1) The 2016 Colorado Right to Life survey queries candidates on 7 pro-life issues, establishing their positions through specific language with no weasel-room.
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.
Candidates for US Senate
Darryl Glenn (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
Robert Blaha (R) says he's "100% pro-life" - he has said he opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest (he says he would make an exception for the life of the mother, but CRTL holds that unless the doctor intentionally tries to kill the baby, medical intervention to save the life of the mother is not an abortion). He has not responded to the CRTL survey - please ask him to, in order to establish clearly where he stands.
Jon Keyser (R) also 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. CRTL considers him pro-abortion (because he favors the killing of an innocent unborn child in some cases).
Jack Graham (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey but is known to be pro-abortion. 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.
Ryan Frazier (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey. has been willing to let people believe he is "pro-life" while in reality Frazier has stated 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.
Jerry Eller (R) is a write-in candidate (you must write in "Jerry Eller") who is pledged to be 100% pro-life.
Candidates for US Congress (House)
1st Congressional District
Casper Stockham (R) has pro-life statements on his website. He has not yet responded to the survey.
Both Democrat opponents are pro-abortion.
2nd Congressional District
Nicholas Morse (R) has not yet responded to the survey.
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.
Alex Beinstein (R) may be pro-life but our attempts to contact him have not been successful. If you know him, please have him contact us.
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. He has not responded to the CRTL survey, but he is a cosponsor of the federal Life at Conception Act.
5th Congressional District (Updated 6/10)
Cong. Doug Lamborn (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey. He has consistently maintained a pro-Personhood record in public statements and in his career in Congress, even co-sponsoring federal Personhood legislation (the Life at Conception Act).Calandra Vargas (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey. Her website says she will "protect life at all stages".
6th Congressional District
Cong. Mike Coffman (R) is no longer considered pro-life. Like Sen. Cory Gardner, he has steadily “marched left” since entering Congress and has rejected the Personhood standard.
7th Congressional District
George Athanasopoulos (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey. His website uses the "avoid all mention of social issues" approach commonly used in this swing district, and there doesn't appear to be any information online suggesting his position on abortion one way or another. Please ask him to respond to the CRTL survey.
Candidates for State Senate
State Senate District 4 (Updated 6/26)
Jess Loban (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to responses to the CRTL survey. He also has a clear position statement on his website expressing a no-compromise position on abortion.
*** It's worth noting that there may be criminal charges pending in a case where political mailers were sent to discredit Jess Loban using false statements. It's believed this may be an attempt to replace solid conservatives with moderate Republicans. Information here.
Benjamin Lyng (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but has a pro-life statement on his website. Without further clarification it's impossible to tell if he qualifies for CRTL's "pro-life" designation. Please ask him to respond to our survey.
James Smallwood (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey. He has a statement on his website against abortion, but it's vague enough that it could mean merely "finding alternatives to abortion" and not legislating against abortion. This would not qualify as pro-life, but we hope he'll respond to the survey soon to clarify his position.
State Senate District 8
Sen. Randy Baumgardner (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but has previously affirmed via survey he is 100% pro-life. We'll wait until he responds to this year's survey to re-confirm that.
State Senate District 10
Sen. Owen Hill (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but has previously affirmed via survey he is 100% pro-life. We'll wait until he responds to this year's survey to re-confirm that.
State Senate District 12 (Updated 6/26)
Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to his responses to the CRTL survey. He has also been a stand-out legislator on pro-life issues since his 2014 election, and has proved his understanding of pro-life issues in depth. Klingenschmitt has voted twice for the Life At Conception bill (the one which his primary opponent voted against).
*** It's worth noting that there may be criminal charges pending in a case where political mailers were sent to discredit Gordon Klingenschmitt using false statements. It's believed this may be an attempt to replace solid conservatives with moderate Republicans. Information here.
Fmr. Rep. Bob Gardner (R) is claiming he is pro-life, but CRTL strongly disagrees. We consider him pro-abortion. He was one of 2 Republican legislators who voted with the Democrats in 2014 to kill a Life At Conception bill that was very close to Personhood legislation. He also supported emergency contraception (abortifacients) in a previous vote. He has never been considered a strong pro-lifer, no matter what he claims, even if he may have cast some votes for pro-life legislation.
State Senate District 14
CRTL has not heard from any candidates for this office. Rep. John Kefalas formerly lobbied for the Catholic Charities, but he has a pro-abortion voting record. The Republican is Hans Hochheimer. Please ask him to respond to CRTL's survey.
State Senate District 17
There are no pro-life candidates for this office (yet).
State Senate District 18
CRTL has not heard from any candidates for this office. Peter Spraitz is the Republican candidate. Please ask him to return his survey.
State Senate District 19 (Updated 6/23)
Sen. Laura Woods (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 21
William Ingram (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey. In fact, he is a pro-life pastor with solid opinions on the issue. NOTE: Ingram is a WRITE IN candidate and to vote for him you must fill in the circle next to the "write in" line, and write in "William Ingram" on the line provided for write in candidates.
State Senate District 23
Sen. Vicki Marble (R) has not responded to the CRTL survey, but has previously affirmed via survey she is 100% pro-life. We'll wait until she responds to this year's survey to re-confirm that.
State Senate District 25
Rep. Kevin Priola (R) is believed to be pro-life, but has not responded to the CRTL survey. He has a pro-life statement without detail on his website.
State Senate District 26
Nancy Doty (R) is believed to be pro-life, and has made pro-life statements in the past. Please ask her to respond to the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 27
Sen. Jack Tate (R) is believed to be pro-life. Please ask him to return his CRTL survey.
State Senate District 28 (Updated 6/19)
James Woodley (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 29
CRTL has not heard from Sebastian Chunn (R). If you know him please ask him to respond to the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 31
Jeffery Washington (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
Rob Lane (R) has not yet responded to the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 33
No candidate has thus far responded to the CRTL survey. Raymon Doane is the Republican candidate, but we have no information on him so must assume he is not pro-life. If you have information about him, please let us know or ask him to respond to the survey.
State Senate District 35 (Updated 6/19)
Larry Crowder (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
Candidates for State House
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 all of these races yet. If you’re aware of a pro-life candidate in the mix, please let us know.
State House District 14
Rep. Dan Nordberg (R) is believed to be pro-life, even though he has never responded to a CRTL survey.
State House District 15
Dave Williams (R) has not yet responded to the 2016 CRTL survey, but in 2014 he did affirm he is pro-life via that year's survey. We have no reason to believe he has changed, but we'll wait for a new survey to confirm.
State House District 16 (Updated 6/26)
Rep. Janak Joshi (R) has not yet responded to the CRTL survey, but he is pro-life and has worked closely with CRTL on fetal homicide legislation for several years. This working relationship is important to us, and demonstrates his commitment to doing the right thing.
*** It's worth noting that there may be criminal charges pending in a case where political mailers were sent to discredit Janak Joshi using false statements. It's believed this may be an attempt to replace solid conservatives with moderate Republicans. Information here.
Fmr. Rep. Larry Liston (R) has responded to the CRTL survey and has pledged in his answers to our survey that he will be pro-life. However, in the past he has had a mixed record on life issues, having been one of only a handful of Republicans to answer Planned Parenthood surveys in recent years, and there having told them he wouldn't oppose their funding. We also have mixed information on whether he supports Personhood. This year he has pledged to support Personhood and all other pro-life positions. We hope that he is sincere, and is fully on board, but CRTL must also consider past records when available.
State House District 17
Rep. Kit Roupe (R) has generally been considered pro-abortion. If there has been any movement or reconsideration of her positions, please inform us and encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 18
Sonya Rose (R) is believed to be pro-life.
State House District 19
Rep. Paul Lundeen (R) is likely pro-life, but we have no surveys, statements or votes on which to base this opinion. Please ask him to return the CRTL survey so we can confirm and register him as pro-life.
State House District 20
Rep. Terri Carver (R) has a pro-life statement on her website, but with insufficient detail to determine her degree of commitment. Please advise us if you have information on her, and please ask her to return her CRTL survey.
State House District 21
Rep. Lois Landgraf (R) is pro-life, and responded as 100% pro-life in a previous survey. Please ask her to return this year's survey so we can reaffirm this rating.
There is a primary challenger to the incumbent in this district. CRTL has no information on Steve Elisha (R), or where he stands. If you have information, please advise CRTL, and please advise him to return the survey.
State House District 22
Rep. Justin Everett (R) is pro-life and has responded as 100% pro-life in past surveys. He has not responded yet this year, but please encourage him to do so.
State House District 23
CRTL has no information on Chris Hadsall (R). Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 24
CRTL has no information on Joy Bowman (R). Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 25
Rep. Tim Leonard (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey. He is also a former board member of Colorado Right to Life.
State House District 26
CRTL has no information on Michael Cacioppo (R). Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 27
Rep. Lang Sias (R) has never responded to a CRTL survey, and CRTL has been skeptical of his commitment in the past. Since coming into office mid-term, he has worked on pro-life legislation and has maintained a positive relationship with CRTL. Please encourage him to respond to the survey to affirm his positions, and so we can verify the degree of his commitment.
State House District 28
CRTL has little information on Nancy Pallozzi (R). Her website seems to advertise her as more moderate than most Republicans, but does not specifically address abortion issues. Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 29
CRTL has little information on Susan Kochevar (R). Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 30
Rep. JoAnn Windholz (R) has not yet responded to the survey, but CRTL considers her 100% pro-life. In the wake of the shooting at Planned Parenthood she made a public statement that in no way condoned violence against the facility or workers, but which blamed Planned Parenthood for creating an atmosphere of violence through their baby-killing industry, which is of course a correct assessment. When strongly criticized, even by members of her own party, Windholz did not back down. CRTL applauds her dedication to and understanding of pro-life issues.
State House District 31
CRTL has little information on Jessica Sandgren (R). Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 32
CRTL has little information on Alexander Jacobson (R). Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
There is a primary between Democrat candidates, and to the best of our knowledge there are no pro-life candidates. But if you have information to the contrary please advise.
State House District 33
CRTL has little information on Karen Nelson (R). Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 34
CRTL has little information on Dustin Johnson (R). Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 35
CRTL has little information on Emily Voss (R). Please encourage her to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 36
CRTL has little information on Richard Bowman (R). Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 37
Rep. Cole Wist is a pro-life legislator who entered this seat mid-term. Please encourage him to return the CRTL survey.
State House District 38
Susan Beckman (R) is believed to be pro-life, but CRTL does not have information about the degree of her commitment. Please encourage her to respond to the CRTL survey.
Michael Williams (R) is believed to be pro-life, but CRTL does not have information about the degree of his commitment. Please encourage him to respond to the CRTL survey.
State House District 39
Rep. Polly Lawrence (R) has not yet responded to the CRTL survey but has previously indicated a pro-life position in response to a survey. Please encourage her to respond to this year's CRTL survey.
State House District 40
Spencer Wellman (R) has not yet responded to the CRTL survey. Please encourage him to do so, and advise us of what you know about the candidate.
State House District 41
Linda Jean Garrison (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey.
State House District 42
Mike Donald (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey. He also demonstrates a strong grasp of pro-life issues.
State House District 43
Rep. Kevin Van Winkle (R) is pro-life. He has not responded to this year's CRTL survey, but indicated a 100% pro-life position in 2014. Please encourage him to return this year's survey so we can re-affirm his 100% status.
The incumbent has a challenger - Cindy (Cindra) Barnard (R). CRTL has no information on where she stands on life issues, and she has refused to respond to the CRTL survey, which is not a good indicator.
State House District 44
Rep. Kim Ransom (R) is pro-life, and though she has not responded to this year's CRTL survey, she responded and indicated a 100% pro-life position in 2014. She is a former CRTL board member. Please encourage her to return this year's survey so we can re-affirm her 100% status.
State House District 45
Rep. Patrick Neville (R) is a pro-life legislator who has affirmed a 100% pro-life position in the past. He has also worked with CRTL on legislation to protect unborn children. Please encourage him to respond to the survey so we can re-affirm his status.
State House District 46
There are not yet any pro-life candidates in this district.
State House District 47
Rep. Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R) is likely pro-life, but CRTL has never received a survey response from her to confirm this. Please encourage her to return her CRTL survey to demonstrate her commitment.
State House District 48
Rep. Stephen Humphrey (R) is a stand-out pro-life legislator who has repeatedly run the Life At Conception Act, which is essentially a Personhood act to protect unborn children at every stage of development. He has not yet responded to this year's CRTL survey, but in the past he has affirmed a 100% pro-life position. Please encourage him to respond to this year's survey so we can re-affirm that status.
State House District 49
Rep. Perry Buck (R) is a pro-life legislator. She has never responded to a CRTL survey, but we believe her commitment is sincere. Please encourage her to return her survey.
State House District 50
John Alan Honeycutt (R) responded to the CRTL survey but was unclear in some of his responses. We believe he is sincerely pro-life, but CRTL may need to work with him on the unclear points.
State House District 51
Tom Lucero (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey.
Hugh McKean (R) has pro-life statements on his website, but he will need to respond to the survey to detail his commitment on specific pro-life aspects. Please encourage him to do so.
State House District 52
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 53
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 54
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 55
Rep. Dan Thurlow (R) is believed to be pro-abortion. He was unclear even on doctor-assisted suicide legislation considered in the 2016 legislative session, and seemed poised to vote for it.
State House District 56
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 57
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 58
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 59
Rep. J. Paul Brown (R) is a pro-life legislator. He has not yet responded to this year's survey, but he affirmed a 100% pro-life status in 2012. Please encourage him to return this year's survey so we can re-affirm that status.
State House District 60
Rep. Jim Wilson (R) has not yet responded to the CRTL survey, but is believed to be strongly pro-life. Please encourage him to respond to the survey to confirm this.
State House District 61
(information on this race is coming soon...)
State House District 62
Marcy Freeburg (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey.
CRTL has no information on Robert Mattive (R). Please encourage him to respond to the CRTL survey.
State House District 63 (Updated 6/26)
Rep. Lori Saine (R) is likely pro-life, but has never responded to a survey or even affirmed a commitment to Personhood so CRTL can not evaluate her full commitment to pro-life positions. She has carried anti-abortion regulations, but that by itself is not sufficient for CRTL to conclude she opposes abortions in every case and at every stage of development including chemical abortions (abortifacient poisoning). Please encourage her to respond to the CRTL survey so we can evaluate her positions on these important issues.
*** It's worth noting that there may be criminal charges pending in a case where political mailers were sent to discredit Lori Saine using false statements. It's believed this may be an attempt to replace solid conservatives with moderate Republicans. Information here.
Colleen Whitlow (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life according to answers to the CRTL survey.
State House District 64
Kimmi Lewis (R) has pledged to be 100% pro-life in responses to our survey.
Rep. Tim Dore (R) is a pro-life legislator who has affirmed a 100% pro-life position via a previous survey. Please encourage him to respond to this year's survey so we can re-affirm that position.
State House District 65
Rep. Jon Becker (R) has never responded to a CRTL survey, and CRTL has very little information to go on with regard to his stands. Please encourage him to respond to the survey so we can understand his position.
Please note that the above information will be updated regularly as new information becomes available between now and the June 28 primary election.
