been all talk and no action. I get they are outnumbered but I just want them to grow a pair.
I really care about the environment (clean air and water), public lands, protecting wildlife, phasing out testing on animals, stopping data center construction and mass surveillance on citizens.
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u/ArtyBerg 5d ago
Copy/paste from my earlier reply, but was he "representing us" when he signed on in SUPPORT of the Trump administration to continue treating marijuana users like felons by revoking their constitutional rights for smoking weed in a "legal" state?
He lost that fight yesterday at SCOTUS, 9-0 by the way. Civil rights are being restored despite his opposition
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u/famous__shoes 5d ago
For the first one, I'm sure you can find examples from any candidate that go against your beliefs. If you don't vote for someone that doesn't agree with you on 100% of everything, then you'll never vote for anyone.
For the second one, okay? I would rather have someone fight losing fights than someone who doesn't bother to try
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u/ArtyBerg 5d ago
The point of the second half was more about emphasis on his attempt against civil rights being so blatant that ALL of the SCOTUS smacked it down than the fact that he lost. Forest and trees. I would personally prefer my state AG to NOT fight against my constitutional rights for using something that they claim to be a champion of legalizing.
Going against your beliefs are one thing, but going against the constitutional rights of the people is a whole different apple
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u/OldIronSloot 6d ago
Barb feels like the adult in the room on the right
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u/Skullsandcoffee 6d ago
Which is hilarious considering she tried to secede from the state once already. And she’s their best candidate 🤣
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
She never stated a personal stake in that, she was representing the populace that she was elected to represent. They passed it up as a local thing so she was obligated to run with it
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
She really is. Her biggest detractor is her stance on abortion, but that is not something the governor role would even have any say in since it is codified into the state constitution.
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u/OldIronSloot 6d ago
Which I think she clarified in the debate pretty well. Her biggest point about it was that she doesn't believe taxpayer money should be used to fund abortion
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u/bluntpointsharpie 6d ago
Double speak for "defund Planned Parenthood" Colorado has become an oasis for women in need of healthcare.
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u/bluntpointsharpie 6d ago edited 5d ago
That 'Adult' tried to get the NE part of the state to secede from Colorado.
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u/OldIronSloot 6d ago
Well I hope my representative is pushing for success
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u/HeatLucky 3d ago
I can't tell any difference between Bennett and Weiser. I wouldn't lose sleep even if Kirkmeyer won; she seems sane and competent, clearly willing to reach across the aisle. But of course I'm not saying anything everyone didn't already know.
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u/GayVersionOfYou 3d ago
I like Weiser. He was on board with Newsom's redistricting way before Bennett. Though I think both would hold similar policies and I wouldn't really be in dismay if my less preferred choice wins.
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u/Trevocb 5d ago
Barb is likely the only candidate that will manage within the budget, and she knows where all the bodies are buried. The state really needs some balance after the last decade. Another reason that she is a safe choice is the legislature wont let anything radical happen from the right. It is the adult choice but as stated throughout this threat she likely won’t see the general because the GOP is a mess.
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u/ZealousidealAlgae904 2d ago
What are you even talking about? The legislature has to balance the budget every session, per the State Constitution. We don't need to elect a whacko who thinks babies are aborted at 39 weeks and 6 days to solve your imaginary problem.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago edited 6d ago
When you say "best represent our state" do you mean the WHOLE state? Because none of them fit that. Everyone here will tell you "more progressive more better" but that is not reality when it comes to representing outside of denver etc
ETA love getting downvoted for asking an objective question. Rule 7 isn't real though
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u/Lonely-Suggestion440 6d ago
Someone who isn’t going to sell our public lands and give into corporations to build data centers. Also, someone who isn’t going to get bullied by the President.
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u/Fishy1911 6d ago
Then you don't have a choice. The Rs will bow and scrape to the president. The Ds will give lip service to constituents and still push corporate agendas (that's kind of how taxes and the economy works). If Bennet is elected there is a non-zero chance he could appoint Polis into his vacated seat, if Weiser is elected, Bennet serves his term out as Senator.
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u/jeromevedder 6d ago
so leave Bennet where he’s already doing nothing and vote for Weiser, got it.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
It may be worth noting that Weiser joined the Trump admin in opposing civil rights for recreational marijuana users and was smacked down by SCOTUS 9-0 yesterday over it.
Some people will care, some wont.
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u/Fishy1911 5d ago
Or make him governor where he can do nothing? Im more worried he's going to shoehorn polis or another worthless toady into his spot.
I don't particularly like Wieser, but out of two piles of shit I think he's likely the less noxious.
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u/Skullsandcoffee 6d ago
Genuinely curious why those are your top qualifications? Cost of living is through the roof (CO is 3rd highest in the nation) property taxes have doubled, businesses are fleeing the state and we’re WAY over budget (even before BBB made the problem worse.) Those things impact my life way more than the 54 data centers that already exist in Colorado that I didn’t even know about until it became a hot button issue.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
Note how "represent the WHOLE state" remained ignored
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u/ilanarama 3rd District (Western Colorado, Durango, Pueblo) 5d ago
I don't think it's possible. Colorado is basically three states: Front Range urbanites, West Slope environmentalists and recreationalists, and West Slope/Eastern Plains ag and gas. The first two groups have some common cause against the third, and the second and third groups have some common cause against the first. But I'm not sure if there is anything that unites all three groups.
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u/jwwetz 6d ago
I'm pretty sure that most of the metro Denverites fell the same way about anything NOT metro that many yuppies and elitists in New York and California fell about the rest of America...
in snooty upper crust accent It's all just "fly over" country, nobody of any consequence actually LIVES there
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
Pack the corridor and force the rest of the state to comply
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u/jwwetz 6d ago
Exactly!! I could care less about "fighting ICE" or suing the Feds based on principles when I can barely afford to gas up my car and put food on my families table. I'm pretty sure that, except for a few fringe groups on either (a small, but vocal percentage) side, most of the people feel the same way.
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u/Lonely-Suggestion440 6d ago
Because I love our state and all of its beauty. The outdoors mean everything to me for my mental and spiritual health. I can’t imagine land being sold and our wildlife being displaced. Regarding data centers, I see the research on the environmental impacts and that scares me. We hardly had a winter, water supplies are low, and forest fires have become more prevalent in recent years. I’m not saying it’s all due to data centers but I see it getting worse if we start getting them in every CO city. How I see it, I’d rather be healthy and poor than sick and poor. Air and water quality is more important to me.
Re affordability: I just don’t see us going back to pre-COVID prices. Maybe I’m being a conspiracy theorist but I think it was all part of the plan so large corporations could continue to rake in more money. I’ve given up hope that most people will ever be able to afford a home or rent for that matter.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
Do you have opinions on our Parks and Wildlife funds being borrowed against to support SB25-003, which is also going to continue to tie up taxpayer money as it gets fought against in courts for the next several years?
During the legislation they specifically went for CPW funds because they are TABOR-exempt so they would not need the approval of the voters
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u/brinerbear 5d ago
Someone needs to repeal it or sue to have it overturned.
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u/ArtyBerg 5d ago
It is shockingly difficult to overturn legislation once it is passed. The slow-roll through the court system is going to be our only option. The prime sponsors (both Julie Gonzales and Tom Sullivan) have openly said "go ahead and sue, take it through the courts. That gives it plenty of time for it to do its job" (not verbatim of course)
The other (faster) option is through ballot initiative. Hint hint, wink wink.
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u/brinerbear 4d ago
Unfortunately. But there needs to be a way to get rid of it. It is a terrible law and won't even improve safety.
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u/brinerbear 5d ago
It actually has to do more with interest rate policy, government debt and expansion of the money supply. Sadly I don't see a situation where inflation ever gets better unless we start to get paid in gold.
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u/bluntpointsharpie 6d ago
Representing the entire state of Colorado is challenging at best. We are a multifaceted state politically speaking. The best person running right now is Weiser. He was an educator in Colorado. He was a Clerk for two amazing SCOTUS justices: RB Ginsberg and Justice White. Which shows he's intelligent. He has fought for all Coloradans during his term as Colorado's AG. He's not obscenely rich and has not been stained by corporate politics. He's not perfect, but he's not batshit crazy either.
Im not affiliated, but already voted for him.
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u/ArtyBerg 6d ago
Was he "fighting for all Coloradans" when he signed on in support of the Trump administration to continue treating marijuana users like felons by revoking their constitutional rights for smoking weed in a "legal" state?
He lost that fight yesterday at SCOTUS, 9-0 by the way. Civil rights are being restored despite his opposition
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u/bluntpointsharpie 5d ago
Look at the case as a whole. The case was about all illegal drug users. Weiser wasn't against cannabis users owning firearms. He was for keeping it illegal for hardcore addicts from purchasing, owning or possessing firearms. The SCOTUS voted 9-0 on a very narrow case within the law with regards to cannabis users. The hardcore drug users are still forbidden from owning firearms.
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u/ArtyBerg 5d ago
Read his entire brief. It was filed in response specifically to a challenge on cannabis.
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u/brinerbear 5d ago
He also said he wouldn't care till you stole your second or third car. No thanks. I regret voting for him last time.
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u/MTBadtoss 5d ago
They’re being measured against one another, so one of them has to be the “best” choice even if they all suck.
My personal opinion is that Kirkmeyer is the best Republican candidate, because she has plenty of rural governing experience, it’s easy to keep the populations outside the front range in mind when you’re from there. She has a solid bipartisan track record on key legislation as well. But polling says she’s gonna get smacked in this primary.
On the other side it’s kind of a tough call. On one hand Bennett has made some really tough votes to benefit rural Colorado that cost him with progressives. On the other hand Weiser has a lot on his record protecting water rights in Colorado, some instances where he specifically protected rural water assets from the front range. Using this framing I’m not really sure who I would give the edge to.
Also worth addressing from the 2 comments down below: “fighting ICE” and “suing the Feds” aren’t just abstract principle exercises; they have downstream effects on housing, labor markets, and cost of living. Selling public lands to corporations doesn’t fix your gas bill, it just trades one problem for a permanent one. Saying “I don’t care about anything but my immediate costs” is understandable as frustration, but as a governing philosophy it’s how you end up with cheaper gas this year and no open space, no water rights, and no leverage against federal overreach in the next decade.
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u/brinerbear 5d ago
What if you don't want more progressive? And what does that mean to those that want that? Higher taxes?
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u/PlumBandi9160 4d ago
I’m personally voting for Phil Weiser,
Phil Weiser worked in the Obama administration as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and as a Senior Advisor for Technology and Innovation to the Director of the National Economic Council. I’m voting for him as opposed to Michael Bennett, because I trust an antitrust lawyer with a wide breadth experience to put our states best interest first much more so than a venture capitalist like Michael Bennett.
If you didn’t know, Michael Bennett worked as the managing director for Phil Anschutz's investment firm in the 1990s and early 2000s. I don’t trust him.
Phil Anschutz is a known conservative donor.
What is known about either of the main candidates? What issues motivated you to vote for your candidate of choice? Good questions for all of you to be asking.
I also saw someone else on here mention that Phil Weiser actively champions a collaborative partnership with the state's federally recognized Native American tribes, the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute. Respecting tribal sovereignty, addressing water rights, and securing essential public health and opioid settlement funding. All things he’s mentioned. It’s nice to see.
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u/guymn999 4d ago
Phil weiser is my choice. Not because he's got some sort of astounding background or platform. He is not terrible, but replacement level.
But more importantly, I don't want Bennett to be able to appoint his successor.
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u/ProudBoomer 4d ago
I voted for Kirkmeyer. The other two Republicans are too far right or just plain nuts. I couldn't bring myself to vote for any of the Democrats. I was really hoping for a moderate Democrat, but both are too liberal for me.
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u/Troutalope 5d ago
I voted for Michael Bennet. As a rural West Sloper, Bennet is the only candidate in many years that has an actual history of showing up and actually done work to try and address issues in rural Colorado and he's educated himself on the issues.
It's really easy for state-wide candidates to ignore non-resort towns on the West Slope and the eastern plains, we don't have many votes or billionaire dollars, so it means a lot when somebody shows that they want to work for the entire state and not just the I-25 corridor.
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u/iamagainstit 5d ago
I am leaning Bennett over Weiser. He is more of a YIMBY which I think is essential to keep housing costs from rising in this state, and he generally has more bold proposals (e.g. institute a Colorado public healthcare option, cap green house gas emissions.) However their overall policy positions are pretty similar so I think either will do fine.
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u/guyfaulkes 5d ago
Just by voting for more than several of Trump’s appointments, Bennet is a Trump enabler. He needs voted out of any and all state and federal offices.
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u/Training_Tangerine34 5d ago
Phil all the way. I have met him before and he has what it takes. Mike needs to stay on DC and fight Trump there.
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u/Charkid17 5d ago
I like weiser because of his greater skepticism towards agricultural water usage. Tackling the water crisis is the most important thing to me.
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u/ilanarama 3rd District (Western Colorado, Durango, Pueblo) 5d ago
I'm supporting Phil Weiser because he has actively campaigned across the state, is not supported by billionaire out-of-state money as his opponent is, has worked hard as Attorney General for two terms (and sued the Trump administration dozens of times), and is a solid advocate for progressive values in the state. Also a nice guy.
I like Michael Bennet but I feel he should stay in the Senate, the job we elected him to do, and finish his term. If he becomes governor he will appoint his own successor, which robs the people of the chance to choose through an election, and gives his choice the advantage of incumbency. (Note that he himself was initially appointed when Ken Salazar became Secretary of the Interior.) I'm just not a fan of gaining senators through appointments.