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Katie Stewart (i) Democrat
Residence: Durango
Profession: State Legislator
Education:
Experience: I am completing my first term as a State Representative. Prior to that, I served on the Durango 9-R School Board. I also worked as an organizing director for Rocky Mountain Values and as an EMT.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
I will work on addressing affordability, increasing access to healthcare, and taking steps to repair Colorado Medicaid. Rural communities are especially impacted by the affordability crisis, where home prices soar due to labor and materials costs. I plan to continue my work to lower the barriers to developing affordable housing. In addition, finding quality, affordable healthcare continues to be difficult, especially because of H.R.1. Next session, I hope to continue my work lowering prescription costs, preserving non-emergency medical transport, and funding Medicaid.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
I support informed policy around medical debt so that everyday Coloradans can get the care that they need without going into debt. I hope to continue my work on lowering prescription costs and making healthcare more affordable. I also support legislation to expand affordable housing, as rising costs are making it harder for many Coloradans to afford a home.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
I hope to work with Republicans on supporting agriculture and public land protection. These are bipartisan issues, and we can make meaningful progress by working across the aisle.
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?
I look forward to our next governor’s office having a stronger focus on rural Colorado. We need leadership that understands the unique challenges that rural communities face in regards to healthcare access, education funding, and wildfires. I also hope that we can streamline departments and reduce redundancies for a more efficient and responsive state government.
Naomi Riess Republican
Residence: Durango
Profession: Small-business owner, land-use consultant and farmer
Education: BA History, Wells College, Aurora, NY,
Experience: Small-business owner, land-use consultant, and mediator for 33 years; farmer and longtime community volunteer working with families, businesses, agriculture, and local government.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three priorities are making Colorado more affordable, strengthening rural communities, and protecting public safety.
I will work to reduce unnecessary regulations and mandates that drive up housing, energy, and small-business costs; expand attainable housing and protect local decision-making, water, agriculture, and property rights; and support reliable, affordable energy. I will strengthen rural communities by protecting rural healthcare services and expanding workforce, vocational, and educational opportunities so our children have the opportunity to build successful lives here in Southwest Colorado. And I will prioritize public safety by supporting law enforcement, addressing fentanyl, and holding repeat and violent offenders accountable.
What specific actions would you support to improve affordability for Coloradans, whether aimed at housing costs, tax burdens or other impacts?
Colorado must address government-driven costs that make housing, energy, and everyday life more expensive. I support cutting unnecessary regulations and permitting delays, limiting excessive fees and mandates, and making housing more attainable through private enterprise, greater supply, and modernized zoning. Local communities should retain flexibility over land-use decisions while respecting property rights and community character. I also support reliable, affordable energy, fewer burdens on small businesses, stronger workforce opportunities, and greater accountability for state spending. We must support law enforcement, hold violent and repeat offenders accountable, protect rural emergency services, and restore commonsense, nonpartisan governance to state boards and commissions.
Whether your party is in the majority or minority next year, where do you see actionable common ground with the opposing party?
Rural Colorado faces many challenges that should not be partisan. We can work together to protect water, strengthen rural healthcare, expand workforce and vocational education, improve roads and infrastructure, support agriculture, address housing shortages, and combat fentanyl. My land-use consulting work has required me to bring property owners, businesses, citizens, and government agencies together to solve difficult problems. As a divorce and parenting-plan mediator, I have also helped people work through serious disagreements. I will bring that same approach to the legislature: listen carefully, find common ground, focus on practical results, and work with anyone who has a good idea for Southwest Colorado, regardless of party.
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?
A new administration creates an opportunity to reconsider policies that have increased costs or shifted too much authority from local communities to the state. I would like to see a renewed focus on regulatory reform, local control, housing attainability, reliable energy, and a stronger rural economy. We should review existing mandates for their actual cost and effectiveness, streamline permitting for housing and small businesses, protect Colorado’s water and agriculture, and give rural communities greater flexibility to solve problems locally. I also believe we should restore common-sense, nonpartisan, science- and evidence-based management to state boards and commissions, with decisions grounded in expertise, measurable outcomes, and the public interest rather than political agendas.
