THE ISSUES
Campaign Finance
I'll be honest. Before running for office, campaign finance was not something I spent much time thinking about. Like most people, I assumed there were rules to keep elections fair and that was about the extent of it.
Then I became a candidate.
Over the past several months, I have learned Colorado's campaign finance laws firsthand. I've seen the rules that promote transparency, and I've also seen the loopholes that allow money to influence campaigns in ways most voters never realize. It left me with one simple conclusion: if you don't want people to know you're spending money to influence an election, you probably shouldn't be spending it in the first place.
Candidates must disclose donations and expenditures, contribution limits help prevent any one donor from having too much influence, and campaigns are held to high reporting standards. Those are good things. Voters deserve to know who is funding campaigns and where candidates are getting their support.
However, money finds its way through organizations that make it difficult for voters to see who is really paying for political advertising. Transparency should not depend on whether someone knows how to navigate legal loopholes. Voters should be able to clearly see who is trying to influence their vote.
One part of Colorado's campaign finance system that I strongly support is the voluntary campaign spending limit. Candidates for the Colorado House of Representatives can choose to limit the total amount they spend during their campaign. I chose to accept that limit because I believe public service should not be reserved for the wealthiest candidates or those with access to the biggest donors.
When campaigns become an arms race of fundraising, too many good people decide not to run. Working parents, teachers, veterans, nurses, small business owners, and community volunteers should all be able to consider public service without feeling like they need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars just to be competitive. Our democracy is strongest when everyday people have a seat at the table.
As your State Representative, I will support policies that strengthen transparency, close unnecessary loopholes, and keep our elections fair and accountable. I also believe we should continue looking for ways to encourage grassroots campaigns and lower the barriers for ordinary citizens who want to serve their communities.
Politics should be about earning trust, not buying influence. The people of Colorado deserve to know who is trying to influence their elections, and they deserve confidence that their voices matter just as much as those with the biggest checkbooks. That is how we build faith in our elections and strengthen our democracy.
