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Gena Ozols Democrat
Residence: Englewood
Profession: Small business owner/consultant
Education: ACC/CSU Global
Experience: Coalition leader, community organizer, small business owner & proven policy advocate who helped pass paid FAMLI leave, workplace accommodations, LARC & the constitutional right to abortion in CO.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Make Colorado more affordable: Lower costs across the board, including housing, healthcare, childcare, education, groceries and transportation. If we are not addressing affordability, we are not meeting the moment.
2. Protect Coloradans from federal overreach: Defend our residents from unlawful surveillance, erosion of due process and attacks on our citizens voting rights.
3. Advance reproductive justice: Reproductive Justice is more than bodily autonomy, it means building safe communities where families can thrive. Prioritizing accessible healthcare, strong public schools and economic policies that make everyday life affordable is what actually supports someone’s decision to start a family.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
I would pursue affordability on several fronts. We should reduce the disproportionate burden that fees, rising costs and our flat income tax place on working families, while expanding affordable healthcare and childcare so people can work and families can thrive. I support the graduated income tax measure as one way to make our tax system fairer and fund essential services, but it is one piece of a broader affordability agenda. We must also lower insurance costs by reducing wildfire and flood risks, requiring utilities to maintain safe and reliable infrastructure, and making our roads safer through stronger enforcement against dangerous driving. Colorado families deserve action on the expenses that consume their paychecks every month.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I have worked with leaders of both major parties to advance legislation, and I will work with anyone who genuinely wants to improve the lives of Colorado’s residents. A legislator’s job is not to seek approval only from those who agree with them. It is to listen, find shared purpose and deliver results. House District 3 includes some of Colorado’s most economically diverse communities, and every resident deserves to be heard and represented. I have already found common ground with conservative leaders on expanding access to childcare, and I see opportunities to work together on affordability, public safety and support for small businesses. We may approach solutions differently, but I will begin with a good-faith conversation and stay focused on making our district and state stronger.
A new governor will take office next year. What opportunities are there for legislation or other changes that did not gain traction under Gov. Jared Polis?
Colorado’s next governor can bring greater balance to innovation, worker protections and corporate accountability. New technology can strengthen our economy, but it must be regulated responsibly, with strong safeguards against corporate misuse of personal data or its disclosure to federal immigration enforcement. We can also prove that being pro-business and pro-worker are not opposing values by protecting the right to organize while supporting responsible employers. Colorado must also send an unequivocal message that interference in our free and fair elections will not be tolerated. I support Phil Weiser and believe his record of defending Coloradans, protecting consumers and holding powerful interests accountable offers hope for the strong, thoughtful leadership these issues require.
Rebecca Winegar did not return the questionnaire.
