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What Does Building a Better Future Look Like to You? What Does It Look Like to Your Community? |
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For us here in Colorado, we're fighting not only for the soul of this nation alongside Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but we're fighting to build a better future. But, the reality is that this could mean so many different things to different people.
What does building a better future mean to you? To your community? Come join in one of our new "Colorado Communities Connect" virtual series and be part of the discussion! |
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PICK HICK! Updates and Fast Facts from John Hickenlooper for Senate |
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Then-Governor John Hickenlooper meeting with recipients of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's first-ever Shining Stars of Vocational Rehabilitation awards. |
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Did you know? John Hickenlooper has a proven record of fighting for people with disabilities. As governor, John signed a number of bills into law to improve accessibility and opportunities for Coloradans living with disabilities. One of those bills was the Employment First for People with Disabilities Act (SB16-077).
The legislation includes a major victory for the disability community, the Employment First Advisory Partnership. Made up of multiple state agencies and various stakeholders, the Partnership will examine the barriers between individuals with disabilities and employment, and will suggest solutions to these barriers in a strategic plan. This strategic plan is critical to ensure that a comprehensive approach is taken to expanding employment opportunities for all individuals with disabilities, including individuals with significant disabilities.
Additionally, John signed bipartisan legislation to ensure drivers with disabilities aren't fined if their disability impacts their ability to pay parking meters, and legislation to remove the derogatory "R" word from Colorado statutes. |
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THIS WEEK ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: |
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Letters to the Editor for Hickenlooper for Colorado Looking for ways to help? Sending a letter to your local paper is a great and effective way to show your support for John Hickenlooper. If you would like help with your letter or suggested messaging and topics, please fill out this form HERE and someone will be in touch to help you get started.
The Road to Universal Background Checks John and Gabby Giffords met up on the virtual campaign trail, and this time they joined advocate Sandy Phillips and Giffords managing director Robin Lloyd to rally grassroots supporters. Giffords made a virtual stop in Colorado on her “Road to Universal Background Checks Tour” to speak directly with voters about the importance of electing a new Senate majority that will finally work to address gun safety. Mitch McConnell’s Republican Senate has refused to even bring a common sense vote on background check legislation to the floor. Meanwhile, Senator Gardner has voted against universal background checks and accepted millions of dollars in support from the NRA. |
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Latino Parent Virtual Roundtable
John hosted a virtual listening roundtable with Latino parents across Colorado who are concerned about the challenges of their kids going back to school during a public health crisis. The Latino community has been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus crisis; Latinos make up 20% of the population in Colorado but represent nearly 40% of the COVID cases here. |
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DEMOCRACY TOOLKIT |
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Our Future Is On The Ballot -- Are You Ready? |
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Voter Registration You can Register to Vote, Update your Registration, and Add your cell # or email to receive alerts when your ballot has been sent, received & counted -- all at http://www.govotecolorado.gov or at the buttons below! |
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See a Preview of your Ballot at Ballot Ready! |
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Ballot Ready allows voters to plug in their address and see the whole ticket of Democratic candidates running where they live. The tool pulls up the voter’s slate card of candidates, and includes photos of the candidates and links to their websites and social media channels so voters can learn about them. Go to http://www.coloradodems.org/ballot or click on the below to try it out! |
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Judicial Performance Commission Find out more about the judges who will be on your ballot before your ballot arrives either at the button below or this link: http://www.coloradojudicialperformance.gov/review.cfm?year=2020 |
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Voterfied -- Make YOUR Voice Heard |
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Voterfied is a tool that allows voters to directly cut through the noise, and make their voices and opinions heard by their elected officials and to the Colorado Democratic Party, without the vitriol or spam-like nature of social media and email. During this time of COVID-19, voters are not able to attend town hall meetings without fearing for their safety -- Voterfied allows voters to make their voices heard while maintaining social distancing. Try Voterfied at https://codems.voterfied.us or at the button below! |
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Become a Poll Watcher If you are 18 years old or older and a Registered Democrat, YOU can become a guardian of democracy! Sign up to be a Poll Watcher, and ensure that no voter intimidation is happening, and that every eligible voter can vote! Sign up at https://coloradodems.org/watchpolls/ or at the button below! |
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Download the Vote Joe App
Text "Vote" to 30330 or click the buttons below, depending on your device. |
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Become an Election Judge
These are PAID positions that ensure elections are being conducted fairly and in accordance with the law! You must be 16 years or older to apply -- visit your county clerk's website and find out more! |
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Volunteer with Your Local Coordinated Field Organizer
Visit https://www.mobilize.us/coloradovictory2020/ or click the button below to connect with your local field organizer and get involved with electing Democrats up and down the ticket! |
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Did you Fill Out Your Census?
Don't let your community be left behind. Click the button below or visit this website to fill out your census today and be counted: http://www.2020census.gov |
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Redistricting / Reapportionment Commissions
Don't let politicians choose who they want to vote for with unfair gerrymandering! Sign up today to apply join the independent redistricting commission by click the button below or going to this web address: https://redistricting.colorado.gov |
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Fund our 2020 Win Plan
Whether you can give $5, $10, $50, $500, whatever you can manage to donate can go so far to help fund our 2020 Win Plan and help us launch a blue tsunami in November! And, if you can, please make it monthly :)
Click the button below or go to this link: https://coloradodems.org/donate/ |
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JOIN THE ELBOW BUMPERS CLUB! |
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What's the Elbow Bumpers Club (formerly known as the High Fivers Club), you ask? It started with a simple idea: There are nearly 1.2 million registered Democrats in Colorado -- what if every single one of them gave just $5 a month to the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP)?
Answer: The CDP would be the best-funded state party in the country -- with zero dollars from corporate PACs and plenty for flipping red seats to blue!
Click the gif below to join the Elbow Bumpers Club! |
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This Week In Making a Difference |
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Spread the Word -- #NoOn115 |
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On Wednesday, September 2, the No On 115 campaign will be officially launched with a week of action, virtual events and a social media campaign to build buzz and raise awareness about why Coloradans are voting #NoOn115.
Colorado Proposition 115, that will be on the 2020 ballot, is nothing more than the latest effort to ban abortion in our state. We need powerful voices like yours to show that Prop 115 goes against Colorado values.
The campaign is asking you to take a selfie photo OR film a 30 - 90 second straight-to-camera selfie video telling people why you support #NoOn115 and post next Wednesday 9/2. They've put together a short guide with facts about Proposition 115, tips for shooting your selfie video and sample social media captions for sharing your selfie video on Twitter and Facebook. Send them the video or selfie and they will post it to the @access4allCO social channels. Or tag @access4allCO and #NoOn115 and they will repost your video next week!
Visit https://voteno115.com for more info! |
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Yes on National Popular Vote! Yes on 113! |
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Are you ready to be a Democracy Defender? Yes on Prop. 113, the National Popular Vote, is looking for volunteers to help with everything from sending texts to posting yard signs. If you firmly believe that every vote should count equally, and have a bit of time to volunteer, please sign up here - https://actionnetwork.org/forms/volunteer-with-yes-on-national-popular-vote?source=CDP |
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Just want to show your support for the National Popular Vote? Then reserve a yard sign here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdV2ygh33Fo78D1VMhh4K4Mf680c4YRvXoCXxd0BRBAfy6GVw/viewform |
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Work for the 2020 Wave Webinars |
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SAVE THE DATE for our upcoming "Work for the Wave" webinars! |
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Monday, September 14, 2020 @ 6:00PM MST VAN 101 (Hosted by Bruce Norikane) The Voter Activation Network (VAN) is one of the Democratic Party's most critical tools to victory and success at every level of campaigning! Whether you're new to VAN, or if you could use a refresher on the basics, check out this training by technology director Bruce Norikane! Click here to sign up! |
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Monday, September 28, 2020 @ 6:00PM MST GOTV and GOTV Messaging (Hosted by Morgan Carroll and Halisi Vinson) How do we make sure that that we turn out the vote? How do we convince our voters to turn in their ballots, and make sure that they don't leave their ballots on their kitchen counter until it's too late? We go over strategies in this webinar! Click here to sign up! |
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HELP WANTED: New Positions to Apply For! |
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We're staffing up in preparation for the 2020 General Election! Colorado is a battleground state, and we're looking for scrappy, driven, politically savvy organizers to join our team!
Job Descriptions: |
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Join the Morgan County Dems for Ballot Education Events! |
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The races are heating up. Ballot issues are getting certified for the ballot. As such, the Morgan Dems have scheduled THREE educational Zoom sessions to start on Tuesday Sept. 8. followed every two weeks by another Zoom forum. Each date will address a different topic. There will be time for questions and answers. These are interactive events. Zoom allows access via PC, Mac or Smartphone. Your device does not have to have a camera to join.
The line up is as follows: |
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Tuesday, September 8 at 7PM Judicial Performance Review: Why do we vote on Judges? Presented by Kent Wagner, Executive Director of the Colorado Judicial Performance Review Commission. |
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Tuesday, September 22 @ 7 PM Taxes, Taxes and More tax issues on the ballot. Presented by Reeves Brown from Building a Better Colorado. Trust me, this is more interesting and easier to understand than you have been led to believe. |
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Tuesday, October 6 @ 7 PM National Popular Vote or NPV. Did you know you don't actually vote for President? What is it, how does it work, and does it violate the constitution? Presented by Colorado Senator Mike Foote |
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Join the Pitkin County Dems for their *Virtual* Annual Gathering! |
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Scan the QR code below to register! |
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Join Us for a Fundraiser for District Attorney Candidates! |
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Organizer of the Week |
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Meet: Beatrice (Bea) Portela Field Organizer for R02 |
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Hi everyone! My name is Bea and I love Colorado and can’t wait to turn it blue! Typically, I am a rising sophomore at Yale but I’m taking the semester off to work on this campaign. Speaking with driven volunteers has been inspiring, and I’m excited to meet more of you! I am an avid hiker and skier, and am passionate about public lands protection. Beyond the outdoors, I love sketch comedy and playing the mandolin. |
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Fun Fact: Last week, Bea lost power at her house, but that didn't stop her from organizing! Bea got a list of potential volunteers in her turf pulled on her phone, and recruited over 30 volunteers to commit to phonebank shifts in the dark!
Inspired? Click the button below to sign up to volunteer! |
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Local Candidates of the Week |
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Candidate: Stephanie Vigil https://www.stephanievigil.com/
Office Running for: State House (House District 16)
Why this matters: I’m running to represent House District 16 in the Colorado State Legislature because perspectives like mine need to be present and accounted for where our laws are being made. I don’t come to this work with a law degree or any formal education in public policy; I come to this work as a survivor of childhood trauma and subsequent poverty and disability. I got to live to fight another day because of a combination of our humble social safety net, support from siblings, and returning to Colorado Springs after some years away.
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Candidate: Electra Johnson
Office Running for: State Senate (District 12)
Why this matters: As a Colorado Native, Electra has deep understanding of the issues, impacts and benefits of growth, development & land use affecting this state as well as a deep love for the natural environment. Electra is committed to equality and education. As the descendent of immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Italy Electra is deeply appreciative of the incredible diversity of the El Paso County community.
Connect with Electra on Facebook. |
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Dems Leading the Way |
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Profile: Neguse on his First Term |
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U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse wants to restore faith in Congress. Here's how he's trying to do it From the Coloradoan
Sworn into Congress in January 2019 amid the longest federal government shutdown in American history, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse was eager to get home.
He had back-to-back town halls to prepare for, both scheduled four days after he took office. He held 22 more in the following year, more than any other freshman lawmaker and more than the rest of Colorado’s congressional delegation combined.
Nearly all of the 30 bills he introduced in his first year in office — the most of any freshman lawmaker — were inspired by people and municipalities from his district, which covers Fort Collins and the rest of Larimer County as well as the Boulder, Vail and Thornton areas. Four of the bills passed into law. (He tied with another freshman lawmaker for the "most bills passed" title.)
He did it while flying between Washington, D.C., and Colorado every week so he could spend Thursdays through Sundays with his wife, Andrea; his nearly-2-year-old daughter, Natalie; and the constituents of his district, whom he describes as possessing “the skills, wisdom, ingenuity and creativity (needed) to address the problems we’re all facing collectively as a community.”
If you ask Neguse, who would prefer you call him “Joe," his growing collection of superlatives comes not from the pursuit of glory but from an innate desire to do the improbable.
At a time when public disapproval of Congress sits easily above 70%, the nation approaches 5.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and America endures the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Neguse wants to restore people’s trust in government.
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Bennet: $21 Million in Opioid Treatment Assistance On The Way! |
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Colorado to receive nearly $21 million in opioid treatment assistance From Colorado Politics
Colorado will receive $20.8 million in federal money to increase access to approved medication-assisted treatment and reduce deaths from opioid use.
The State Opioid Response program uses funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In addition to states, tribes also received grant money, although there were no such recipients in Colorado.
“Our response in Washington to the opioid epidemic must match the magnitude of the crisis — which is why I've strongly supported funding for this program and I'm grateful to announce nearly $21 million will go to our state,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.
The opioid grant also allows for money to support evidence-based treatment for other types of stimulant misuse, including cocaine and methamphetamine. A total of $1.42 billion was available nationwide.
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Jena Griswold: The Dr. Fauci of Vote By Mail? |
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Colorado’s top elections official on the key to safe voting From 19th News
Colorado is one of only a handful of states where residents vote primarily by mail. So as the pandemic struck the nation and other states expanded the option, elections officials turned to Jena Griswold, the Colorado secretary of state, for guidance.
Griswold, the top elections official in her state, has spoken vocally about why she believes strongly in a vote-by-mail system, which she says has expanded voter access in Colorado. Griswold — the youngest person serving in the state government role, which is still held predominately by men — spoke with The 19th about what other states can do ahead of Election Day, voter suppression and a new nickname she did not ask for.
I understand that your staff privately has called you the “Dr. Fauci of vote-by-mail.” Why is that?
[Laughs] Who said that?
My understanding is some folks have called you that privately. Have you heard that?
I’ve heard it once or twice. It’s so funny that you’re saying that. You should ask them, but I actually asked someone who called me that… ‘How does that make sense?’ Their response, the person who said it to me, was, ‘You’re the person who is the trusted source of explaining how vote-by-mail should work.’
Elections officials in other states have turned to you for guidance this election cycle. What are they asking about, and what are you telling them?
I have spoken with a lot of secretaries of state, and our office is also working with election offices across the nation. Vote-by-mail, hands down, is the best voting model, especially during a pandemic, and I really want to see all Americans have the same type of access Coloradans have. So the conversations span. They develop as time goes by.
The initial conversations were really just like the nuts and bolts of setting up a vote-by-mail system. I’ve had conversations on how to ensure that voters can fix their signatures if there’s not a good match in the system. I’ve talked about the ways to track security on drop boxes. So you name it, we’re probably having a conversation about it. And it’s just been great to be able to work with secretaries from across the aisle on something that I think we really need as a country and is really important heading into November.
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Crow Talks Wildfires with KOA Radio |
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Rep. Jason Crow Talks about the Colorado Wildfires From KOA News Radio
Rep. Jason Crow joined April and Marty on KOA News Radio to discuss the wildfires spreading across Colorado, and how the delegation is working to help the local firefighters.
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Trump, Gardner, & GOP Watch |
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Some Colorado Republicans Unite to Oppose Trump, Support Joe Biden |
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Band of irked GOP metro lawmakers are backing Biden From the Aurora Sentinel
A former Aurora city lawmaker joined a coterie of ex-Republicans Thursday urging conservatives to ditch President Donald Trump and instead vote for Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November.
Former Aurora city Councilmember Barbara Cleland and former Arapahoe County Commissioner John Brackney — both longtime Republicans before Trump captured the party in 2016 —called for change with other metro-area former Republicans in a news conference organized by the Colorado Democratic Party.
“I truly believe he tells a lie, and in his mind, it’s the truth,” Cleland said of Trump. “And that’s just very sad. So, I’m supporting Biden and Harris.”
Cleland, Brackney and others described how they’d left the Republican party because of Trump’s leadership style and policies on immigration, the novel coronavirus pandemic and climate change. They said it’s critically important that voters remove Trump from the Oval Office in the Nov. 3 General Election.
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Gardner's Sham Pre-Existing Conditions Bill "Horse Excrement" |
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(Photo Credit: Mark Reis) |
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Truth Test: Ad makes claims about Cory Gardner and voting history regarding preexisting conditions From 9News
Gardner recently introduced preexisting conditions protection bill
On Aug. 6, just before the Senate went on break, Gardner introduced bill S. 4506. The bill text is eight lines long, when you open it in pdf form. It's entitled: "To ensure coverage of pre-existing conditions under private health insurance, and for other purposes."
Here is the text of the bill:
"A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion with respect to such plan or coverage, factor health status into premiums or charges, exclude benefits relating to pre-existing conditions from coverage, or otherwise exclude benefits, set limits, or increase charges based on any pre-existing condition or health status."
It does require insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions, it just doesn't require an insurance company to take you on in the first place.
"In order to truly protect people who are sick with preexisting conditions, you have to be willing to strictly regulate insurance companies and provide the kind of funding that would keep the insurance market stable. And this bill from Sen. Gardner falls well short of providing comprehensive protections for people with preexisting conditions," said Larry Levitt, vice president of Kaiser Family Foundation.
KFF is a non-profit that focuses on health issues. It is not connected to Kaiser Permanente.
"This bill is clearly somewhat incomplete in that it's so short, but what the bill is really missing certain words that requires insurance companies to take anyone," Levitt said.
Despite multiple requests to speak with Gardner about his bill, his Senate staff and campaign spokesman have not made him available.
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Boebert: Law and Order for Thee, Not for Me. |
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Congressional candidate Lauren Boebert has a history of minor arrests, court no-shows From the Denver Post
Congressional candidate Lauren Boebert — who often espouses a pro-police, law-and-order message on the campaign trail — has been arrested and summonsed at least four times over the past decade, records show.
While the three arrests and one court-ordered summons were for petty crimes — and in one case all charges were dropped — Boebert’s record is unusually long for a congressional candidate. It has become a campaign issue as the Republican from Rifle competes in a highly anticipated contest against Diane Mitsch Bush in the 3rd Congressional District, which spans western and southern Colorado.
“I’m proud to be endorsed by my hometown sheriff, Lou Vallario, who knows the strength of my character. The summary here is a small fine, not charged, charge dismissed, charge dropped,” Boebert said Thursday, referring to the outcomes of her four cases. “In the meantime, Diane Mitsch Bush is intent on socializing our healthcare.”
Boebert’s first run-in with police was in the fall of 2010, after a neighbor, Michele Soet, alleged that Boebert, then 23, was harassing Soet and Soet’s husband. The alleged harassment occurred in the days after Soet called police because Boebert’s pit bulls were loose and threatening the life of her dogs.
Boebert was issued a ticket for dog code violations and a short time later texted Soet, “You have taken food out of my children’s mouths,” according to Soet. Boebert also “displayed her middle finger” to Soet’s husband as he drove through Rifle, according to a Garfield County sheriff’s deputy’s report.
“I want to press charges against these irresponsible people, as it may save a life down the road,” Soet wrote to the sheriff’s office, referring to the Boeberts’ loose pit bulls. Two days later, Boebert was handed a court summons by deputies but ultimately was never charged with harassment, according to court records.
Boebert was arrested twice in Mesa County in 2015. As first reported by Colorado Newsline, Boebert was detained on June 20, 2015, after a verbal altercation with police at Country Jam, a music festival near Grand Junction. Boebert, then 28 years old, allegedly shouted at people detained on suspicion of underage drinking, urging them to flee from police, which caused the young drinkers to become unruly.
While she was being handcuffed for disorderly conduct, Boebert tried to twist away from police, according to deputies’ reports. She allegedly shouted that her arrest was unconstitutional, that “she had friends at Fox News and that the arrest would be national news.” It did not become national news.
Boebert was released from custody and told to appear in court that August but missed her court date because, as she told a judge, she forgot what day of the week it was. “I am now aware today is Friday,” she wrote on Aug. 28, 2015, hours after she was supposed to be in court.
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The Funnies! |
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