May 1 Update: US Senate Candidate Surveys

In 2016, we're finally experiencing the happy result that almost every credible candidate for higher office in Colorado wants to be seen as strongly pro-life (enough so that many are willing to lie to make it sound like they're something they're not).

Colorado Right to Life regularly sends out very specific surveys to get candidates on the record as to where they really stand on important pro-life issues like Personhood. The candidates who are really pro-life generally respond favorably, and are willing to go on the record.

The many candidates who are wanting to hedge, or who try to cover up their willingness to accept abortion, usually don't respond. Colorado Right to Life reports this too, so you can judge for yourself.

Colorado's US Senate race, this year, has had a couple of surprising results:

1. The candidate most experts figured as the conservative front-runner, pro-life Sen. Tim Neville, didn't make the ballot after voting at the Colorado State Convention. Instead, El Paso County Commissioner and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Glenn, who is also strictly pro-life, received 70% of the votes from delegates.


2. The crowd of candidates who attempted to petition onto the ballot, rather than using the grass-roots caucus/assembly process, are having a shocking degree of difficulty getting on the ballot.

As a result, as of today, we have the following candidates confirmed on the ballot for the June 28 primary election:

• Darryl Glenn, who has responded to the CRTL survey and has pledged to be 100% pro-life.


• Jack Graham, who has not responded to the CRTL survey. Graham has said he is "personally pro-life" but "didn't think it was the government's role to decide if a woman can or cannot get an abortion" (Fort Collins Coloradoan, Feb 16, 2016). I.e. if he's not willing to intervene on behalf of the children, he is essentially pro-abortion. He has linked from his website to a Pueblo Chieftain article calling him a "pro-choice Republican" (Apr 8, 2016) which is a guaranteed sign that he accepts that characterization. Graham was also a Democrat until the past year or so.


• Jon Keyser, who claims to be pro-life but has not responded to the CRTL survey. Keyser told radio host Craig Silverman that he supports abortion in cases of rape or incest, so CRTL considers him pro-abortion (because he FAVORS the killing of an innocent unborn child in some cases).

Ryan Frazier and Robert Blaha are also trying to get on the primary ballot, but they've fallen short of the required number of signatures. A judge has forced the Secretary of State to not make any firm decisions about allowing or not allowing them, which means that in the next few days they may still be allowed to be on the ballot.

As Colorado Right to Life has noted in the past, Frazier is another candidate who has been willing to let people believe he is "pro-life" while in reality Frazier believes it's "not government's role" to protect unborn children. He may have changed his opinion, but we have no reason to believe that, and we're not sure how far we could trust his opinion. It would help if he were willing to go on the record by answering the CRTL survey.

Robert Blaha also says he's pro-life, but he's more quiet about whether he will or won't support "abortion exceptions" in cases of rape or incest. He has not responded to the CRTL survey.

As you probably know, Colorado Right to Life has led the charge nationally to reject "abortion exceptions" and to promote a 100% pro-life Personhood standard (a right to life for unborn children, from conception on, no exceptions). Pro-lifers nationwide have increasingly adopted this position. Even though some may still hold a "pro-life except in cases of rape or incest" position (which was considered a standard Republican position a decade ago), a majority of pro-lifers now understand the inherent hyporcitical contradiction (is abortion murder, or isn't it?) and reject exceptions today.

This, of course, still allows a doctor to save the life of a woman in a life-threatening pregnancy by treating two patients - mother and baby - and not trying to kill either of them. If the baby dies anyway, as may happen, that's a natural death. If the doctor intentionally kills the baby (which is NEVER medically necessary) it's an abortion.

Colorado Right to Life is surveying legislative candidates, and will continue trying to reach Congressional candidates and US Senate candidates. Updates will be posted in coming weeks, in preparation for making decisions for the primary election in June.

Some quick notes on important legislative primaries:

• In Senate District 12 (Colorado Springs) 100% pro-life Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt is opposed by Fmr. Rep. Bob Gardner. Though Gardner claims to be pro-life, he has not responded to the CRTL survey and CRTL has reason to categorize him as pro-abortion based on his past statements and legislative record.
• In House District 16 (Colorado Springs) Colorado Right to Life believes Rep. Janak Joshi to be pro-life, whereas we believe Fmr. Rep. Larry Liston is not.

Note: One more candidate will NOT appear on the June 28 ballot for US Senate, but Jerry Eller is eligible as a write-in candidate, which means you must write his name in the write-in line of the US Senate ballot section exactly as he is registered, which we believe is "Jerry Eller". Eller has responded to the CRTL survey and has pledged to be 100% pro-life.

2014 Pre-Caucus Candidate Information

Update 6/5 - This list of candidate positions has been expanded and updated for the 2014 Primary Election, new positions listed here. Please disregard this listing.





OBSOLETE INFO (see above)



Update 3/22 - Cong. Cory Gardner (R), candidate for the US Senate, has renounced his belief in Personhood and now supports rape and incest exceptions for abortion, meaning that he supports 8,000 abortions of innocent human children per year.  He is no longer a pro-life candidate, having betrayed the children in pursuit of political office.

Update 4/4 - Cong. Mike Coffman (R) has also said he no longer supports Personhood.

Note to readers: 1) This list will be updated quickly with new survey responses as more candidates respond. Many may not have had time to respond, because of how busy they are during this pre-caucus season. If a pro-life candidate has not responded, please encourage them to do so!
2) This list is limited to Colorado legislative, congressional and gubernatorial candidates. Our volunteers have limited time to expand the scope of this survey. CRTL may issue statements on other races, but for the most part this is our focus in 2014.

The 2014 Colorado Right to Life survey asked 7 position questions of candidates, establishing their positions on issues from pro-abortion mandates to fetal homicide legislation to the protection of unborn children under the 5th and 14th Amendments. Each year we have had to be more careful not to expose our favorite candidates to attack by opponents based on their responses. In 2012, we even saw a heretofore well-regarded pro-life legislator attacking a pro-Personhood candidate by twisting and lying about his responses to the CRTL survey. Therefore, this year specific questions and candidates’ answers will not be made public. CRTL will issue its opinion on each candidate’s dedication to Personhood principles, and we ask you to trust that we are rigorous in our evaluation of candidates. 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.

No candidate is considered "pro-life" unless they support the Personhood amendment and have pledged 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). This is the only position consistent with the inalienable Right to Life of every innocent human being at every age or stage of development. Candidates who support "rape or incest exceptions" are NOT pro-life because there is never an excuse to kill an innocent child.

Positive respondents to the survey are listed as “rigorously affirmed that they are pro-life” – this is not to say they will remain pro-life under pressure, but they have affirmed to CRTL that they agree with our positions on the 7 issues. A number of candidates who are probably pro-life are not listed as such yet because they have not responded to the survey. At this early date, a number of candidates who are running unopposed or whose position is relatively well known have not received the survey yet.

Candidates for Governor

John Hickenlooper (D) is pro-abortion.
Tom Tancredo (R) has not yet responded to the survey. He has supported Personhood in the past.
Mike Kopp (R) has not yet responded to the survey. He has supported Personhood in the past and said in a recent debate that he supported the ballot measure in 2012.
Sen. Greg Brophy (R) (Update 3/26) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Sec. State Scott Gessler (R) has not yet responded to the survey. He is not believed to be supportive of Personhood or serious changes in the status quo with regard to abortion.
Jason Clark (R) has not responded to the survey, but is regarded as pro-abortion based on prior statements.
Steve House (R) has not responded to the survey, and said in a recent debate that he did NOT support Personhood in 2012. He is not believed to be pro-life.
Roni Bell Sylvester (R) has not responded to the survey. If you know her please ask her to return her survey.
Jim Rundberg (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.

Candidates for US Senate

(This race has gotten confused this week as Ken Buck and Amy Stephens may have dropped their bids for US Senate in favor of Congressman Cory Gardner – we list all these candidates, just in case)

Update 3/22 - Cong. Cory Gardner (R), candidate for the US Senate, has renounced his belief in Personhood and now supports rape and incest exceptions for abortion, meaning that he supports 8,000 abortions of innocent human children per year.  He is no longer a pro-life candidate, having betrayed the children in pursuit of political office.
Sen. Owen Hill (R) has responded to our survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Fmr. Rep. Amy Stephens (R) has not responded to our survey (and in fact has NEVER responded to a survey from CRTL, nor we believe from Colorado Springs Citizens for Life either). She claims to be pro-life and claims to support Personhood, but her sincerity is deeply questioned.
Sen. Randy Baumgardner (R) (Updated 4/4) has responded to our survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Mark Aspiri (R) has not yet responded to the survey. One report says that he claimed support for the 2012 Personhood amendment, but that has not been confirmed.

Congressional Candidates

(CRTL is collecting surveys from Congressional candidates, but there is not much in the way of competition this year, and our early efforts are more concentrated on those races where there is a clear choice – we will report more in the future)

(Update 4/4 - Quick notes on some districts)

CD 4
Ken Buck (R) backed off on his commitment to Personhood in his 2010 race for this office. He has since re-affirmed his support for Personhood, most recently in this week’s senatorial debate.
Sen. Scott Renfroe (R) has supported Personhood in the past -- please encourage him to return his CRTL survey to confirm continued support.

CD 5
Both Cong. Doug Lamborn (R) and Gen. Bentley Rayburn (R) have supported Personhood in the past.  Lamborn has a proven record of supporting Personhood at the Congressional level.  Rayburn may have signaled that his focus is more on economic issues, but we are surveying both candidates and hope to hear back.

CD 6
Cong. Mike Coffman (R) has renounced his past support of Personhood and is no longer pro-life.

State Senate Candidates

(Many candidates who are running unopposed in the primary have not been sent surveys yet, so cannot have responded.)

State Senate District 1

Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg (R) is the only candidate so far for this office. He has not yet received the survey, so can’t have responded, but has supported Personhood in the past.

State Senate District 2

Sen. Kevin Grantham (R) is the only candidate so far for this office. He has not yet received the survey, so can’t have responded, but has supported Personhood in the past.

State Senate District 3

Sen. George Rivera (R) is a newly elected legislator who won one of the two recall elections in 2013. He has not yet responded to the survey. (Update 3/4 - Comment from CRTL Board Member Dee Waite: "Senator George Rivera is pro-life. He signed the Amendment 67 petition and wouldn't compromise his pro-life commitment when attacked by the press and Angela Giron.")
Leroy Garcia (D) has not been surveyed yet.

State Senate District 5

Don Suppes (R) has not yet responded to the survey.
Kerry Donovan (D) has not been surveyed yet.

State Senate District 6

Sen. Ellen Roberts (R) is regarded as the most pro-abortion Republican in the legislature. It’s unclear if there will be opposition to her in the primary. She is currently unopposed by either party.

State Senate District 7

Rep. Ray Scott (R) has not been surveyed yet, but he has supported Personhood in the past.
Claudette Konola (D), is assumed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 9

Sen. Kent Lambert (R) has not been surveyed yet, but he has supported Personhood in the past. He is unopposed so far.

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 been surveyed yet.
Rep. Mike Merrifield (D), is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 13

Neither candidate for SD 13 has been surveyed yet. We will update when information is available.

State Senate District 15

Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but he has supported Personhood in the past. He is unopposed, so far.

State Senate District 16

Former Sen. Tim Neville (R) has not responded to the survey yet, but has supported Personhood in the past.
Richard Wenzel (R), doesn’t appear to have an e-mail or website (if you know him could you let us know how to reach him?).
Incumbent Sen. Jeanne Nicholson (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 19

Laura Woods (R) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that she is pro-life.
Lang Sias (R) claims to be pro-life, but has never responded to a CRTL survey (this is his 3rd election cycle) and his position is suspect (many Republicans claim to be pro-life but don’t want to explain they define that term loosely). There is no reason to believe he would support Personhood, in any case.
Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D) was appointed to this seat after a recall effort forced the resignation of the previous senator. Zenzinger is believed to be pro-abortion.

State Senate District 20

Larry Queen (R) (Updated 3/3) has responded to the survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Art Carlson (R) has not responded to the survey yet, and has not responded to prior surveys. He claims to be pro-life, but his unwillingness to go on record to define his position makes us question his commitment.
A third Republican, Robert Hogan (R) appears not to have a website or e-mail (if you know him could you let us know how to reach him?).
The incumbent Sen. Cheri Jahn (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 22

Neither Tony Sanchez (R) or Mario Nicolais (R) have responded to the survey yet. Sanchez is regarded as the more conservative (and pro-life) of the two.
Sen. Andy Kerr (D) is pro-abortion.

State Senate District 24

Judy Solano (D) is the only candidate announced in this race. She is assumed 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. He is unopposed so far in this race.

State Senate District 32

Sen. Irene Aguilar (D) is pro-abortion. She is unopposed, so far, in this race.

State Senate District 34

Sen. Lucia Guzman (D) is pro-abortion. She is unopposed, so far, in this race.

State House Candidates

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.


State House District 14

Daniel Nordberg (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but has been an aide to pro-Personhood Congressman Doug Lamborn, and has also been associated with the pro-life Republican Study Committee, so we assume he is inclined to be pro-life. If you know him please ask him to return his CRTL survey.
Glenn Carlson (D) is likely to be pro-abortion, but we will survey him to see.

State House District 15

Dave Williams (R) has returned his survey and rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Pastor Gordon Klingenschmitt (R) has also returned his survey and has rigorously affirmed he is pro-life.
Michael Kuhn (R) has not yet returned his survey. If you know him, please encourage him to return his survey.

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. He is running unopposed.

State House District 17

Both Catherine “Kit” Roupe (R) and Rep. Tony Exum (D) are pro-abortion, which is unusual for such a conservative district. It is unclear if someone who is pro-life intends to stand against Roupe in the primary.

State House District 18

Rep. Pete Lee (D) is pro-abortion. At present, he is running unopposed.

State House District 19

Neither Joshua Brooks (R) or Paul Lundeen (R) have returned their surveys, so they are unknown quantities. Please encourage them to return their surveys.

State House District 20

Kristen Selzer (R) (Updated 3/3) has responded to the survey and rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life.
Terri Carver (R), Mark Braunlich (R), Miles Dewhirst (R) and Daniel Stanforth have been sent surveys, but have not returned them yet. Please encourage all of these candidates to return their surveys, preferably before the caucus.

State House District 21

Rep. Lois Landgraf (R) has not been surveyed yet, but has supported Personhood in the past. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 22

Justin Everett (R) has not yet been surveyed, but he has supported Personhood in the past.
Mary Parker (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 23

Rep. Max Tyler (D) is pro-abortion. At present he is running unopposed.

State House District 24

Joseph Demott (R) has not been surveyed because we cannot find contact information. If you know him, please help us get in touch with him.
Jessie Danielson (D) was formerly a director for the local branch of pro-abortion NARAL.
Kristian Teegardin (D) is also running, and is assumed to be pro-abortion.

State House District 25

Jonathan Keyser (R) has not yet been surveyed. He is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 26

Chuck McConnell (R) is running again, but he still has not contacted CRTL (nor can we find contact information for him). Please ask him to contact us.
David Moloney (R) has not returned his survey. Please ask him, also, to answer his survey.
Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush (D) is 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. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 28

Rep. Brittany Petterson (D) is pro-abortion. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 29

Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D) is pro-abortion. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 30

Rep. Jenise May (D) is pro-abortion. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 31

Rep. Joe Salazar (D) is pro-abortion. He is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 32

Edgar Antillon (R) has not been surveyed yet. He says he is pro-life.
Rep. Dominick Moreno (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 33

David Pigott (R) failed to respond to 3 attempts to contact him in 2012, and has not yet been surveyed this year. It is Pigott’s intentional strategy to avoid any conversation not related to economic issues, and it is CRTL’s best assessment that he is not pro-life.
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).

State House District 34

Alexander Winkler (R) has not been surveyed yet because we do not have contact information. If you know him, please have him contact us.
Rep. Steve Lebsock (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 35

Faith Winter (D) has not been surveyed, but is probably pro-abortion. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 36

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). She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 37

Michael Fields (R) and Jay Ledbetter (R) have both responded to our survey, and rigorously affirmed they are pro-life.
Brian Olson (R), Carrie Penaloza (R) and John Tate (R) have not responded to the survey yet (we can’t reach Olson or Penaloza – if you know them please have them contact us).
Marlo Sherrie Alston (D) has not been surveyed, but is likely 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. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 39

Rep. Polly Lawrence (R) has not yet been surveyed, but has supported Personhood in the past.
Carla Turner (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 40

Rep. John Buckner (D) is pro-abortion. He is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 41

Rep. Jovan Melton (D) is pro-abortion. He is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 42

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. She is running unopposed, so far.

State House District 43

Kevin Van Winkle (R) has responded to our survey and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life (Updated 3/12).

State House District 44

Jack Hilbert (R) has responded to the CRTL survey, and has rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life. (Updated 3/5)

State House District 45

Patrick Neville (R) and Jack Arrowsmith (R) have both responded to the CRTL survey and rigorously affirmed they are pro-life.

State House District 46

Alexander Mugatu (R) has not returned our survey, but has expressed support for Personhood in the past.
Brian Mater (R) has no contact information we can find. Please encourage both of them to return their surveys.
Two unknown Democrats are also running for this seat.

State House District 47

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

State House District 48

Rep. Stephen Humphrey (R) responded to the CRTL survey and rigorously affirmed that he is pro-life. It should be noted that there were some underhanded and offensive tactics used in his primary against another pro-Personhood candidate in 2012, but we are unaware of evidence that Humphrey himself directed the most egregious of these (the grossly misleading letter went out under another letterhead). Since being elected, Humphrey seems to have done his best to earn a reputation for pro-life legislation and positions.
John Gibson (D) is pro-abortion.

State House District 49

Perry Buck (R) has not been surveyed yet. She is currently running unopposed.

State House District 50

Isaia Aricayos (R) has not been surveyed yet.
Rep. Dave Young (D) is believed to be pro-abortion.

State House District 51

Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R) has not yet been surveyed. He is currently running unopposed.

State House District 52

Rep. Joann Ginal (D) is pro-abortion. She is currently running unopposed.

State House District 53

Jennifer James Arndt (D) is assumed to be pro-abortion. She is running unopposed currently.

State House District 54

Rep. Jared Wright (R) has not yet responded to our survey, but he has supported Personhood in the past.
Yeulin Willett (R) has not yet responded to our survey. Please encourage them to respond back with us.
Brad Webb (D) is assumed to be pro-abortion.

State House District 55

Steven Acquafresca (R) has not been surveyed yet.
Christopher Kennedy (D) is assumed to be pro-abortion.

State House District 56

Rep. Kevin Priola (R) has not been surveyed yet. He is currently running unopposed.

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. He is currently running unopposed.

State House District 58

Rep. Don Coram (R) has never responded to the CRTL survey in the past, but has not been surveyed yet this year. 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

Former Rep. J. Paul Brown (R) has not yet been surveyed, 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 been surveyed yet in 2014 (he did not respond in 2012). He is running unopposed at present.

State House District 61

Rep. Millie Hamner (D) is pro-abortion.
Debra-Lynn Irvine (R) has not been surveyed yet.

State House District 62

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). He is currently running unopposed.

State House District 63

Rep. Lori Saine (R) has not yet returned our survey. She refused to answer the survey in 2012, and has expressed reservations about Personhood, though otherwise claims to be pro-life. Please encourage her to return her survey this year.
Bruce Sparrow (R) is running against her in the primary. It’s unclear where he stands, and we do not have a contact e-mail for him yet – if you know him, please ask him to contact CRTL.
Dustin Urban (D) is assumed to be pro-abortion.

State House District 64

Rep. Tim Dore (R) has not been surveyed yet. He has expressed support for Personhood in the past. He is currently running unopposed.

State House District 65

Fmr. Rep. Jon Becker (R) has not been surveyed yet. He is currently 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 may contact office@coloradorighttolife.org.

Candidate Positions - Pre-Primary June 2012

Note: 2014 Candidate Survey information (The information below is obsolete - from 2012)

Note to readers: Several updates have already been applied as new surveys have come in - please check back immediately before voting to see if your candidates have replied. 

UPDATE 6/12 - We've added a special note about Rep. Amy Stephens, who still says she's pro-life but her commitments and leadership on pro-life issues have been lacking at the Capitol or in her official duties.

The 2012 Colorado Right to Life survey asked 9 position questions of candidates, establishing their positions on government mandates such as the HHS rule that would force pro-life doctors and pharmacists to prescribe abortifacients, fetal homicide legislation, taxpayer funding of abortions, the protection of unborn children under the 5th and 14th Amendments, whether they believe in exceptions to allow abortions for rape or incest, their position on the Personhood Amendment, beliefs about euthanasia, beliefs about medical experiments that destroy a developing human being, and their position on whether it is sometimes okay to compromise in order to save some lives even though the compromise undermines the principle of a Right to Life (i.e. are anti-abortion regulations helping or hurting the fight to establish rights for all unborn children?).

No candidate is considered "pro-life" unless they support the Personhood amendment and have pledged 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). This is the only position consistent with the inalienable Right to Life of every innocent human being at every age or stage of development. Candidates who support "rape or incest exceptions" are NOT pro-life because there is never an excuse to kill an innocent child.

Congressional Candidates

Everyone wants to claim they’re pro-life if it benefits them. Often those claims are mere words.

There are two Republican Congressional primaries where one candidate is a demonstrated pro-life voter who supports the Personhood standard and Personhood legislation.

Congressional District 2

There is no reason to believe Eric Weissman (R-Boulder) is pro-life. However, his opponent in the primary, Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud) is pro-life and has been an ally of the pro-life movement for many years, has endorsed and signed petitions for all of Colorado’s Personhood Amendments.

Congressional District 5

There is a seemingly needless primary in CD 5 between Robert Blaha, who according to his website may support a Personhood standard (we do not have information to confirm this), but who may or may not be sincere. He is running against Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) who is 100% pro-life and who not only supports Personhood on paper, but also has cosponsored Personhood legislation at the federal level. This is a major sign of commitment that Lamborn has been the most outspoken of all of Colorado’s Congressional delegation on this issue.

State Senate Candidates

State Senate District 4

Mark Scheffel (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but is believed to support Personhood. Please ask him to return his survey.

State Senate District 8

Rep. Randy Baumgardner (R) is 100% pro-life with no exceptions, and supports Personhood. He has responded to the CRTL survey with 9 out of 9 questions answered correctly. He is facing Sen. Jean White (R), who is known to be pro-choice, in the primary.

State Senate District 10

Owen Hill (R) is pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded to the CRTL survey with 8 out of 9 questions answered correctly (he still believes anti-abortion regulations are helpful, but is willing to listen further about how they undermine the Right to Life). He is in a primary with Rep. Larry Liston (R) who has never returned a CRTL survey, but who was the ONLY Republican in 2010 to respond to the Planned Parenthood survey, where he expressed support for taxpayer-funded abortion and opposed the Personhood of the unborn child. Liston also voted for a conscience-violating measure requiring pro-life doctors and pharmacists to provide “emergency contraception” (i.e. the abortifacient “morning after” pill). Update 6/6: Larry Liston exposed as taking both sides of Planned Parenthood funding and other key pro-life issues (i.e. he's lying).

State Senate District 12

Sen. Bill Cadman (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded to the CRTL survey with 9 out of 9 questions answered appropriately.

State Senate District 14

Syndi Anderson (R) has been contacted multiple times, but has not returned her CRTL survey. Her website has no indication that she is pro-life, nor do we have any other information to suggest she is.

State Senate District 17

Charlie Plagainos (R) is an unknown quantity. He has been contacted at least once, and has not returned his CRTL survey. His website has no indication that he is pro-life. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who claim to be pro-life but who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State Senate District 18

Barry Thoma (R) responded to the CRTL survey without answering questions. He claimed to be opposed to Roe v. Wade, but indicated he wasn’t sure when unborn children should be protected under the law. He may believe he is pro-life, but he does not understand the issues at all. He appears to be pro-abortion with exceptions.

State Senate District 19

Lang Sias (R) has called himself pro-life, but has been contacted several times during 2010 and 2012 and has never answered a CRTL survey. His credentials and commitments are suspect. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who claim to be pro-life but who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State Senate District 21

UPDATE 6/19: Francine Bigelow (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and answered correctly to 9 out of 9 questions on the CRTL survey.  We have not heard from Matthew Plichta, and must assume he is not pro-life.

State Senate District 22

Ken Summers (R), despite being a former pastor, Summers is NOT pro-life. He has voted for a conscience-violating measure requiring pro-life doctors and pharmacists to provide “emergency contraception” (i.e. the abortifacient “morning after” pill), and has responded angrily when asked about pro-life measures.

State Senate District 23

Vicki Marble (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood and answered 9 out of 9 questions on the CRTL survey correctly. She is in a primary contest against Rep. Glenn Vaad (R). Vaad signed the Personhood petition in 2010, but may have done so without conviction, as he has shown little other sign that he is pro-life and has never returned a CRTL survey. Vaad also voted for the conscience-violating “emergency contraception” measure. UPDATE 6/8: On the Christian Coalition survey, Glenn Vaad apparently indicated he supports Personhood (he did sign a Personhood petition in previous years).  However, to validate this he needs to answer the CRTL survey, which has specific wording meant to prevent wiggle room. Obviously, since his opponent is already rated 100% pro-life it would be in his interest to do so.

State Senate District 25

John Sampson (R) claims to be pro-life, but he has been contacted multiple times, and has not returned his CRTL survey. His website has no indication that he is pro-life. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who claim to be pro-life but who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites. The only thing we know about him is that he will not support the Personhood Amendment, or discuss the issue further.

State Senate District 26

David Kerber (R) has never even claimed to be pro-life. He has not answered the CRTL survey even after multiple contacts and has refused to sign the Personhood petition. Kerber is NOT pro-life.

State Senate District 27

Rep. Dave Balmer (R) has expressed strong pro-life commitments and is pro-Personhood, but has not returned his CRTL survey. Please encourage him to do so.

State Senate District 28

Art Carlson (R) and John Lyons (R) are in a primary against each other. Both claim to be pro-life, but neither has responded to the CRTL survey even after numerous contacts. They are not believed to support Personhood. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who claim to be pro-life but who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State Senate District 29

Bill Ross (R) has been contacted twice and has not responded to the CRTL survey. We have no information to indicate he is pro-life. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State Senate District 31

Brandon Kelley (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions.  Please ask him to contact us.

State Senate District 32

Roger Logan is a recent entrant as a Republican candidate. Nothing is known about him and he does not appear to have a website. If you could put him in touch with us, or if you know anything about him, please let us know.

State Senate District 33

Jason DeBerry is a recent entrant as a Republican candidate. Nothing is known about him and he does not appear to have a website. If you could put him in touch with us, or if you know anything about him, please let us know.

State Senate District 35

Larry Crowder (R) has been contacted twice through his website about the CRTL survey but still has not responded. If you know  please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.

State House Candidates

State House District 1

There is a primary between two Republicans, James Wildt and John Kidd. Please ask them to return their candidate surveys.

State House District 2

If you know TJ Tyrrell (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 3

If you know Brian Watson (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 4

David Dobson (R-Denver) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and answered the CRTL survey with 9 of 9 questions answered correctly. Update 6/11 - Dobson has a primary against Stuart Siffring, who we don't believe is pro-life.

State House District 5

If you know Ronnie Nelson (R) or Matthew Zielinski (R), please encourage them to contact CRTL.

State House District 6

Robert Hardaway (R) is a recent entrant and nothing is known about him. Please ask him to contact CRTL.

State House District 7

If you know Travis French (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 8

If you know Alan Johnson (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 9

If you know Celeste Gamache (R) please encourage her to contact CRTL.

State House District 10

If you know William Eckert (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 11

We have not heard from Ellyn Hilliard (R) despite 3 attempts to contact her. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State House District 12

If you know Russ Lyman (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 13

If you know Adam Ochs (R) please encourage him to contact CRTL.

State House District 14

Daniel Nordberg (R) has no opposition. He has been an aide to pro-Personhood Congressman Doug Lamborn, and has also been associated with the pro-life Republican Study Committee, so we assume he is inclined to be pro-life. If you know him please ask him to return his CRTL survey.

State House District 15

American Constitution Party candidate Michael Edstrom is presumably pro-life, but please encourage him to contact us. Rep. Mark Waller (R) claims to be pro-life, but has not supported Personhood, and is not believed to be truly pro-life.

State House District 16

Rep. Janak Joshi (R) says he is pro-life on his site, but his support of Personhood is unknown. He was very cooperative with CRTL in pushing a non-objectionable, non-compromised, Fetal Homicide measure through the legislature this year – the first time one passed either chamber of the Colorado legislature (it failed in the Senate a couple of weeks ago). He is also associated with the pro-Personhood Republican Study Committee. We would like to have him on record with regard to his commitments, so please encourage him to return his survey.

State House District 17

UPDATE 6/14: Mark Barker (R) is pro-life and supports Personhood.  He responded favorably to CRTL’s survey in 2010, and this year he indicated his positions have not changed and will not. Barry Forest Pace (ACP) is also presumably pro-life. Please encourage both to return their 2012 survey – we need to confirm both candidates’ commitments.

State House District 18

Jennifer George (R) may or may not be pro-life. The American Constitution Party has a candidate, Amy Fedde, who is presumably pro-life. Please encourage both to return their surveys.

State House District 19

This is one of the most fascinating races in the legislature this year. Rep. Amy Stephens (R – House Majority Leader) is being challenged by Rep. Marsha Looper (R) who were redistricted into the same district together. Rep. Marsha Looper (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and returned the CRTL survey with 9 of 9 questions answered correctly.  Looper also helped lead a fight to de-fund Planned Parenthood in the State budget. Looper is framing this as a conservative vs. moderate fight, and so far as CRTL can tell she’s entirely correct.

Stephens used to work for Focus on the Family, but she also used to work in the abortion industry. With rare exceptions, she has remained silent and disinterested in pro-life issues in the past 6 years at the Capitol, except when she sponsored a bill to silence pro-life protestors exercising their rights to free speech on public sidewalks. She  enabled Obamacare, and its taxpayer-paid abortion provisions, by sponsoring HB-200. After 3 attempts to contact her in 2012 (and at least a dozen, total, since 2008), CRTL is very concerned that Stephens is a FAKE pro-lifer. Update 6/12: See "Special Note About Amy Stephens" at the bottom of this blog post for more information.

Tim Biolchini (ACP) is also presumably pro-life. Please encourage Stephens and Biolchini to return their CRTL surveys.

State House District 20

Rep. Bob Gardner (R) has never responded to a CRTL survey, and also supported the conscience-violating “emergency contraceptive” legislation which forces pro-life doctors and pharmacists to provide the abortion-causing “morning after pill.” Gardner is NOT pro-life. Donna Burdick (ACP) is presumably pro-life. Please encourage her to return her CRTL survey.

State House District 21

A rare “can’t lose” situation. Al Sweet (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood and responded correctly to 9 of 9 questions. Lois Landgraf (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded correctly to 9 of 9 questions.

State House District 22

Justin Everett (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded correctly to 9 of 9 questions. He is being challenged in the primary by Loren Bauman (R) who is pro-abortion.

State House District 23

Rick Enstrom (R) has failed to respond to 3 attempts to contact him, and has not returned his survey. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State House District 24

E.V. Leyendecker (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions.  Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 25

Cheri Gerou (R) is NOT regarded as pro-life. She has never responded to a CRTL survey and is considered an unreliable vote on even the least of pro-life votes.

State House District 26

Chuck McConnell (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 27

Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys since 2008, but we believe she probably supports Personhood. Her silence is disconcerting. Please encourage her to return her CRTL survey.

State House District 28

Amy Attwood (R) is probably pro-life, but we have asked her for a survey response 3 times so that we can establish this, and she still has not responded. Please encourage her to return her CRTL survey.

State House District 29

Robert Ramirez (R) has responded favorably to CRTL’s survey in the past. Please encourage him to return his CRTL survey to make sure he’s still with us.

State House District 30

If this is the same person who ran for Congress (CD7) in 2010, Mike Sheely (R) has responded favorably to CRTL’s survey in the past. Please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.

State House District 31

Beth Humenik (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions. Please ask her to contact us.

State House District 32

Paul Reimer (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 33

David Pigott (R) has failed to respond to 3 attempts to contact him, and has not returned his survey. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State House District 34

Jodina Widhalm (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions. Please ask her to contact us.

State House District 35

Brian Vande Krol (R) is pro-abortion (he was mis-identified in 2010 as pro-Personhood, but set the record straight with a reporter that he supports “a woman’s right to choose”).

State House District 36

Jim Parker (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 37

Rep. Spencer Swalm (R) claims to be pro-life, but has never responded to a CRTL survey, being approached more than 6 times over 6 years time, and supported the conscience-violating "emergency contraception" mandate in the legislature. His commitment to pro-life issues is doubtful.

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.

State House District 39

This primary seems on its surface to be a contest between two pro-lifers. Both Polly Lawrence (R) and Lu Ann Busse (R) are pro-life, and have expressed support for Personhood. Polly Lawrence answered correctly on 9 of 9 questions, Lu Ann Busse responded correctly on 8 of 9, with a reservation on opposing anti-abortion regulations which she believes are a worthwhile compromise, but which CRTL believes undermine the concept of a Right to Life. On paper, Polly Lawrence seems the better pro-lifer, but Lu Ann Busse has the stronger long-term record in supporting life issues. In 2010, Polly Lawrence refused to support Personhood and may have expressed other positions inconsistent with her positions on the 2012 survey. It is our hope that she has sincerely changed her positions, and would support Personhood positions in the legislature, but ultimately this comes down to whether an individual voter trusts her change of heart. The survey can only record a candidate’s promises, and cannot read their minds or hearts.

State House District 40

Cynthia Acree (R) is believed to be pro-life, but she has not responded to the CRTL survey. Please encourage her to do so.

State House District 41

Adrienne Webb-Markopolous (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions. Please ask her to contact us. There is also Independent Maria Fay, who we know nothing about.

State House District 42

Update 6/4: Michael Donald (R) is 100% pro-life and supports Personhood, responding correctly to 9 of 9 questions on the survey. Democrat Rep. Rhonda Fields (D) has become very shrill in opposing pro-life efforts.

State House District 43

Speaker Frank McNulty (R) has said in the past he supports Personhood, but he has taken action as leader of the House Republicans which cast doubt upon his commitment to taking pro-life action. He has never responded to a CRTL survey. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State House District 44

Rep. Chris Holbert (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded to the CRTL survey with 9 of 9 questions answered correctly. He has also become a stand-out leader of the pro-life legislators in the House.

State House District 45

Rep. Carole Murray (R) is believed to be pro-life, but has not responded to the CRTL survey. Please encourage her to return her survey.

State House District 46

Jerry Denney (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 47

Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions. Please ask her to contact us. Candidate Ray Watts (R) is 100% pro-life, and responded to the CRTL survey with 9 of 9 questions answered correctly, but has apparently lost at the district assembly and will not be on the ballot.

State House District 48

Both Stephen Humphrey (R) and Jeffrey Hare (R) are pro-life and support Personhood. Hare responded to the CRTL survey with 9 of 9 questions answered correctly. Humphrey, with 8 of 9 questions answered correctly (again not agreeing with CRTL’s position against anti-abortion regulations which undermine the concept of a Right to Life).

State House District 49

Perry Buck (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish her positions. Please ask her to contact us.

State House District 50

Arthur “Skip” Carlson (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 51

Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R) is believed to support Personhood, but we have not heard from him. Please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.

State House District 52

Bob Morain (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 53

Jonathan Fye (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 54

UPDATE 6/8: Jared Wright (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded correctly to 9 out of 9 questions on the survey.

State House District 55

Update 6/4: Rep. Ray Scott (R) is 100% pro-life and supports Personhood, responding correctly to all questions on the survey. There is also Virgil Fenn (Libertarian) who may or may not be pro-life (most Libertarians are not). Please encourage both to respond to the CRTL survey.

State House District 56

Rep. Kevin Priola (R) is believed to be pro-life, but has not responded to the CRTL survey. Please encourage him to do so.

State House District 57

Bob Rankin (R) did not reply to the CRTL survey in 2010, and has not in 2012, even after 3 contacts. It is believed he is not pro-life (his defeated opponent in the primary was not either). Please encourage him to respond to the CRTL survey.

State House District 58

Don Coram (R) has never responded to the CRTL survey, even after 3 contacts. Please encourage him to contact us. CRTL is always skeptical of candidates who don’t return their surveys or self-identify as pro-life on their websites.

State House District 59

J. Paul Brown (R) is 100% pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded correctly to 9 out of 9 questions on the CRTL survey.

State House District 60

Steve Collins (R) is pro-life, and supports Personhood, responding correctly to 8 of the 9 questions, and answering favorably to the 9th (opposing anti-abortion regulations) with a minor reservation. It sounds like he will work with CRTL to avoid compromised legislation. James Wilson (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey. Please encourage him to contact us.

State House District 61

Robert Petrowsky (ACP) is 100% pro-life, and supports Personhood, responding correctly to 9 out of 9 questions on the CRTL survey. Debra Irvine (R) and David Justice (R) both need to contact CRTL to establish their positions. Please ask them to contact us.

State House District 62

Tim Walters (R) needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 63

Lori Saine (R) appears to be pro-life, but still needs to establish her particular positions with CRTL. She is in contact with CRTL and we will report on her positions once we have established them. Michael Mazzocco (R) is running as a write-in candidate but needs to contact CRTL to establish his positions. Please ask him to contact us.

State House District 64

Tim Dore (R) is pro-life, and supports Personhood, having responded to the CRTL survey with 8 out of 9 correct answers. We will continue to work with him on his support for compromised anti-abortion regulations (which some pro-life legal scholars believe legitimizes abortion and doesn’t treat the unborn child as a Person).

State House District 65

Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg (R) has responded favorably to previous CRTL surveys. Please ask him to contact us so we can establish for sure that he’s still with us.

**Special Note About Rep. Amy Stephens

Rep. Amy Stephens is trying to campaign as a pro-lifer in a conservative district against another conservative Republican, Rep. Marsha Looper, in the same district. CRTL has claimed Stephens is questionably pro-life, based on 6 years of observation where she has shown little to no sign of being pro-life.  Stephens, needing pro-life votes, is fighting back against this impression, belatedly trying to sound like she is an active pro-lifer, and as if constituents can expect her to "continue" pro-life leadership in her 7th and 8th years in the legislature when she hasn't shown any such initiative in her first 6.  Here are several reasons why we do not believe Amy Stephens is pro-life:

1) Rep. Amy Stephens collaborated with the Obamacare structure by jointly authoring and sponsoring SB 200 with Democrat Sen. Betty Boyd -- one of the most pro-abortion legislators in Colorado.  SB 200 would have implemented the terms of Obamacare by setting up a statewide healthcare exchange.  This was done at a time when the state Attorney General and thousands of other officials around the US were trying to prevent implementation of Obamacare by means of non-collaboration, lawsuits and stonewalling.  Stephens could have added an opt-out option, but refused to do so, and also refused to support other legislation that would have opted Colorado out of the Obamacare structure.  Obamacare includes as part of its requirements taxpayer funding for abortions and abortifacient birth control.

2) Stephens claims to be pro-life, and has a list of endorsers who say she's pro-life, but all of them point to her service at Focus on the Family from more than a decade ago, and not to more recent initiatives or action.  To the best of our knowledge, she has never either sponsored or voted for a pro-life bill while in the legislature.  If she had, wouldn't it be on her website?

3) If Stephens is pro-life, why didn't she respond to any of the Colorado Right to Life surveys, in 2008, 2010 or 2012?  Why avoid your pro-life allies?  Most pro-life representatives responded to the survey at least once during those several years.  Most pro-life representatives wanted to be on record as supporting the Personhood Amendment.  Stephens never wanted to be on record with CRTL.

4) Stephens also refused to answer the Pikes Peak Citizens for Life survey in both 2010 and 2012.  They do not consider candidates pro-life if they do not answer the survey.  This is the most prominent local pro-life group in Colorado Springs -- why would she not want to be on record with them?

5) Stephens also refused to answer the Colorado Christian Coalition survey in 2012.  This is another well-known and nationally connected family values group -- why would she not want to be on record with them, especially in a year when she faces conservative opposition from Looper?

6) NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Stephens a 67% rating in 2008.

7) Stephens claims she's never seen Rep. Looper "at a pro-life rally, fundraising dinner, seminar, strategy meeting, or training session."  This is ironic, since none of us has ever seen Stephens at any of these activities either!  It's possible she's attended such things in Colorado Springs, but nothing at the Captiol or any statewide pro-life marches, meetings, fundraising dinners, etc.  How could she see Looper at one if SHE wasn't there?  If Stephens attended these rallies or meetings, are there photos?  Why wouldn't she post evidence if it exists?

8) The Colorado Springs Independent once published a story saying Rep. Amy Stephens had attended the 2009 Colorado March for Life, but later issued a correction saying they were mistaken: "Correction: State Rep. Amy Stephens was misidentified in the original publication of this story as having attended the rally. She did not. The Colorado Independent deeply regrets the error." Why would the Independent even issue a correction if Amy Stephens had not asked for one?  Why would she not want to be associated with the March for Life?

9) Stephens cosponsored a bill to silence pro-life protestors and prevent them from exercising free speech on public sidewalks.  This was specifically a reaction against a pro-life tactic of "shaming" abortion doctors, executives, and construction executives who built abortion facilities.  This tactic was used effectively by anti-slavery activists to shame pro-slavery merchants in front of the public, so people would know they had blood on their hands.





**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. Most Democrats who entered early in the race were sent a copy of the survey in February and will be contacted again before the November election. Any candidate wishing to respond to the survey may contact office@coloradorighttolife.org for a copy.

Colorado Governor & U.S. Senate Candidate Positions & Survey Responses (July 2010)

This blog post is obsolete, and has been superseded by updated information accurate as of mid-October 2010, which can be accessed by clicking here.

All of the candidates discussed here have been approached on the subject of Personhood and Amendment 62, which will be on the Nov 2010 ballot. Candidate positions for major statewide or federal offices have been mostly established.

Personhood means support for the God-given Right to Life from the beginning of a human's biological development until natural death -- NO exceptions! It is CRTL's only real standard for judging a candidate's qualifications, though we do challenge candidates on several questions which relate closely to Personhood but which may be considered separate issues. Support for Colorado's Amendment 62 is an easy way to check if a candidate supports Personhood.

See the CRTL 2010 Candidate Questionnaire, which is used to judge the candidates' pro-life credentials.

CRTL will not and cannot support anyone who supports abortion for any reason. They are NOT "pro-life", they are "pro-death with exceptions". Many candidates say they are pro-life, but they are holding back critical "exceptions" where they are willing to see unborn children killed. Beware of these common tactics & lies.

The following is a comprehensive update of what CRTL knows about the major Colorado candidates for U.S. Senate and for Governor. This information supersedes any previous versions.



U.S. Senate

Republican Ken Buck opened communication with Colorado Right to Life early in the election season, and has replied to the CRTL candidate questionnaire with solid responses. He supports Amendment 62, the Personhood concept in general, and understands what's at stake. CRTL considers him 100% pro-life. It's not completely clear that he agrees with CRTL's position on abortion regulations, but he seems willing to dialogue on these issues and we look forward to discussing this with him again in the future.


Republican Jane Norton has declared her support for Amendment 62 also, and has a history as a pro-life leader. However, to the best of our knowledge she still supports abortions in cases of rape or incest. She has not publicly repudiated that stance, even though it conflicts with the Personhood of the unborn child. She expressed a willingness to have someone on her staff meet with CRTL on these issues, and if she is the nominee we would be glad to do so.

Democrats Michael Bennet and Andrew Romanoff both support abortion. In the absence of information to the contrary, we expect Libertarian candidates Maclyn Stringer and John Finger do also, as do most Libertarian candidates.



Colorado Governor

Republican Dan Maes has run as a pro-life, family values candidate, and has endorsed Personhood (Amendment 62) and signed the petition. He answered CRTL's Candidate Survey with strong pro-life answers, and when challenged on his early support for embryonic stem cell research he was willing to discuss the issue with us, and changed his mind. Subsequent mis-statements by him in the press caused us to question, but after meeting with him we are convinced his mistakes are more due to his unfamiliarity with some of the issues. We believe Dan Maes is sincere in his pro-life views, and believe he will support Personhood if it comes to his desk to sign. CRTL considers Dan Maes to be 100% pro-life.

Republican Scott McInnis, despite his claims during his campaign, did not have a solid pro-life record when he was in Congress, at one time voted for taxpayer funding for abortion, and even served as a prominent member of Republicans for Choice (Republicans for Abortion). He more-or-less acknowledges his past on the issue, and has said he has changed his mind after reflection as he has aged and learned more about life and family.

McInnis has not returned his candidate survey, but has agreed to meet with CRTL if he is the nominee. In a private phone conversation he repeated his public support for Amendment 62, the Personhood Amendment, and privately agreed to support a Personhood measure if it came across his desk. If he is the nominee, we look forward to meeting with him, and to seeing more public emphasis on his new pro-life views. CRTL remains skeptical of his conversion, not just because of his past record, but also because of more recent issues that throw question on his forthrightness.

American Constitution Party candidate Ben Goss has resigned from the campaign in order to make room for new candidate Tom Tancredo.

Formerly Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo has joined the American Constitution Party and is expected to become their new nominee for Governor -- a situation that follows developments with the McInnis campaign. As candidate Goss has noted, the Constitution Party carries the Personhood of the unborn child as part of its platform, and Tancredo would not have been allowed to put forth his candidacy without assurances of his support for Amendment 62, which we are assured have been made.

Tancredo's support for Personhood comes as no surprise to CRTL, as his record on pro-life issues has long been very strong. We look forward to a public announcement on Amendment 62, and to talking with him about other issues such as abortion regulations. CRTL considers Tom Tancredo to be 100% pro-life.

Democrat John Hickenlooper is known to be pro-abortion.



If you have any questions about either race, or any candidate, please feel free to contact Colorado Right to Life at 303-753-9394 or at office@coloradorighttolife.org.

Updates to CRTL surveys and information on candidates for the Colorado House and Senate will be forthcoming by this weekend. For the most part, the candidate information provided in May still holds true.

State House and Senate Primaries (GOP) of Note

There are some important House and Senate races where clearly pro-Personhood Republicans are facing Republican primary opponents who are known to be pro-abortion or whose positions are unknown (which likely means they are pro-choice) are these:

SD 2 (Canon City, south Pueblo, Walsenburg, Las Animas)
Kevin Grantham is considered 100% pro-life. His opponent (Matt Heimerich) is known to be pro-abortion.

SD 5 (Delta, Aspen, Gunnison, Buena Vista, Salida, Alamosa)
Wayne Wolf is considered 100% pro-life. His Republican opponent's views are unknown to us (Bob Rankin) but has been identified by some as a socially-moderate libertarian.

SD 6 (southwestern Colorado, including Montrose, Durango & Pagosa Springs)
Dean Boehler is considered 100% pro-life. We consider his Republican opponent (Ellen Roberts) the most pro-abortion Republican legislator.

HD 44 (Parker, Roxborough Park)
Chris Holbert is considered 100% pro-life. We have significant doubts about one of his primary opponents (David Casiano) and the other (Polly Lawrence) is on record opposing Amendment 62 to establish Personhood for the unborn.

HD 54 (Grand Junction, Delta)
Ray Scott is considered 100% pro-life. His opponent (Bob Hislop) has not responded to our survey, his site mentions "family values" while remaining very vague, but he is believed by local pro-lifers to be insincere in his stand, only saying he's pro-life in order to get pro-life votes. Hislop was personally given a survey and asked to support Personhood, and he refused.


Also please see CRTL's recent post about similar clear distinctions between candidates for U.S. Congress in the 7th, 3rd and 2nd Congressional Districts.

Colorado Congressional Races in 7th, 3rd, 2nd: Three Critical Primaries Between Contrasting Republicans

URGENT information about Congressional candidates follows, some of whom insist on calling themselves "pro-life" when they're not by any reasonable definition.

Scott Tipton and Ryan Frazier called out as falsely trying to get pro-life votes.

Personhood means support for the God-given Right to Life from the beginning of a human's natural biological development until natural death -- NO exceptions! It is CRTL's only real standard for judging a candidate's qualifications, though we do challenge candidates on several questions which relate closely to Personhood but which may be considered separate issues. Support for Colorado's Amendment 62, on the November ballot, is an easy way to check if a candidate supports Personhood.

Every major candidate running for State or Federal office here in Colorado has been approached at least once, often two or three times, by e-mail, in person, and/or by certified mail. If they haven't responded to our survey we must assume they are trying to hide views which do not agree with ours. If they wish to change their mind and respond, they are welcome to do so, and we will post their responses quickly.

Three critical Congressional races with primaries between candidates who disagree on abortion are identified first (2nd, 3rd & 7th):

7th Congressional District

Republican Ryan Frazier claims to be "100% pro-life" BUT HE IS NOT! Frazier has been telling pro-life voters that he is "100% pro-life" but these words conceal the fact that he is on record as a "social moderate" whose own words tell us he isn't interested in using legislative power to stop abortions. He does not support Amendment 62, to the best of our knowledge. He supports certain limits on abortion, such as de-funding Planned Parenthood, but is willing to go no further.

Frazier has not responded to CRTL's repeated attempts to reach him (including by certified letter), and we expect he would score badly on CRTL's candidate questionnaire even if he did respond.

Frazier told Westword, "I am not a fan of abortion, but I struggle with whether it is the appropriate role of the government to place itself there." That's like struggling with the role of government to ban slavery. The Aurora Sentinel said, "Frazier's shown a more liberal bent in his approach on social issues, however, voicing support for same-sex couples and expressing a measured stance on government regulation of abortion."

The statements on his website and in person are cleverly worded to sound like he's on our side, but many of these same things were said by John Kerry and other pro-abortion Republicans and Democrats. You may also find this pro-life blogger's information helpful: Philokalia Republic.

Republican Lang Sias has said he is pro-life, and we have come to believe this is substantially true, even though we have not received his candidate survey or been able to reach him to confirm the extent of his stands. Because of this, we cannot refer to him as a "pro-life" candidate because we cannot confirm this. But we also have no evidence to the contrary, unlike with his opponent. Please encourage Sias to return his survey, or at least to contact CRTL. If you know whether he has taken a stand on Personhood Amendment 62, we would appreciate knowing.

Democrat Ed Perlmutter is pro-abortion.


3rd Congressional District

Republican Scott Tipton has not responded to our CRTL candidate survey, and has avoided or ignored multiple requests for details on what he claims are pro-life beliefs. He's been approached in person, made promises to respond to the survey, and been approached by e-mail twice. He also did not respond to inquiries from CRTL in 2008.

For three years now, Scott Tipton has avoided going on the record with any pro-life views, either through us or via the news media (that we can find) other than his mere word. Scott Tipton's website confirms he supports abortion in cases of rape & incest, expecting the innocent child to pay for the crimes of another. Scott Tipton does not meet the standard of being legitimately pro-life.

Republican Bob McConnell has responded to CRTL's survey, and he answered 6 out of 7 questions correctly (enough that we trust his heart is sincerely in sympathy with CRTL's positions). His only reservation was on the matter of supporting "regulatory" laws (which CRTL believes actually undermine the concept of Personhood, even though many pro-lifers believe regulations "save some babies"). Bob McConnell supports Amendment 62, the Personhood Amendment.

This is a long-term discussion, and CRTL will continue to discuss this issue with McConnell. On this particular matter, we believe strongly in a candidate's good intentions.

Democrat John Salazar supports abortion.


2nd Congressional District

Republican candidate Stephen Bailey is pro-abortion. He does not support a God-given Right to Life, and believes abortion should not be restricted in any form, except to ban public funding and partial birth abortion.

Republican candidate Bob Brancato responded to our survey, and supports Personhood (signed the petition). His responses are essentially 5 out of 7 correct. He still supports exceptions for rape and incest, and supports regulations. The rape and incest exceptions greatly concern us, for the same reasons noted above for Scott Tipton. But these responses are promising for a candidate we've not had time to dialogue with, and Brancato has been willing to talk with CRTL -- we have hopes that he will come around on this vital issue. We'll keep working on him -- we believe his heart is in the right place.

Democrat Jared Polis is known to strongly support abortion.

More information later today on other races.