What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

My administration will be guided by three priorities: affordability, safety, and accountability. Colorado must again be a place where working families can afford a home, raise children, build businesses, and retire with security. I will bring mission-focused leadership shaped by service in the Marine Corps, decades leading a humanitarian organization, and work protecting vulnerable people in difficult environments. Over the next decade, Colorado must confront rising living costs, housing shortages, public-safety threats, water and energy demands, mental-health and addiction challenges, and declining trust in government. My goal is simple: protect families, defend freedom, restore accountability, and leave Colorado stronger for the next generation.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

Government must obey the same Constitution and laws it expects citizens to follow. I support Colorado's Sunshine Law, TABOR, open records, strong ethics rules, and meaningful public oversight. My administration will conduct performance, financial, and compliance audits of executive agencies, publish understandable spending and performance information, and connect taxpayer dollars to measurable results. I am particularly concerned when taxes are repackaged as fees, major programs lack clear performance measures, or government data is technically public but practically inaccessible. Transparency should mean more than disclosure. Coloradans should be able to see what government promised, what it spent, what it delivered, and who is accountable when results fall short.

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

Colorado should be a place where entrepreneurs, family farms, energy producers, manufacturers, and small businesses can grow without being buried by unnecessary costs and regulation. I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy, protection of Colorado water, responsible stewardship of our land and air, streamlined permitting, workforce development, and a regulatory environment that rewards innovation. Fiscal discipline begins with respecting TABOR, controlling spending, auditing programs, and requiring government to demonstrate results before asking taxpayers for more. I will pursue responsible tax relief when revenues allow, oppose attempts to disguise taxes as fees, and prioritize core services such as public safety, education, infrastructure, and care for vulnerable Coloradans.

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

Colorado government should begin with listening. I will maintain direct engagement with citizens across the state, including rural communities that too often feel decisions are made for them in Denver. My administration will work in good faith with legislators of both parties, counties, municipalities, tribal governments, and federal agencies wherever cooperation benefits Coloradans. At the same time, I will vigorously defend Colorado's constitutional authority over matters such as water, land use, public safety, and other areas reserved to the states. Partnership does not require surrendering state sovereignty. My standard will be simple: follow the Constitution, respect local communities, seek practical solutions, and remember that elected officials work for the people.

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

The First Amendment is not optional, and government should not decide which lawful beliefs or viewpoints are acceptable. As Governor, I will defend the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition government without retaliation or viewpoint discrimination. State agencies should apply laws neutrally and respect both religious liberty and the rights of citizens who hold different beliefs. I will oppose compelled speech, political litmus tests, and government actions that punish lawful expression. Public institutions belong to all Coloradans. The role of government is not to silence disagreement, but to protect the constitutional space in which citizens can worship, speak, assemble, debate, and peacefully advocate for change.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

Yes. I believe the right to keep and bear arms is a constitutional civil right protected by the Second Amendment and the Colorado Constitution. Law-abiding citizens should not face arbitrary barriers that make exercising that right unnecessarily difficult or expensive. I support concealed carry systems that are objective, timely, and accessible, and I oppose policies that treat responsible gun owners as criminals. Rights also carry responsibility, and I strongly support safe firearm handling, secure storage, and voluntary training. Government should focus its enforcement resources on violent criminals, traffickers, and those who unlawfully misuse firearms while respecting due process and the rights of citizens who obey the law.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

I will manage state government the way any high-performing organization should be managed: appoint capable people, define measurable objectives, demand results, and replace leaders who cannot deliver. Early in my administration I will order comprehensive reviews of agency spending, performance, regulations, contracts, and fees. Executive orders and emergency powers must remain within constitutional and statutory authority, be narrowly tailored, transparent, and limited in duration. Emergencies should never become a pretext for permanent executive government. I will review existing executive orders and agency directives and rescind or amend those that exceed lawful authority, impose unjustified regulatory burdens, circumvent voter protections such as TABOR, or continue emergency-style powers after the underlying necessity has ended.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

Public safety requires both strong enforcement and effective prevention. I will fully support law enforcement, strengthen coordination among state, local, and federal agencies, and target violent offenders, fentanyl and drug-trafficking networks, human traffickers, organized crime, and cyber threats to critical infrastructure. I will also expand mental-health crisis capacity, addiction treatment, and recovery options so nonviolent people struggling with illness or dependency can receive meaningful help rather than repeatedly cycling through jails and emergency rooms. My administration will protect civil liberties and due process while giving law enforcement the tools, training, intelligence, and technology needed to protect communities. The goal is safer neighborhoods, fewer victims, and a justice system that is firm, fair, and effective.

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

I believe every human life has inherent dignity, including the unborn, children facing abuse or trafficking, seniors, and people struggling with mental illness. I am pro-life, while recognizing that Colorado voters have placed abortion protections in the state Constitution and a Governor must govern within that Constitution. Within those limits, I will support practical alternatives that help women choose life, strengthen adoption and family-support resources, and protect children before and after birth. I will aggressively combat human trafficking and abuse, strengthen protections against elder exploitation, and expand access to mental-health and addiction treatment. Protecting the vulnerable means more than words; it requires building systems that defend life, dignity, safety, and hope.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

Colorado should measure education by whether students are actually learning and prepared for adulthood. I will focus on literacy, math, career readiness, skilled trades, teacher quality, and directing more resources into classrooms rather than bureaucracy. Parents are the primary stewards of their children's upbringing and should have transparent access to curriculum, instructional materials, and school policies. I support meaningful school choice, including public, charter, magnet, online, homeschool, and other options, because families should be able to choose the environment that best serves their child. The Governor should set high expectations and protect parental rights while respecting local control and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach imposed from Denver.

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

No political or religious system should supersede the U.S. Constitution, individual rights, or representative self-government. Socialism and communism become incompatible with our constitutional system when they subordinate individual liberty, private property, free association, or political rights to state control. The same principle applies to any effort to impose religious law, including Sharia law, as civil law over Americans. Our Constitution protects the right of Muslims, Christians, Jews, and people of every faith or no faith to worship and live according to conscience. It does not permit any religious code to replace constitutional law. In America, government authority comes through the Constitution and the people, with equal protection and liberty for every citizen.

What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

My administration would focus on restoring constitutional government, strengthening working families and small businesses, and rebuilding Colorado’s economic and infrastructure foundation. My experience as a working-class small-business owner has taught me accountability, responsibility, and how government decisions affect people living paycheck to paycheck. I want Colorado to be a place where people can afford to live, work, raise families, build businesses, and keep more of what they earn. Over the next decade, our greatest challenges will include affordability, housing, property taxes, water, transportation, infrastructure, public safety, and rebuilding productive industries. My long-term vision is to responsibly develop our resources, expand manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and rail, protect constitutional rights, and return government to its proper role: serving the people.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

Ethics, transparency, and constitutional government are not optional—they are the foundation of public service. As Governor, I will answer to the people, not political parties, lobbyists, bureaucrats, or special interests. Colorado’s Sunshine Law is necessary, but transparency must mean more than releasing information after decisions are made. People deserve to know what government is doing, why, and who benefits. I respect the people’s vote on TABOR, but I will not bow to it or treat it as untouchable. Government should focus on reducing the tax burden, not finding new ways to manage it. The greatest gap is accountability to the Constitution and the people. I will use the Governor’s authority, veto, appointments, and transparency to defend constitutional limits and WTP

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

I will build Colorado’s economy from the ground up by backing small businesses, responsible mining, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transportation, and skilled workers—not government-selected winners. We have the resources and workforce to produce more of what Colorado and America consume, while protecting our land, water, and communities through responsible development. I will expand manufacturing, strengthen agricultural corridors, restore domestic mining, support Pueblo steel, improve freight rail, and pursue infrastructure that creates permanent jobs. My budget principle is simple: government must live within its means, eliminate waste, and stop treating taxpayers as an unlimited revenue source. I will fight for lower taxes, greater economic freedom, and measurable accountability for every dollar spent. Growth should strengthen Colorado families and businesses, not burden them.

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

I believe government works best when the people are in the room, not shut out of it. As Governor, I will establish direct communication with citizens, local governments, tribal governments, and the legislature, while remaining accountable to the people—not political parties. I will work with anyone willing to put Colorado first, but cooperation does not mean surrendering our rights. Colorado is a sovereign state within our constitutional republic, and I will defend the powers reserved to the states and the people under the U.S. Constitution. I will work with federal partners when cooperation benefits Coloradans, but I will challenge federal overreach when it violates our Constitution or Colorado’s lawful authority. My door will be open, my decisions transparent, loyalty WTP

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

As Governor, I will defend every citizen's First Amendment rights without exception. I will protect the free exercise of religion by stopping government discrimination against churches, ministries, and faith-based businesses. I will defend freedom of speech by ending state censorship, political targeting, and taxpayer-funded bias in schools and agencies. I will protect peaceable assembly by ensuring law enforcement protects lawful protesters, not punishes them. I will guarantee the right to petition government by making state agencies transparent, responsive, and accountable to the people. No Coloradan should fear government for praying, speaking, gathering, or demanding answers. Under my administration, your rights come first. I will veto any law that weakens these freedoms and fight federal overreach that does the same.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

Yes, I believe gun ownership is a civil right - not a privilege the government grants you. It's God-given and guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment.

I own Scooter's Auto Services. I'm out at 2 AM on a dark highway doing a recovery or helping a stranded family. 120 minutes for a deputy. My firearm is how I protect myself, my family, and my customers.

That's why I oppose any law that punishes lawful gun owners with more fees, more waiting, and more hoops to get a concealed carry permit. Criminals don't follow those laws. I support Constitutional Carry, I will defend private sales, and as your Governor I will make Colorado a state that trusts its law-abiding citizens again.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

I will manage state agencies by putting qualified, accountable people in positions of authority—not political insiders—and require every agency to follow the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions. Executive orders and emergency powers must be limited, temporary, transparent, and subject to legislative and judicial checks; they cannot become a substitute for the people or their elected representatives. I will review existing executive orders and administrative actions and repeal or substantially change those that exceed constitutional authority, restrict lawful rights, waste taxpayer money, or improperly expand government power. My administration will restore accountability, eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, and demand measurable results from every agency. As Governor I will use executive authority as a servant of the people, never as a weapon against them.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

As Governor, I will back law enforcement and secure our communities. For drug trafficking, I will support interdiction on I-25 and I-70, fund county drug task forces, and stop the revolving-door justice system. For human trafficking, I will make Colorado a zero-tolerance state with mandatory prison time and victim protection.

For cybercrime, I will create a state cyber unit that helps local sheriffs and protects small businesses like mine from fraud and theft.

Prevention means jobs, faith-based recovery programs, and vocational training, not soft-on-crime policies. I will balance enforcement with civil liberties by requiring warrants, ending civil asset forfeiture abuse, and demanding transparency. We will be tough on criminals and protect the rights of law-abiding Coloradans.

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

As Governor, I believe government’s first duty is to protect life. I will protect the unborn by supporting life-affirming policies, ending taxpayer funding for abortion, and expanding adoption and pregnancy resource centers.

For victims of trafficking and abuse, I will push mandatory prison sentences for traffickers and abusers, fully fund victim shelters, and ensure rapid response teams statewide.

For our seniors, I will crack down on elder fraud, abuse, and neglect, and protect their independence and property rights.

For those with mental illness, I will restore local, faith-based and community treatment options, support our sheriffs in crisis intervention, and stop warehousing people on the streets. In Colorado, every life - born and unborn - will be valued and protected.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

As Governor, all 64

I will fight for universal school choice statewide — public, charter, private, homeschool, and vocational — with funding following the student in every county from Yuma to Mesa, not just the Front Range.

I will defend parental rights in every district to see curriculum, opt-out of inappropriate content, and be notified of all health and counseling decisions.

I will cut state mandates and return control to local school boards and parents, not Denver bureaucrats. In every county we will refocus on reading, writing, math, American history, and trades, end political indoctrination, and expand trade schools and apprenticeships so every Colorado child — whether in Cañon City or Craig — is ready for college or the workforce.

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

I believe our rights come from our Heavenly Father, not from government. America’s constitutional republic protects individual liberty, freedom of religion, and the right of every person to practice their faith—but no ideology, political movement, or religious law should replace the Constitution or impose itself upon the American people. Socialism and communism, when they require the state or collective to supersede individual rights and private liberty, are incompatible with the principles of our constitutional republic. Likewise, no religious law, including Islamic Sharia law, should have authority over American law or constitutional rights. I will defend religious freedom for everyone while requiring government to remain under the Constitution. In America, We the People—not government, ideology, or religious authority—are sovereign.

What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

Affordability, Accountability, Abundance- affordability should be pursued through energy diversity (small modular reactors, geothermal, etc), accountability to our constitutional rights via the discontinuation of the surveillance industrial complex through the cancellation and discontinuation of private data bases recording license plates to sell back to the government without warrants, and abundance through restoring control of taxes back to communities and restoring our wetlands, rivers, and reservoirs to insure we have water for our agricultural and community needs.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

TABOR is essential to maintain accountability of our tax dollars. As a former veterans affairs commissioner I was required to adhere to meeting reporting requirements any time myself and one other commissioner met to discuss commission business. I will support legislative efforts to strengthen or maintain our sunshine laws.

https://completecolorado.com/2026/08/14/strengthen-taxpayer-protections-to-keep-colorado-affordable/

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

Businesses deserve simple, straight forward reporting so that they can easily comply with legal and regulatory requirements. The National Governor's Association recommends simple portal filing systems for businesses and it's something I would love to coordinate with the Colorado Secretary of State's office on.

https://www.nga.org/projects/state-business-regulations/

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

As governor part of my job is directly meet with and attend community events in order to be accessible to the people who put me in office. This can include VFW meetings, NAACP chapter meetings, various chambers of commerce, etc. The goal of attending these meetings isn't to make speeches but to listen to what others have to say- while also leaning on my staff and office to serve as additional eyes and ears.

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

As governor I will veto legislation that unnecessarily impedes the exercise of people's first amendment rights.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

I believe the ownership of a firearm is one of the greatest responsibilities a person can undertake. Misuse of a firearm should face swift and immediate justice and I believe any restrictions on ownership should be based solely strict safety risks that can be determined via a background check.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

Executive orders must never be used to circumvent due process or checks and balances. I oppose the board use of emergency powers to circumvent rule of law, due process, or habeas corpus.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

There is a strong link between lack of economic opportunity and crime rates. Improving our economic health and focusing on affordability allows people to become self sustainable and improve their quality of life. Addiction recovery needs to focus on establishing follow treatment plans for victims of substance abuse (similar to Portugal that pairs strict enforcement with effective treatment infrastructure to prevent relapse).

https://www.mulderforgovernor.org/on-the-issues

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

Enabling community organizations to help those in need is highly effective and allows those with direct access and trust with victims to help them most rather than placing it under legislative or gubernatorial control.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

Establish the Colorado Excellence Initiative to study what works in different districts and use that to make recommendations for other districts to follow suit on (Colorado being a home rule state means individual communities have great say and control over local affairs like education).

https://www.mulderforgovernor.org/on-the-issues

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

I've served alongside people of various political and religious backgrounds while I was in the US army, and we all held and shared a general framework that the constitution ensures life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The first amendment guarantees our right to express controversial opinions and ideas, while our checks and balances on governance are supposed to ensure that attempts to change the law must meet constitutional muster.

What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

I’ve been promoting affordable and effective solutions for 55 years. During the primary, Gemini AI compared my solutions with Bennet and Weiser. It said, “His [Peckman’s] solutions bypass traditional, capital-heavy bureaucratic pipelines in favor of high-yield technologies (e.g., rapid emission reductions without tax incentives, new economic development engines). Because these require minimal taxpayer funding but yield exponential returns, they maximize the affordability-to-effectiveness ratio.”

Incoherence corrodes government, society and human life, like acid rain corrodes infrastructure, buildings, and the environment. The best antidote is “coherence” as an operating principle, and coherence technologies in every area of government. The biggest challenge is ending the “two-party” model of an expensive, problem-based government and building a new model of government that’s solution-based.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

I support TABOR and Colorado’s Sunshine Law for accountability. TABOR doesn’t cause budget crises in governments and school districts. The gap is that government has become a “Rube Goldberg Machine” of complex legislation that produces few solutions. I’d create a kind of “Butterfly Effect” government where small coherent actions can produce big benefits for the People. That will reduce the gap and conflict between “tax and spend” Democrats” vs. fiscal conservatives.

Accountability should mean that government decisions and budgeting apply an “ounce of prevention” where possible and employ the most affordable and verifiably effective solutions at all other times.The highest ethics should guide government decisions. Transparency is vital. Government must adhere to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions.

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

I’d get Colorado PERA to sell its $300 million in Tesla stock and invest it in Colorado businesses that can reduce air pollution and other problems faster and more affordably. Several of these existing businesses will become major economic engines for large and small businesses. They overlap energy and agriculture, environmental stewardship, and job creation, and allow for balanced growth. They’re elaborated in my SOLUTIONS BLUEPRINT, and book, “RAISE the ZONE.

These technologies also reduce or prevent air and water pollution. This can be achieved regardless of actions by the federal government, and without more costly tax-funded incentives or EVs. I’ll require state budgeting to prioritize policies and programs that actually solve problems at the least expense.

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

Government mirrors our collective consciousness, speech and behavior. Our government and society have devolved, due to persistent and excessive stress and incoherence. Increasing coherence, and reducing stress and air pollution, can reverse this trend.

I will work with the citizens, legislature, and tribal governments to make Colorado less dependent on politically motivated federal “partners”. I’ll use affordable and effective solutions that have been ignored or obstructed by the two major political parties.

I intend to build a new model of governance based on truly affordable and effective solutions. That way, all stakeholders will gain more than they expected instead of less than they wanted. It will be more collaboration and less compromise.

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

As the author and chief proponent of several ballot initiatives, I support petitioning the government for a redress of grievances as a vital tool of direct democracy. For decades, voters have been fed up with lying by politicians, the news media, corporations, and talking heads on every media platform.

That’s why, 25 years ago, I drafted a ballot initiative concept to increase truth in political campaigning, news, and public relations, while not limiting freedom of speech. Increasing coherence and reducing stress is a valuable part of improving mental health and brain function so that truth is more easily discerned and spoken, and ethical behavior and respect towards others’ religious freedom and peaceful gatherings regain value and thrive.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

Yes, but I prefer solutions, not positions. The critical question is, “why is there so much gun violence?” More children are murdered by their own parents in the U.S., without using guns, than by assault weapons in schools and elsewhere.

For decades, it has been demonstrated that when individual stress, and collective stress and incoherence of a community, is decreased, violence of all kinds also decreases. Air pollution increases substance abuse. Research has shown that “breathing dirty air — even for just a day — likely causes people to become more aggressive and violent”. These root causes of violence, that often involve guns, are easily solvable. The two major political parties just don’t want to solve the gun violence problem.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

I would popularize the principle of coherence everywhere in state government. Executive authority would be used, within legal limits, primarily to prevent and solve major problems when the legislature fails to do so because of political posturing. I would not change existing orders, but would add “organic”, “coherence” and “stress reduction” to Executive Order D 2026 004 – Enhancing Colorado Access to Healthy Choices.

For instance, existing technology can reduce the invisible irritant of incoherent electromagnetic fields which affect all state employees. Coherent electromagnetic fields enhance co-worker harmony, productivity and health.

Key appointees would be selected who embrace the theme of my administration to optimize public gain, and not political gain, by using the most affordable and effective solutions.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

Crime and public safety are areas in which increasing coherence, reducing air pollution, and reducing stress on an individual and societal levels offer the most promise for reducing crime. I’ve been involved in such programs over the last 50 years. The Quiet Time program at Fletcher-Johson School in SE Washington D.C. stopped frequent student murders. The Enlightened Sentencing Program in St. Louis received wide praise from judges for remarkable decreases in crime and recidivism.

Air pollution increases substance abuse, and violent and aggressive behavior. Excess stress causes poor judgment and weakens ethics and morality.

Applying the affordable and effective solutions I offer will reduce all forms of crime while better protecting civil liberties and ensuring community safety.

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

Increasing society-wide coherence, and reducing stress and air pollution, are essential for protecting these populations who are most vulnerable to mental and physical damage from pollution, abuse, and stress. Air pollution harms the unborn too and weakens immunity to infectious diseases. Reducing air pollution and stress are the easiest, quickest, and most affordable first steps. “A rising tide lifts all boats”. As the root causes of these problems are reduced, more opportunities and funding will emerge to protect vulnerable populations.

The reason these solutions haven’t been used in government policy is because the two major political parties depend on, and exploit, the continuation of problems and suffering to support their control over government and the People.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

My administration will implement society-wide and school-specific solutions that greatly reduce invisible irritants such as air pollution and electromagnetic pollution. These irritants cause stress and incoherence, which compromise mental, physical, and behavioral health, safety and educational outcomes. As governor, I would also help school districts develop new revenue streams so they can wean themselves from income derived from addictive junk food and beverages, which also reduce student outcomes.

Excessive stress is the root cause of poor academic performance, substance abuse, violence, suicide and dropping out of school. Reducing stress and incoherence for students are the most cost-effective ways to improve student life and educational outcomes. Parents paying taxes to support compulsory education deserve to have input and school choice.

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

These systems are potentially compatible, but also potentially corruptible and abused. At their root are beliefs and concepts processed in the human brain. That’s the seat of social behavior, reasoning, memory, emotional regulation, moral reasoning and conscience, judgment, ethics, fairness, truth, discernment, empathy, comprehension of the effects of ones’ actions, etc.

These higher functions depend on brain health. When stress, air pollution, and incoherence become pervasive, these functions weaken, and the aim to dominate grows. Consequently, disagreements between and within these systems create conflicts and confusion, even within Christianity, and America’s democracy. Reducing societal stress, increasing coherence, and reducing air pollution, will allow these systems to more harmoniously coexist. They’ll be more compatible with America’s constitutional representative democracy.

What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

My vision is a Colorado where working families can afford to live, raise children, and retire with dignity. My priorities are housing and cost of living, universal health care and child care, strong public schools, free college and trade school, and modern infrastructure, including high speed rail and a major airport in Colorado Springs so families are not forced to drive to Denver. My faith and my service, from the United States Senate to the courtroom to building a company, taught me to lead with conviction and compassion. Our greatest challenges are the rising cost of living, protecting our water, wildfire resilience, and making sure new technology serves people first. I am ready to meet them.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

I believe government must be transparent, ethical, and faithful to the Colorado and United States Constitutions. I support the Sunshine Law and open records, and I would hold regular open constituent hours so any Coloradan can be heard. On TABOR, I would keep the voters' right to approve new taxes, because that accountability belongs to the people, while reforming the parts of TABOR that starve our schools and roads of the funding they need. The gap I see is trust. Too often decisions are made far from the people they affect. I would close it with real transparency, a system that tracks and answers citizen concerns, and a budget process open to public view.

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

Colorado's economy grows when working people and small businesses thrive. I would cut costs for small businesses, invest in an infrastructure jobs plan, including high speed rail, and support our farmers and ranchers by protecting water and rural communities. I believe we can grow responsibly, expanding good jobs while safeguarding our land, air, and water for the next generation. That means being careful about projects that strain our energy grid and water supply. On the budget, I would be a responsible steward of public dollars, fund the priorities that matter most, schools, roads, and public safety, and make sure every dollar is spent with transparency and respect for the taxpayers who earned it.

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

Government of the people, by the people, and for the people is not a slogan to me, it is how I would govern. I would host Saturdays with the Governor twice a month, open constituent hours with in person, Zoom, and phone options so people everywhere in Colorado can be heard, and a tracking system so concerns are resolved. Coloradans across the political spectrum are asking to be heard on new data centers, and their communities are being ignored. I would place a statewide moratorium on data centers so every community has a real say. I would partner respectfully with the legislature, local and tribal governments, and federal partners, defending Colorado's interests and our state's rights while always listening first.

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

As a Christian, my faith is central to my life, and I will fiercely protect every Coloradan's right to worship freely, or not at all, according to their own conscience. The First Amendment protects us all, believers of every faith and those of none. I will defend free speech, even speech we disagree with, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition our government. I also believe access to the public square must be fair, so ordinary citizens and every community can be heard, not just the powerful. A government that fears criticism has lost its way. I will always protect these freedoms.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

I respect the Second Amendment and the right of law abiding Coloradans to own firearms for protection, sport, and tradition. That right is real and I will honor it. At the same time, I believe we can keep our communities safe by supporting red flag protections that apply only when a person is a genuine danger to themselves or others, with due process to protect the rights of the innocent. My aim is not to burden lawful, responsible owners, but to keep firearms out of the hands of those in true crisis. Protecting the right and protecting our neighbors are not in conflict. We can and must do both.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

I would appoint qualified, ethical people who reflect Colorado and put the public interest first, not political insiders. Executive power is a public trust, and I would use it transparently and within clear constitutional limits, never beyond what the law allows. Emergency powers should be used sparingly, for true emergencies, with prompt reporting to the legislature and the people. On Day One I would act to end the use of private prisons in Colorado, because no one should profit from human incarceration. I would also work to ban Flock surveillance cameras, because Coloradans should not live under mass tracking without consent. I would repeal any order that expands government beyond its proper role. Power must always answer to the people.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

Safe communities are built on strong enforcement and smart prevention. I would go after the criminals who do the most harm, human traffickers, drug traffickers, and cybercriminals who prey on our families and seniors, with real coordination among state, local, tribal, and federal law enforcement. The Epstein files revealed victims and activity tied to Colorado, and I would direct our state investigators to pursue every Colorado connection and work with prosecutors so anyone who broke our laws is held accountable and every survivor is heard. Prevention matters too. When we invest in mental health, addiction treatment, and opportunity for young people, we stop crime before it starts. Coloradans deserve to feel safe in their homes, their schools, and their streets.

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

Every life has dignity, and government should protect the vulnerable. I would strengthen the fight against human trafficking and abuse, expand mental health care so no one in crisis is left alone, and protect our seniors from fraud, neglect, and poverty. On the difficult question of abortion, I honor the deep moral weight it carries. I trust women, in consultation with their families, their doctors, and their faith, to make these personal decisions, and I will support mothers and children with real help, health care, child care, housing, and paid leave, so every family can thrive. Protecting the vulnerable means walking with people through their hardest moments, not turning away.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

Every child in Colorado deserves a great education regardless of their zip code or family income. I would invest in our public schools, raise teacher pay, and make sure funding actually reaches the classroom. Parents are a child's first teacher, and I will always protect the right of parents to be deeply involved in their children's education. I believe in strong local control, so communities and school boards, not distant bureaucrats, shape their schools. I support school choice. I also want to open doors beyond high school, with free community college and trade school so every young person can build a career and a future here in Colorado. When we invest in children, we invest in all of us.

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

Our Constitution, individual liberty, and representative democracy are the foundation of everything, and I will defend them. Any system that places the state, a party, or any religious code above the individual rights our Constitution guarantees, including any attempt to impose religious law over our courts, is incompatible with American democracy. I also believe that caring for one another, good schools, health care, and a fair shot, is fully compatible with the Constitution and the freedom it protects. Democracies around the world do this while safeguarding liberty. The danger is never compassion. The danger is concentrated, unaccountable power in any form. I will always stand for a free people, a limited and accountable government, and the rule of law.

What priorities and long-term vision would guide your administration as Governor, how have your experiences prepared you to lead, and what do you see as the most significant challenges facing Colorado over the next decade?

Priorities - Affordability, Public Safety, Restoring Accountability and Financial Discipline. A state that focuses on programs that work, we can afford, and makes Colorado a better place to live, work, and raise a family. People Over Politics, Do No Harm, and Do What Works are my guiding principles.

Air Force veteran, small-business owner, mayor, Colorado director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Hispanic Chamber President, E470 Board Member, Economic Development Councils and member of Congress. I've worked with people at the local, state, and federal levels, and I've seen government from the inside and have experienced the challenges families and businesses face from the outside.

Over the next decade the challenges will be water, affordability, jobs, energy, and roads.

Colorado's Sunshine Law and Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) are examples of accountability measures that Colorado's electorate voted into law. What are your views on ethics, transparency, and adherence to the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions? Where do you see gaps in current governance, and how would you address them?

Government is making life harder for people, people no longer feel it serves them and believe it has forgotten them. There is deep distrust in the elected representatives because too many of them lack high moral ethics and only focus on pleasing political bosses and remaining in office.

The governor is the voice of the people, and I will make sure that the business of government is the business of the people. I will work to ensure that people can keep more of their hard-earned money by reducing the number of laws passed every year from 600 to 200 or less. Government doesn’t make money it takes money and under my administration that will stop.

People Over Politics

How would you support Colorado's economy, including small businesses and key industries such as energy and agriculture, while balancing growth, environmental stewardship, and job creation? What principles would guide your approach to the state budget and fiscal responsibility?

I will instruct all agency directors to award contracts to small, medium and large Colorado companies in their purchasing of services and products. The health and strength of our economy rely heavily on making sure government spends taxpayers’ money with Colorado businesses first before we spend it with out-of-state companies.

I will eliminate all the regulations forcing businesses to shut down or leave the state, are holding back energy production and causing harm to the agriculture industry. To properly balance growth, environment stewardship and job creation at the same time, the next governor must have a full understanding of the impact’s growth has on communities, which I do.

Zero-based budgeting will be my approach to the state budget.

Our nation was established with the guiding principle that we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. How would you engage with citizens and work with the legislature, local governments, tribal governments, and federal partners while protecting our State's rights?

My Lt. Governor and I will hold open hours once a week so citizens can stop and share their concerns directly with us. We will go to where the people live by hosting evening town hall meetings in their communities across the state.

I will invite four members of each political party twice a week to have lunch with me in my office at the capital to have conversations and build relationships. I will attend the Metro Mayors Caucus meeting once a quarter to hear firsthand the concerns of the mayors. I worked with the tribal governments, federal partners and served on the Federal Executive Board while serving as the director of SBA. I will defend the 10th Amendment.

What will you do as Colorado Governor to protect our citizens' First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?

The Constitutional Amendments are vital to the success in forming a more perfect union, establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting, the general welfare and securing the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity as outlined in the first paragraph of the U.S. Constitution.

I along with every member of the legislature takes the same oath of office stating that we will defend both the Colorado Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. As Governor it is my responsibility to remind them of that oath both privately and publicly as many times as necessary to ensure they honor their oath.

I will veto any bill that infringes on the rights of the people outlined in the constitution.

Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what is your position regarding restrictions on lawful gun owners such as laws making freedoms more difficult to exercise and making concealed carry permits more difficult to obtain?

No one can dispute that gun ownership is a right granted to every citizen of the U.S. by the U.S. Constitution. The reason for this right is to ensure individuals have a means by which they can protect their families or themselves from individuals or a government that wants to cause them harm. The role of government is to protect the rights of the citizens and not to establish conditions or dictate how they will be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights.

Gun violence has created a mindset that heavy regulation of gun owners or the purchase of a gun would solve the issue of gun violence. Studies have shown that gun regulations do not prevent gun violence.

How would you manage state agencies, select key appointees, and use executive authority—including executive orders and emergency powers—to ensure effective, accountable governance? Under what limits, if any, should those powers operate, and which existing orders would you repeal or substantially change?

My executive management experience provides me with a depth of knowledge in managing, hiring, and governing principles that focus on providing good effective and transparent governance. I will manage with a steady and calm disposition in times of crises. I will never utilize my power and authority as governor to cause harm or to weaken the state’s economy.

I would repeal executive order 2025 003 “Greening of State Government”. The broadness of this executive order mandates that executive agencies make the necessary expenses to reduce state-government greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 50% by FY2034 regardless of cost. This places a heavy financial burden on the hardworking people of Colorado by increasing vehicle registration fees and providing rebates for EV purchases.

What strategies would you pursue to address crime in Colorado, including issues such as cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking; how would you coordinate efforts and balance enforcement with prevention, civil liberties, and community safety?

The high level of crime in Colorado is the byproduct of not holding bad actors accountable for their actions or behavior. I will take the lead in reinstating all the strategies that worked in the past that kept the crime rates low in Colorado. I will identify which areas of the state have the highest crime rate per capita and focus on protecting those communities.

I will work with the legislature to pass legislation that sends a strong message to drug traffickers, human traffickers and cybercrime criminals that target the most vulnerable such as children and seniors will not be tolerated and severely punished. I will publicly speak on the importance of addressing mental health early and community safety issues.

If elected, how will you seek to protect the lives of the most vulnerable in our community, including the unborn, victims of trafficking and abuse, senior citizens, and those experiencing mental illness?

My administration will work with faith based and non-profit organizations to ensure that state funded programs are integrated within an eco-system that effectively protects the most vulnerable among us. Strengthening the family structure is the long-term solution. I will start by lessening the financial tax burden on families who have family members who are victims of trafficking and abuse. I will work with the legislature to create safety nets for our seniors who are unable to work and are on a fixed income from losing their homes due to increase in home insurance and property taxes. I will work with mental health professionals to ensure that our children who are dealing with mental health issues receive the care they need.

How would your administration work to improve educational outcomes in Colorado, and what role do you believe the Governor should play regarding parental involvement, school choice, and local control?

My administration will focus on continuing early childhood education and supporting parental involvement in the classroom. I will promote Direct Instruction (DI) which is going back to what’s proven to work: phonics-based, paper and pencil. Doing what works is one of my governing principles.

I will promote the need for schools to teach our third graders basic skills, cognitive skills and affective responses. Basic skills consist of rote-spelling, word identification, math facts and computation, punctuation, capitalization, and word usage. Cognitive skills focus on teaching children a higher level of thinking and understanding. Affective responses evaluate a child’s sense of responsibility and self-esteem.

I support local control and the parents right to choose the school best suited for their child.

Many Christians are concerned about ideologies that place the state, the collective, or religious law above individual liberty and limited constitutional government. Do you believe socialism, communism, or political movements seeking to impose religious law — including Islamic Sharia law — are compatible with America's constitutional representative democracy? Why or why not?

I do not believe socialism, communism, or a political movement seeking to impose religious law is compatible with America’s constitutional system when it seeks to replace individual liberty and constitutional rights.

America was founded on limited government, representative democracy, equal protection, due process, and the freedom of every person to practice their faith or no faith without government force.

That principle applies equally to Christianity, Islam, and every other religion. Americans are free to follow their religious beliefs, but government should never impose a religious code, including Sharia law, as civil law in place of the Constitution.

As Governor, my oath would be to the Constitution, individual liberty, religious freedom, and equal protection under the law for every Coloradan.