Pro-Life Candidates in Colorado - Oct 2014 Update

Updated as of 10/20/2014. This post will continue to be updated all the way up to Election Day with new information -- keep checking back if you're concerned about a specific candidate. Also if you doubt the information given below about Rep. Cory Gardner (running for Senate) not being pro-life, please see our more detailed post on the US Senate race)

Notes to readers:

1) The 2014 Colorado Right to Life survey asked 7 position questions of candidates, establishing their positions on key pro-life issues. This list will be continuously updated. This list only includes Colorado legislative, congressional and gubernatorial candidates.

2) Many candidates say they’re “pro-life” but mean something very different than what true pro-lifers mean. Please keep this in mind before supporting candidates who do not respond to the CRTL Questionnaire.

3) No candidate who supports abortion for any reason is "pro-life.” Regardless of what they may say, any truly pro-life citizen/candidate believes that government has an obligation to protect all human life from conception forward, and therefore pledge to oppose all abortion (with the understanding that a doctor may take action to save a woman’s life while also trying to save the baby’s life, even if the baby’s survival is doubtful due to other factors) – every innocent human being has an inalienable Right to Life at every age or stage of development.

4) Candidates from any party are invited to respond to the survey. However, CRTL has never been made aware of a candidate from either the Democrat Party or Libertarian Party who is truly pro-life.

5) CRTL does not endorse candidates, but rather issues a “white list” – people who we believe take their responsibility to unborn children under the law seriously. Candidates who are pro-life are listed in bold.

Ballot Initiatives

Amendment 67 is on the ballot this year.  Many people think Colorado Right to Life opposes "incremental" laws and measures.  That's not really true.  CRTL opposes "compromised" laws and measures -- those that make it seem like not all human beings have the same value or deserve the same rights as every other innocent human being.  Sadly, most incremental measures are also compromised, but Amendment 67 is not.  It is a "Personhood compliant" incremental measure that may not protect all unborn children from harm by abortion, but it can at least protect unborn children who are victims of crimes also perpetrated against their mothers.  Vehicular homicide, wife beating, etc.  The law currently treats the baby not as a victim but as a "loss to be considered" in deciding judgment for the crime against the mother.

That's wrong.  Amendment 67 would make the law treat those unborn children as human victims of violence, and would treat the murder or assault upon the child the same as against any other human being.

There is a lot of disinformation out there about what Amendment 67 would do.  Most news organizations refuse to recognize any difference between Amendment 67 and other Personhood measures.  The fact is, the concept of Amendment 67 -- protecting the unborn children of pregnant mothers who are victimized as victims themselves -- is widely popular, and it's also a stepping stone to teaching society the value and the need to protect all unborn children the same way.

Candidates for Governor

Fmr. Cong. Bob Beauprez (R) has not responded to the survey. He does not support abortion for any reason, to the best of our knowledge (he was the first Republican nominee for Governor in 2006 who supported no exceptions for abortion). He is on record not supporting Personhood, and is not listed in "bold" for that reason, but it appears he questions the strategy, not the goal.

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) is pro-abortion.

From statements on websites and from other information it appears that the other candidates on the ballot -- Harry Hempy (Green), Matthew Hess (Libertarian), Mike Dunafon (Unaffiliated) and Paul Noel Fiorino (Unaffiliated) are all pro-abortion.

Candidates for US Senate

There IS a pro-life candidate for US Senate running in Colorado!

However, he is not named Cory Gardner.

Raul Acosta (I) has answered the CRTL survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life. Acosta is an independent candidate for the US Senate who has been confirmed on the November ballot, so anyone in Colorado can vote for him without having to write his name in.

Raul Acosta is the ONLY candidate for the US Senate in Colorado who opposes abortion in all cases and believes in a Right to Life for unborn children from conception on.

Raul Acosta ran as a pro-life candidate for the US Senate in 2004, and has been an ally of Colorado Right to Life for many years.

Rep. Cory Gardner was once a strong pro-lifer and ally of CRTL, but that has changed! Cong. Cory Gardner (R) (see new info here) supported Personhood for many years but recently rejected a pro-life position in order to become more palatable to moderate voters. Since entering Congress he has steadily “marched left,” turning his back on solidly conservative positions he held on many issues. He says he is “still pro-life” but rejects protections for all innocent human beings at all stages of development and won’t oppose abortifacient birth control.

(More detail on US Senate Race and why Gardner is NOT pro-life.)

Sen. Mark Udall (D) is pro-abortion.

Due to statements on their websites or other statements we believe Gaylon Kent (Libertarian), Bill Hammons (Unity), and Steve Shogan (Unaffiliated) are all pro-abortion.

1st Congressional District

From statements on websites, and other public statements, it does not appear there are any pro-life candidates for this office.

2nd Congressional District

George Leing (R) is pro-abortion.

Cong. Jared Polis (D) is pro-abortion.

3rd Congressional District

Cong. Scott Tipton (R) claims to be pro-life but has never responded to a CRTL survey and cannot be pinned down on specific positions. CRTL considers him unengaged and effectively pro-abortion.

Fmr. Sen. Abel Tapia (D) is pro-abortion.

Travis Mero (L) is assumed to be pro-abortion, as that is the position of his party.

Tisha Cassida (Unaffiliated) is pro-abortion.

4th Congressional District

Ken Buck (R) has changed his position on Personhood after reflection.  After publicly rejecting the position in 2010, he now supports Personhood publicly. He has made statements to this effect, but has not responded to the CRTL survey so we cannot issue a "bold" pro-life indicator.

Vic Meyers (D) is pro-abortion.

Jess Loban (L) has not answered the CRTL survey. She indicates on her website she believes the unborn should be protected as individuals (a commendable and unusual position for a Libertarian candidate), but believes they should be protected by state law, not by federal law as an unalienable human right. This is in conflict with a full understanding of Personhood.

Grant Doherty (Unaffiliated) has not answered the survey. His position is unclear.

5th Congressional District

Cong. Doug Lamborn (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey this year, but has in the past and has consistently maintained a pro-Personhood record in public statements and in his career in Congress, even co-sponsoring federal Personhood legislation.

Irv Halter (D) is pro-abortion.

6th Congressional District

Cong. Mike Coffman (R) is no longer considered pro-life. Like Gardner, he has steadily “marched left” since entering Congress and made his rejection of the Personhood standard public this year.

Andrew Romanoff (D) is pro-abortion.

Gary Swing (Green) is pro-abortion.

Norm Olsen (Libertarian) is pro-abortion.

7th Congressional District

Don Ytterberg (R) calls himself pro-life but has refused to take solid positions, focusing on other issues and leaving doubt as to his real beliefs on the Right to Life. CRTL has seen this from other candidates who turned out not to be pro-life to any substantial degree. In past elections Ytterberg said both, that he supports abortion for rape and incest, and he believes abortion should not be a subject for public policy, but these responses are old and it's possible he has changed. If so, it is VERY unclear from his website and public statements. He appears to be ducking the issue entirely.

Cong. Ed Perlmutter (D) is pro-abortion.

Doug "Dayhorse" Campbell (ACP) was going to be on the ballot but we're sorry to say this pro-life stalwart passed away recently.

State Senate Candidates

State Senate District 1

Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Doug Aden (ACP) is presumed to support Personhood, as it is the official position of his party. He has not responded to the CRTL survey.

State Senate District 2

Sen. Kevin Grantham (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Martin Wirth (Green) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 3

Sen. George Rivera (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life. Rivera is a newly elected legislator who won one of the two recall elections in 2013. He has signed a petition to place Personhood on the ballot and has said he makes no apologies for a pro-life position.

Leroy Garcia (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 5

Don Suppes (R) is "personally pro-life" but won't legislate on the issue (which means he's officially pro-abortion).

Kerry Donovan (D) is pro-abortion.

Lee Mulcahy (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 6

Sen. Ellen Roberts (R) is regarded as the most pro-abortion Republican in the legislature. She is unopposed by either party.

State Senate District 7

Rep. Ray Scott (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but he has supported Personhood in the past.

Claudette Konola (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 9

Sen. Kent Lambert (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but he has been a steadfast supporter of Personhood in the past. He is unopposed.

State Senate District 11

Sen. Bernie Herpin (R) is a newly elected legislator who won one of the two recall elections in 2013. He has not responded to the CRTL survey. He did tell Pikes Peak Citizens for Life that he believed Personhood should begin at conception (single cell) but has since backed off on that and told the Colorado Independent that he does not support Personhood.

Rep. Mike Merrifield (D) is pro-abortion.

Norman "Paotie" Dawson (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion.
State Senate District 13

John Cooke (R) has not responded to the survey yet.
Joe Perez (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 15

Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but he has been a steadfast supporter of Personhood in the past. He is unopposed.

State Senate District 16

Fmr. Sen. Tim Neville (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but has supported Personhood in the past.
Sen. Jeanne Nicholson (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 19

Laura Woods (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed she is pro-life.

Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 20

Larry Queen (R) has indicated that he is strongly pro-life and has said he will respond to the survey.
Sen. Cheri Jahn (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 22

Tony Sanchez (R) has responded to the CRTL survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Sen. Andy Kerr (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 24

Beth Humenik (R) has not responded to the survey this year, and did not in previous years either. Please ask her to contact CRTL.
Judy Solano (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 30

Rep. Chris Holbert (R) has responded to the survey, and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Bette Davis (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 32

Dawne Murray (R) has not responded to the survey. We have no solid information one way or another on her positions.
Sen. Irene Aguilar (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 34

Stuart Siffring (R) is believed to be pro-abortion based on public statements.

Sen. Lucia Guzman (D) is pro-abortion.


Brian Scriber (L) is pro-abortion.

State House Candidates (Updated 10/20)

State House Districts 1 - 13

The first 13 Statehouse districts are situated in Denver and Boulder counties – most of the announced candidates thus far are Democrats, and the few Republicans who have announced generally will not indicate pro-life beliefs even if they are pro-life so we have not surveyed these races yet. If you’re aware of a pro-life candidate in the mix, please let us know.

The one exception here is District 4:

State House District 4

David Dobson (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life. He ran a campaign in 2012 based primarily on Personhood, and is expected to run a similar campaign in 2014.

Rep. Dan Pabon (D) is pro-abortion.


State House District 14

Daniel Nordberg (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but is believed to be pro-life. If you know him please ask him to return his CRTL survey.

Glenn Carlson (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 15

Pastor Gordon Klingenschmitt (R) has returned his survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life. (The Christian Coalition may have falsely reported Klingenschmitt during the primary as not 100% pro-life. This information is incorrect -- Klingenschmitt supports Personhood and opposes all abortions).

Lois Fornander (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 16

Rep. Janak Joshi (R) has not returned his survey yet. He says he is pro-life on his site, and is believed to support Personhood but this is not confirmed. He has worked closely with CRTL for several years in drafting a non-objectionable, non-compromised, Fetal Homicide measure for consideration by the legislature. He is associated with the pro-Personhood Republican Study Committee, and also attended the CRTL Banquet in 2012. We would like to have him on record with regard to his commitments, so please encourage him to return his survey.

Ryan Macoubrie (D) is likely to be pro-abortion, but was NOT endorsed by Planned Parenthood.

State House District 17

Both Catherine “Kit” Roupe (R) is pro-abortion.

Rep. Tony Exum (D) is pro-abortion.

Susan Quilleash (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from her party are.

State House District 18

Michael Schlierf (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Pete Lee (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 19

Paul Lundeen (R) has not returned his survey yet. He is running unopposed.

State House District 20

Terri Carver (R) has not yet responded to the survey. Her website claims she is pro-life. She is running unopposed.

State House District 21

Rep. Lois Landgraf (R) has not returned her survey yet, but has supported Personhood in the past. She is running unopposed.

State House District 22

Justin Everett (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Mary Parker (D) is pro-abortion.

Lynn Weitzel (L) is pro-abortion.

State House District 23

Jane Barnes (R) has not yet responded to the survey – please ask her to contact CRTL.
Rep. Max Tyler (D) is pro-abortion.

Michael Beckerman (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 24

Joseph Demott (R) has not yet responded to the survey.

Jessie Danielson (D) was formerly a director for the local branch of pro-abortion NARAL (i.e. is avidly pro-abortion).

State House District 25

Jonathan Keyser (R) has not responded to the survey.

Janet Doyle (D) is pro-abortion.

Jack Woehr (L) is pro-abortion.

State House District 26

Chuck McConnell (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush (D) is pro-abortion.

Thom Haupt (L) claims to be personally pro-life, but his website makes it clear he is politically pro-abortion.

State House District 27

Rep. Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys since 2008, but we believe she probably supports Personhood. Her silence is disconcerting.

Wade Michael Norris (D) claims to be a "theologian" (which could mean alot of things). His position on abortion is unclear. He did NOT receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood, but has worked on behalf of many pro-abortion candidates.

State House District 28

Stacia Kuhn (R) has not responded to the survey. She makes pro-life statements on her website, but the degree of her commitment is unclear. Her opponent accuses her of wanting to ban all abortions, which is a claim often bandied about, but it's rarely made so explicit if there isn't evidence of support for Personhood.

Rep. Brittany Petterson (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 29

Susan Kochevar (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D) is pro-abortion.

Hans Romer (L) is pro-abortion.

State House District 30

JoAnn Windholz (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Jenise May (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 31

Carol “Jody” Beckler (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Joe Salazar (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 32

Edgar Antillon (R) says he is pro-life but has previously renounced Personhood. He has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Dominick Moreno (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 33

Marijo Tinlin (R) defeated a likely pro-abortion Republican in the primary, and Tinlin appears to be pro-life and may support Personhood. Please ask her to contact CRTL or respond to the survey to establish this for certain.

Rep. Dianne Primavera (D) is pro-abortion, and opposed justice for unborn victims of crimes (a fetal homicide measure that would protect the unborn children of pregnant women who die in vehicular homicides or other crimes).

Carter Reid (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 34

Alexander "Skinny" Winkler (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Steve Lebsock (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 35

Mike Melvin (R) has not responded to the survey.

Faith Winter (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 36

Richard Bowman (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Su Ryden (D) is pro-abortion and opposed justice for unborn victims of crimes (a fetal homicide measure that would protect the unborn children of pregnant women who die in vehicular homicides or other crimes).

State House District 37

Jack Tate (R) has not responded to the survey yet.

Nancy Cronk (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 38

Kathleen Conti (R) responded favorably to CRTL’s survey in 2010, however general opinion now seems to be that she lied about her beliefs on our survey and a number of others (she campaigned as a pro-life, fiscal conservative, and she appears to be neither). She is regarded as an unreliable vote on pro-life issues.

Robert Bowen (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 39

Rep. Polly Lawrence (R) has not yet responded to the survey, but has supported Personhood in the past.

James Huff (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion, but did not receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

State House District 40

JulieMarie Shepherd (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. John Buckner (D) is pro-abortion.

Geoff Hierholz (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 41

Molly Barrett (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that she is pro-life.

Rep. Jovan Melton (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 42

Mike Donald (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.

Rep. Rhonda Fields (D) has been very shrill in opposing pro-life efforts and opposed justice for unborn victims of crimes (a fetal homicide measure that would protect the unborn children of pregnant women who die in vehicular homicides or other crimes). She is pro-abortion.

State House District 43

Kevin Van Winkle (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.

Henry Barlow (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion, but did not receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

State House District 44

Kim Ransom (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that she is pro-life. She is also a former board member of Colorado Right to Life.

Karen Jae Smith (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion, but did not receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

Lily Williams (L) has not returned the survey, and is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from her party are.

State House District 45

Patrick Neville (R) has responded to the CRTL survey and rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.

Brandon Wicks (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion, though he did not receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

James Jeansonne (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 46

Brian Mater (R) has not responded to the survey.

Daneya Esgar (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 47

Rep. Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R) claims to be pro-life, but needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions.

Lucretia “Robbie” Robinson (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 48

Rep. Stephen Humphrey (R) responded to the CRTL survey and rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life. He is running unopposed.

State House District 49

Perry Buck (R) has not returned her survey yet, but we believe she is pro-life. She is running unopposed.

State House District 50

Isaia Aricayos (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Dave Young (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 51

Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R) has not responded to the survey but has supported Personhood in the past. He is currently running unopposed.

State House District 52

Donna Walter (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Joann Ginal (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 53

Tim Bessler (R) has not responded to the survey.

Jennifer James Arndt (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 54

Yeulin Willett (R) has not responded to our survey.

Brad Webb (D) is pro-abortion.

Kyle Davis (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

James Fletcher (I) is an unknown quantity.

State House District 55

Dan Thurlow (R) has not responded to the survey.

Christopher Kennedy (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 56

Rep. Kevin Priola (R) has not responded to the survey.

Vicki Snider (D) is pro-abortion.

Chris Baerns (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 57

Rep. Bob Rankin (R) did not reply to the CRTL survey in 2010, nor in 2012, even after multiple contacts. It is believed he is not pro-life.

Sacha Mero (L) is pro-abortion.

State House District 58

Rep. Don Coram (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey this year or in the past. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites. Coram is currently running unopposed.

State House District 59

Fmr. Rep. J. Paul Brown (R) has not yet responded to the survey, but has supported Personhood in the past.

Rep. Mike McLachlan (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 60

James Wilson (R) has expressed a pro-life testimony on his webpage, so is believed to be sincerely pro-life, but has not responded to this year’s survey (he did not respond in 2012).

Curtis Imrie (I) is pro-abortion.

State House District 61

Debra-Lynn Irvine (R) has not responded to the survey yet – please ask her to contact CRTL.

Rep. Millie Hamner (D) is pro-abortion.

Mac Trench (L) is presumed to be pro-abortion, as most candidates from his party are.

State House District 62

Marcy Freeburg (R) has not responded to the survey.

Rep. Ed Vigil (D) is pro-abortion, and opposed justice for unborn victims of crimes (a fetal homicide measure that would protect the unborn children of pregnant women who die in vehicular homicides or other crimes).

State House District 63

Rep. Lori Saine (R) has not returned our survey. She refused to answer the survey in 2012, and has expressed reservations about Personhood, though otherwise claims to be pro-life.

Dustin Urban (D) is presumed to be pro-abortion, though he did not receive an endorsement from Planned Parenthood.

State House District 64

Rep. Tim Dore (R) has not responded to the survey. He has expressed support for Personhood in the past. He is running unopposed.

State House District 65

Fmr. Rep. Jon Becker (R) has not responded to the survey. He is running unopposed.




**Please note: Republicans predominate this list because they are considered the most likely to be pro-life. Members of other parties, especially the American Constitution Party, may be pro-life. However, we have yet to hear from a single candidate from the Democrat or Libertarian parties who is pro-life. Candidates from other parties, including 3rd parties, will be contacted before the November election.

Any candidate wishing to respond to the survey