Among the multitude of choices Longmont voters made on Tuesday were their decisions on who should represent the region at the state Capitol. Among the races on local ballots were two for state House and one for state Senate.
Democratic candidates in each race appeared to have the races all sewn up as of Wednesday morning, when 173,725 ballots, nearly 76% of the 229,023 registered active voters in Boulder County, were counted, according to Boulder County results posted at 12:36 a.m.
Updated at 6:50 a.m. Nov. 4
State Senate District 17
Democrat Sonya Jaquez Lewis is ahead of Republican Matthew D. Menza in the race for the seat being vacated by Democrat Mike Foote, who is not seeking reelection. Jaquez Lewis had a 70%-to-30% lead as of 12:36 a.m. Wednesday.
Jaquez Lewis, a pharmacist, is currently a state representative for House District 12, a seat she won in 2018. She did not respond to the Leader’s request to complete an election questionnaire, but on her campaign website, she states protecting the community from fracking and helping working families afford health care and housing are among her priorities if elected.
Menza, a retired Navy test pilot, in his Leader election Q&A stated funding for mental health services would be an immediate priority for him, as would incentivizing new business growth and providing protections for struggling businesses due to COVID-19-related restrictions and cutting state budgets and trimming overhead.
State House District 11
Democrat Karen McCormick had a large lead over Republican Mark Milliman early Wednesday morning, with 69% of votes as of 12:36 p.m., according to Boulder County results.
“It is truly an honor and overwhelming experience being my first time ever elected to an elected position, so I look forward to working hard for every resident in our district, and I really mean that, every resident,” McCormick said.
McCormick, a veterinarian for more than 30 years, in her Leader Q&A she stated she wants “to make sure that we look carefully at how we handled the health and economic impacts of this pandemic to be better prepared the next time, and that she also wants to work “to mitigate the effects of climate change because this is our only planet and we have the responsibility to protect it.”
“I am watching all the statewide initiatives very carefully to see how it positions our state to be able to take care of Colorado. There are a lot of things to be decided tonight and that's gonna weigh in on the tools at our disposal to move us forward,” she said. “My focus in general is really about healing the divide nationwide and in our own state, and making sure that we learn as much as we can to get us through this pandemic.”
She also ran against incumbent Republican Ken Buck for his U.S. House seat in 2018, a run she stated was aimed at advocating “for families, health care, education, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights (and) economic opportunity for all.”
Milliman, an electrical engineer by trade, according to his campaign website, did not respond to the Leader’s request to complete a questionnaire. The issues he outlined on his campaign site included the economy, education and housing. On education he advocates for fully reopening schools “so parents can get back to work.” On housing, he stated “Boulder County has created many of the issues with housing and homelessness by limiting growth and the type of structures built. Our land use policies must reflect the need for innovative housing.”
The Leader made several attempts to contact Milliman for comments about the results but did not get a response. No comment has yet been posted to the candidate’s website or Twitter account.
State House District 12
With Jaquez Lewis seeking election to the state Senate, her seat was being sought by Democrat Tracey Bernett and Republican Eric Eric J. Davila.
Bernett as of 12:36 a.m. Wednesday had 76%-to-24% lead over Davila.
“I am delighted. I worked hard and I’m just thrilled that voters saw the same vision I did. The three (issues) I’ve been pushing are the environment, education and equity, including affordable housing and health care. These are my personal passions,” Bernett said, adding that with so many people in Boulder County suffering because of the pandemic, she is willing to step up and do whatever is needed at the Capitol to help.
Bernett, who retired after a career in the construction, aerospace/defense and the computer industries, is a past president of the OUR Center board. In her Leader Q&A, she stated her focus would be in three areas she coined the “Three E’s:” environment, education and equity.
On the environment, she stated, “I believe in the science of climate change and because the Colorado Front Range has a serious ozone pollution problem.” On education, she said she is “appalled at the lack of investment in education in Colorado, and resulting consequences of overcrowded schools and underfunded services, much of it caused by TABOR.”
Equity, she stated, also includes affordable housing and affordable health care and that no one should have to “choose between paying bills and health care.”
“I have a track record for working collaboratively with people to get things done so that will help me bring bold solutions to issues people care about,” she said. “I am so honored by all the people who have so much faith in me, it's really very humbling. I will take my job very seriously and will not give up until we cross the finish line.”
Davila, whose background is in information technology and administration, in his Leader questionnaire stated a fiscal audit on the state budget is a high priority for him and that in times of budget shortfalls, priority should always go to infrastructure needs.
In his Q&A, he also stated that the response to coronavirus pandemic has been too stringent and too deeply impacted people’s livelihoods. “Government has gone too far and (is) violating people’s rights to run their business as they see fit,” he said. “We are rugged individuals and should be free to make decisions for ourselves. Government's place is to make us aware of the situation and advise.”
When asked what he would do to disrupt the governmental status quo, Davila in his Q&A said he plans “to reverse as much of the legislative work that has been done to reverse the will of the people.”
When contacted for comment Tuesday night, Davila said he was hoping to get 25% of the votes, which would have meant a straight Republican vote.
“I’m really disappointed that it looks like the Gallagher Amendment is being repealed. I was working hard to make people aware that taxes would probably go up (if the amendment was repealed), with no limits on what counties or cities can do on taxes,” he said.
“Congratulations to my opposition.”
