Too many working families struggle to afford the basics, and wages simply haven’t kept up. Especially as prices have spiraled out of control. 

In addition to supply chain issues and pent up demand during the onset of COVID, much of the inflation that now affects us comes in large part from the fact that big multinational corporations in energy,food, and other basics have little competition in their industries and they fail to reinvest in jobs here in our communities. The biggest oil and gas corporations have not invested in more production; instead they have done massive stock buy backs.

Our food distribution system, especially in meat, is controlled by a handful of companies that soak farmers and ranchers and endanger the lives of employees, then turn around and inflate prices for consumers largely because they have no real competition.  We need more competition, more anti trust enforcement and more help for small businesses like family ranches and farms, outdoor manufacturing, restaurants and lodging, and retail. And I am very concerned about the price gouging of farmers in the San Luis Valley and other parts of the district. We must do a better job of preventing corporate interests taking advantage of the pandemic to hurt our family farms and other small businesses.

By investing in workforce development, apprenticeship training, andgrowing industries like healthcare, technology, and renewable energy, we can open the door to career advancement and better opportunities for Colorado families. 

We need a representative who will be a partner with our delegation in Washington to attract investment in the 3rd Congressional District and support the businesses that are here and want to come here. That includes rebuilding our infrastructure and road maintenance on I-70 and US 50 and other critical economic corridors in the district. Boebert has consistently voted against funding for infrastructure investment.

When we invest in infrastructure, we create immediate new well paying jobs and new contracts for local and state construction firms. Then infrastructure investment leads to long-term economic sustainability for our communities.  Investment in transportation, our electric grid, water conservation, broadband, affordable workforce housing that uses clean technologies pays off in both the short term and the long term. Moreover such investment helps us reduce the effects of climate change by incentivizing new clean industries and jobs and offers hope for our children.

Ensuring that workers have the right to organize and collectively bargain is critical for economic opportunity. In areas where there is more union membership, wages for everyone are higher. I will support bills like the PRO Act, which protects the right to organize and collectively bargain.

Public Education is the bedrock of communities and opportunity for all. And a quality K-12 education for all children is a right all Americans deserve, regardless of your ZIP code. 

As a mother of two kids who go to public schools, I worry every day that I am sending my kids to schools that can only afford to stay open for 4 days a week, and can’t even afford air conditioning in the hot summers here.

I am incredibly grateful to the teachers and staff who work tirelessly to give our children a great education. But I also know Colorado's rural schools are underfunded and under-resourced, and our teachers are underpaid. We are at a crisis point with burnout for staff and administrators, and we must do a better job with teacher retention and school infrastructure. 

Although most funding and appropriations for public education come from local and state sources, I will support federal programs ranging from Title 1 and Title 2 to nutrition and federal farm to school programs to student loan forgiveness for teachers. 

And I strongly believe a four-year degree shouldn’t be necessary to get a job and make a living in America. We need to strengthen our community colleges and trade schools - we need more electricians, beauticians, hospitality managers, and building trades workers. And for those who do choose a four year degree, I will support legislation to allow people to refinance and consolidate student loans, lower education costs, and provide loan forgiveness to those who work in public service careers, especially in rural areas including first responders, nurses, doctors, veterinarians and teachers.

In addition to getting more health workers in rural areas, we also need to be sure that federal monies continue to support rural health clinics and hospitals. Boebert voted against funding for rural health care when she voted no on the American Rescue Plan. She has said on many occasions that she would repeal the ACA.

Rural Coloradans should not have to settle for a quality of health care that is the least bit inferior to the care received by those who reside in more urban settings. Increasing affordability and access to higher quality health care is one of my highest priorities. Whatever it takes --improved hospitals, clinics, tele-medicine, and policies that encourage doctors and nurses to locate and build their practices in rural Colorado -- I am committed to bringing the highest quality health care to citizens in every corner of this district. 

Affordability is every bit as important as access, and I will fight to reduce the ever-increasing costs of health care, health insurance, and prescription drugs. I strongly support protection for pre-existing conditions in insurance coverage, lowering the Medicare eligibility age and allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices.

There are several federal programs for first time homebuyers and for rent assistance. These were more fully funded in both the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill. Boebert voted against both of those bills.

Many local jurisdictions have Housing Authorities that also benefit from Federal Housing programs as well as State of Colorado and local funding sources. Non-profits like Habitat for Humanity have been instrumental in creating housing that working people can afford.

We need to help non-profits like them and partner with locals and state agencies. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit, a major source of help for people burdened by housing costs, is administered by state and local housing agencies. Most of the programs for direct financial help are administered by HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Development), some are oriented towards private development and some towards public.

For our rural areas, the US Department of Agriculture also has a set of programs for both single-family and multifamily housing in rural towns and counties. One of the reasons that local housing has become so out of reach for many in CD3 is that local housing markets are not local. Instead, prices are inflated by out of town, out of state, or out of country buyers with far larger incomes than the local prevailing wage. Thus many local builders find it much more profitable to build very large “McMansions”.  This trend started in the 1990’s in mountain towns, but more recently with COVID and the ability to work remotely many buyers and investors sought out properties in smaller more rural areas and drove up the markets.

Outdoor recreation - skiing, hiking, hunting and fishing, river rafting –are a critical part of our economy and of our quality of life. Protecting public lands isn’t just good for the environment; it provides thousands of jobs and supports small businesses throughout the region. In fact, our public lands and waters are the backbone of Colorado’s $35 Billion outdoor recreation industry. There are over 350,000 jobs in Colorado that depend on preserving – not privatizing and selling off –our public lands.

I support the CORE Act and other bills like it to protect Colorado’s public lands in an economically sustainable way for our children and for future generations. Our public lands are where much our water comes from, and preserving wildlife habitat depends on protection of public lands.

CD3 is the headwaters for major rivers and their tributaries, and we often define who we are and where we come from by our river valleys. Much of our water starts on our public lands. This is an arid land, and the climate-induced drought we have been in since 2002 has not only produced water shortages for people who live here, for towns, and for industry and agriculture, but it has also put into play a vicious cycle of reduced snowpack, with increased and more deadly wildfires. 

After such intense, large wildfires, the capacity of watersheds to function decreases. Runoff, debris, and sedimentation increase, changing the watershed. Wildlife habitat is damaged. Key infrastructure such as transportation infrastructure like I-70 is damaged by debris and run-off. Whole watersheds and basins are threatened. And aquifers like those in the San Luis Valley recharge far more slowly. We need local, state, and Federal partnerships to address these problems.

Boebert voted against funding to fix these problems. I will work diligently with local governments, state governments, non-profits, and small businesses like family ranches and farms to be sure that Federal water policies work for us here in CD3. Colorado war law and water rights are enshrined in our 1876 Colorado Constitution: prior appropriation has been flexible l enough to change with the times. It continues to serve us well. One example is Colorado’s in-stream flow water rights. Much water law and policy happen at the state and local levels, but there is much that Congress can do to preserve clean water and protect our rivers, streams and lakes. I will build partnerships with our delegation and those of other Western states- with both Democrats and Republicans- and with key Federal agencies like Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of land management, and the US forest service to ensure that our Western voices are heard and our needs as a headwaters state get met. 

We need real climate action now: lack of progress on climate change has lead to drought, diminishing snowpack, wildlife habitat loss and increasing destructive wildfires. By acting now on reaching climate goals by 2050, we will not only solve many environmental problems facing us, but we will create new industries, new small business opportunities, and new good paying jobs in our local communities.

As the child of naturalized immigrants who came to this country seeking a better life, I believe we must fix our broken immigration system with comprehensive immigration reform, help for DREAMERS, and a better visa processing system. This is not just a matter of compassion but also a matter of practicality - our tourism and agricultural businesses in the 3rd Congressional District rely on immigrant workers and seasonal employment. Many DREAMERS have served into US military. Many have become integral parts of their communities in CD3, contributing to the economy and serving in non-profits.

Money and corruption in our federal politics have become deeply rooted, making our system more like a “dollarocracy” than a real democracy where one-person-one vote is the standard. One of the (understandable) reasons that people do not trust government is because so many politicians have been “bought” by big money and anonymous sources or they have simply bought their way onto the ballot. When wealthy people “self-fund”, it makes a mockery of our democracy and discourages many from running for office or even voting.  These problems have been exacerbated by Citizens United and by the exponential increase in income and wealth inequality.  I will work with my colleagues for full disclosure and other ways to make the system more fair.

The right to vote is the foundation for any democracy. Without it, only the powerful, well connected and wealthy have influence on laws and policies. We should be proud that Colorado came in number two in voter turnout in the 2020 election. I have registered people to vote. Getting more eligible people to vote is a hallmark of my campaign. In Congress I will stand up for the voting rights of everyone. We are so lucky in Colorado to have a well conducted all mail-in system with many checks and balances to ensure that elections are fair. We need that for our whole country.

I learned from my parents that faith, hard work, personal responsibility and respect for others are essential. Always respecting the human dignity of everyone is my guiding light. I am deeply troubled with what passes for political discourse and action in Washington and by the lack of cooperation and bipartisanship. This in turn has led failure to accomplish many goals that would improve peoples lives.

Our current representative delights in disrespecting so many people and groups, and she relishes hateful rhetoric that gives her more likes on Twitter. This has to change or our democracy will falter. 

I am not in this to be a social media personality or for my ego. I have been serving the people of our communities for over 20 years. I am running for the Peoples’ House to listen and represent you fairly and objectively and so that my children and yours have real opportunities. So that all of us have a brighter future.