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Dwayne Romero Democrat
Residence: Snowmass Village, Colorado
Profession: President and CEO, The Romero Group
Education: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY (B.S.); U.S. Army Ranger School Honor Graduate; Harvard Business School
Experience: US Army Combat Veteran; Gulf War Bronze Star recipient; Colorado’s former Director of Economic Development; school board president, city councilman, water board member; small business owner
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Affordability is job number one. Washington is making it harder for Coloradans to make ends meet, and I’ll fight to lower the cost of living: repeal the tariffs driving up prices, expand family tax credits, and keep rural hospitals open and health care affordable so no community loses its lifeline. Second, we have to protect Colorado’s water and public lands: defend our home basins and the Colorado River Compact, and oppose any sale or transfer of public lands to private interests. Third, we have to root out the corruption in Washington – I’ll fight to ban stock trading by members of Congress, and put an end to dark money in politics.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
Families across Colorado are getting squeezed by rising prices, and Congress needs to act. We have to repeal the tariffs that have driven up the cost of gas and groceries, and restore Congress’s constitutional authority over trade. And in Congress, I’ll fight to rein in this administration’s pointless war with Iran, which is driving up prices at the pump for every Coloradan. Finally, I’ll work to expand the Child Tax Credit to put money back in working families’ pockets.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
Congress exists to represent the people, not to rubber-stamp whoever’s in the Oval Office. Coloradans deserve leaders with backbone, and I’ll stand up to any politician – Republican or Democrat – when they’re wrong. In Congress, I’ll demand scrutiny of the funding cuts that decimated Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP and put rural hospitals at risk, as well as the tariffs raising costs across the district, and the drastic cuts to critical Forest Service field staff on our public lands.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
We should responsibly use all of the resources available to us while pressing hard on alternative energy to meet the rising demand for power. At the same time, leasing decisions must also consider the water, wildlife, recreation, and the multiuse economies our public lands support. In Congress, I will firmly oppose any effort to sell or any more public lands to private interests.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
Washington has failed on immigration for decades; Congress must finally act. We can secure the border and fix a broken system at the same time. I support pairing real border security and 21st-century technology with a path to citizenship for long-term, law-abiding residents. We must stop human trafficking as well as the proliferation of illegal drugs and weapons from entering the country. And we must fund more judges to clear the backlog in immigration court, finally detain those who we know pose a threat, and protect those seeking safe haven.
Jeff Hurd (i) Republican
Residence: Grand Junction
Profession: Congressman
Education: Notre Dame BA, University of Denver J.D., Columbia L.L.M
Experience: Rural Electric CO-OP Attorney, Small Business Owner
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
My priorities are lowering the cost of living, reforming health care, and restoring trust in Congress. Rural Coloradans often have fewer health care options and higher costs. I worked across the aisle and voted to extend enhanced premium tax credits while Congress pursues lasting reforms. I also hear everywhere I go about housing, groceries, and energy. Finally, Congress needs to earn back the public’s trust. I voted to prohibit members and their families from purchasing individual stocks, and I support going further by requiring members to divest individual stock holdings.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
The best thing Washington can do about the cost of living is stop making it more expensive to live and work in Colorado. In Pueblo, energy policy affects jobs and electricity reliability. On the Western Slope, farmers and ranchers feel every increase in fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and transportation costs. I opposed broad tariffs on Canada because Colorado businesses and consumers ultimately bear those costs. Congress does not set interest rates, but it can pursue responsible fiscal policy. We need more housing, more American energy, faster permitting, and fewer unnecessary barriers to growth.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
Yes. Congress is a separate branch of government, not an extension of the White House, regardless of who is president. That means exercising the power of the purse, scrutinizing executive authority, and demanding accountability from federal agencies. When $40 million Congress appropriated for the Shoshone Water Rights project was held up, I worked with Colorado’s bipartisan delegation to get it released. I have also challenged the administration’s use of emergency tariff authority when I believed it exceeded Congress’s proper role and hurt Colorado. My responsibility is to the Constitution and Colorado’s Third District.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
We need more American energy, and Colorado should help produce it. Communities like Rifle, Parachute, and Grand Junction understand that responsible energy development means jobs, tax revenue, and reliable energy. Our public lands also support ranching, hunting, fishing, recreation, conservation, and tourism. Those uses can coexist, though multiple use does not mean every use on every acre. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I support making appropriate federal lands available for responsible development, faster permitting, strong environmental safeguards, and meaningful local input. We can produce energy while protecting our water, wildlife, and landscapes.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
America can enforce its laws and welcome people who come here legally. Congress should secure the border, provide the personnel and technology needed to enforce the law, and fix legal immigration so agriculture, tourism, construction, and other employers have workable legal pathways. I supported the Laken Riley Act to require detention in specified cases involving criminal offenses. But enforcement must also be professional and accountable. ICE officers should generally be identifiable and unmasked, with reasonable exceptions for legitimate safety concerns. We need an immigration system that is secure, orderly, lawful, and functional.
Cory Robertson Libertarian Party
Residence: Aurora
Profession: Stay at home Father
Education: High School Diploma, Some College
Experience: Currently on County board and state committee. Previously worked on bylaw committee.
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Stop printing money.
Stop lobbying.
Create a coalition to repeal laws that infringe individual liberties.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
Stop printing money.
Place the regulation of business into the free market.
Creating combined energy source to reduce the cost of all energy.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
Yes, they should with every admin. The Iran war deserves more scrutiny. The US is not the world police and should let countries solve their own problems.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
Federal land should be released to the states. The states should decide what happens. Energy production is good, unless it harms the environment, and then we should find another way.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
Dissolve ICE.
Open boarders.
Remove welfare.
Clifton Brown did not return the questionnaire.
