NOTE: The information in this blog has been superseded by a more current June Pre-Primary Candidate Positions blog.
The color of the text has been subdued to indicate it is obsolete.
The 2012 Colorado Right to Life survey asked 9 position questions of candidates, ranging from funding for Planned Parenthood to abortion to euthanasia. The survey and the comments here are based on one, simple definition: No candidate is considered "pro-life" unless they 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.
Additionally, we expect that they will support Colorado's Personhood Amendment. The 9th question has to do with opposing regulations which undermine the concept of an inalienable Right to Life. We understand that some sincere pro-life candidates do not agree that the compromise and contradictions inherent in “pro-life regulations” are unacceptable.
This blog covers only state legislative races, not Congressional contenders. Due to the late redrafting of district borders and the possibility that candidates may still petition onto the ballot, many of these races are still not settled. There have been two-dozen new Republican candidates declared in the past month or so, and several American Constitution Party and other candidates have also declared in recent weeks. Many of them have not had time to respond to surveys. If you know any candidate not mentioned here, please ask them to return their survey or contact CRTL for a copy.
(UPDATE 5/1) These records refer to those who responded to our survey answering correctly to 9 of 9 questions as "100% pro-life", because they understand (on paper, at least) the full meaning of Personhood and the Right to Life (which are essentially the same). If there is a Right to Life for innocent people, there can be no exceptions, nor can such a Right be frittered away through compromise legislation.
By contrast, those who respond to 8 of 9 questions correctly are labeled as "pro-life" if their reservation was on question 9, regarding compromised anti-abortion regulations which are intended to "save some babies" but which imply there is no such thing in law as a Right to Life. The "pro-life" label indicates they are sincerely pro-life, and have indicated they oppose all abortions. However, they fundamentally misunderstand the concept of a Right to Life, or else they would not be willing to support legislation that suggests it is the government's role to determine which innocent lives can be taken away, and which cannot.
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
No candidates have returned the CRTL survey, but Rep. Randy Baumgardner (R) is facing Sen. Jean White (R) in a primary. Baumgardner responded pro-Personhood in 2010, and White is known to be pro-choice.
State Senate District 10
(**updated 4/24) Owen Hill (R) is pro-life, supports Personhood, and responded to the CRTL survey with 8 of 9 questions answered correctly (he is willing to dialogue about the 9th question, regarding non-support of anti-abortion regulations). He is in a primary with Rep. Larry Liston (R) who has never returned a CRTL survey, and is thought to be indifferent to pro-life issues. 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).
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 correctly.
State Senate District 14
Syndi Anderson (R) is probably pro-life but we cannot confirm this, or whether she opposes all abortion. Please encourage her to return her CRTL survey.
State Senate District 17
A new candidate who may be pro-life has entered the race. If you know Charlie Plagainos, please ask him to contact CRTL.
State Senate District 18
A new candidate who may be pro-life has entered the race. If you know Barry Thoma, please ask him to contact CRTL.
State Senate District 19
Lang Sias (R) has called himself pro-life, but has never answered a CRTL survey, and his credentials and commitments are suspect. Please ask him to return his survey.
State Senate District 21
Two new candidates may be pro-life. If you know Francine Bigelow or Matthew Plichta, please ask them to contact CRTL.
State Senate District 22
Ken Summers (R), despite being a former pastor, 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
(**updated 4/26) Vicki Marble (R) is 100% Pro-Life, supports Personhood, and answered the CRTL survey with 9 out of 9 questions answered 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.
State Senate District 25
John Sampson (R) claims to be pro-life, but his level of commitment and support for Personhood is unclear. He has not returned the CRTL survey, and seems to have doubts about the Personhood strategy. Please encourage him to support Personhood and to return the CRTL survey.
State Senate District 26
David Kerber (R) shows no sign of being pro-life. Please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.
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, and the depth of their commitment is in question. Either or both may be 100% pro-life, but from conversations this has remained unclear.
State Senate District 29
A candidate who may be pro-life has recently entered the race. If you know Bill Ross (R) please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.
State Senate District 31
A candidate who may be pro-life has recently entered the race. If you know Brandon Kelley (R) please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.
State Senate District 35
A candidate who may be pro-life has recently entered the race. If you know Larry Crowder (R) please encourage him to return his CRTL survey.
*** Please note: The fact that the candidates listed above are mostly Republicans is not meant to convey the idea that Republicans are necessarily all pro-life or that the only pro-life candidates are Republicans. In many cases (some noted) this is not at all true. However, we are unaware of any Democrats who are legitimately pro-life. Many Democrats were sent the survey, but only a couple responded with unfavorable comments. The candidates of the American Constitution Party are presumably all pro-life, as it's part of the party platform and screening process, but most are newly declared and have not had time to return surveys. They will be noted in future updates.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Case Against Planned Parenthood
In the background of the legislative debate over Planned Parenthood funding in Colorado, one thing is clear. Planned Parenthood seems very willing to break the law.
In the General Assembly debate over the budget, Republicans say no funding should go to abortion provider Planned Parenthood, while Democrats insist they should be funded with taxpayer dollars.
The fact is, what the Democrats suggest is illegal -- unconstitutional. And that's just the beginning of the questions the people of Colorado should be asking about Planned Parenthood and how they're skirting -- or violating -- the law in so many ways.
1. ILLEGAL TAXPAYER FUNDING
In 1984, Colorado voters passed Amendment 3, prohibiting "direct or indirect" taxpayer funding of organizations which perform abortions. In 1988, Colorado voters rejected a reversal of this constitutional amendment. So twice, Colorado voters have said they don't want their tax dollars funding abortion -- they felt so strongly about this that they wrote the prohibition into the Colorado Constitution!
Planned Parenthood has since created a subsidiary to get around the funding ban -- one organization does abortions, and the "taxpayer funded" one doesn't. But they still share costs for facilities, management, various other overhead. It's still taxpayer money going "indirectly" to fund abortions, even if they are theoretically separate, so it's still illegal. Democrat governors in Colorado have ignored the Constitution and provided funding anyway. Never forget, money is fungible.
2. ILLEGAL NON-REPORTING OF SEXUAL ABUSE
In 2002 and 2003, Texas-based Life Dynamics conducted a sting investigation covering every Planned Parenthood clinic in the country, including 27 in Colorado. They found that Planned Parenthood was systematically covering up incest and child predators. The exhaustive evidence can be listened to at "www.childpredators.com", where transcripts are also available.
Colorado, like most other states, requires health care officials to report suspected sexual abuse to the authorities. When older men bring a girl for an abortion -- someone young enough to be their daughter -- without a mother present, it is suspicious. Perhaps not all, but surely some of these cases are fathers who want to cover up that they're having sex with their own daughters. Yet, there is no evidence that Planned Parenthood has ever reported these cases, as they are required to by law.
3. ILLEGAL COLLABORATION WITH CHILD PROSTITUTION
Live Action sting: prolifeaction.org/hotline/2011/ppnewjersey/
4. ILLEGAL VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAWS
Live Action: http://liveaction.org/mona-lisa/phoenix-az
5. ILLEGAL ABETTING OF HATE CRIMES
In the General Assembly debate over the budget, Republicans say no funding should go to abortion provider Planned Parenthood, while Democrats insist they should be funded with taxpayer dollars.
The fact is, what the Democrats suggest is illegal -- unconstitutional. And that's just the beginning of the questions the people of Colorado should be asking about Planned Parenthood and how they're skirting -- or violating -- the law in so many ways.
1. ILLEGAL TAXPAYER FUNDING
In 1984, Colorado voters passed Amendment 3, prohibiting "direct or indirect" taxpayer funding of organizations which perform abortions. In 1988, Colorado voters rejected a reversal of this constitutional amendment. So twice, Colorado voters have said they don't want their tax dollars funding abortion -- they felt so strongly about this that they wrote the prohibition into the Colorado Constitution!
Planned Parenthood has since created a subsidiary to get around the funding ban -- one organization does abortions, and the "taxpayer funded" one doesn't. But they still share costs for facilities, management, various other overhead. It's still taxpayer money going "indirectly" to fund abortions, even if they are theoretically separate, so it's still illegal. Democrat governors in Colorado have ignored the Constitution and provided funding anyway. Never forget, money is fungible.
2. ILLEGAL NON-REPORTING OF SEXUAL ABUSE
In 2002 and 2003, Texas-based Life Dynamics conducted a sting investigation covering every Planned Parenthood clinic in the country, including 27 in Colorado. They found that Planned Parenthood was systematically covering up incest and child predators. The exhaustive evidence can be listened to at "www.childpredators.com", where transcripts are also available.
Colorado, like most other states, requires health care officials to report suspected sexual abuse to the authorities. When older men bring a girl for an abortion -- someone young enough to be their daughter -- without a mother present, it is suspicious. Perhaps not all, but surely some of these cases are fathers who want to cover up that they're having sex with their own daughters. Yet, there is no evidence that Planned Parenthood has ever reported these cases, as they are required to by law.
3. ILLEGAL COLLABORATION WITH CHILD PROSTITUTION
Live Action sting: prolifeaction.org/hotline/2011/ppnewjersey/
4. ILLEGAL VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAWS
Live Action: http://liveaction.org/mona-lisa/phoenix-az
5. ILLEGAL ABETTING OF HATE CRIMES
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Pro-Life Candidates (October Update - Colorado 2010)
This list supersedes ALL previous lists and comments. Our position on some candidates has changed, due to new information or recent behavior (or misbehavior!).
Colorado Right to Life's candidate survey and comments here are based on one, simple definition: No candidate is considered "pro-life" unless they have pledged never to support any policy or law that would allow the killing of even one child.
Additionally, we expect that they will support Amendment 62, Colorado's Personhood Amendment. If they do not, this is noted. In practice, these two positions (Personhood and the definition of pro-life above) are one and the same. Candidates who support "rape or incest exceptions" are NOT pro-life because there is never an excuse to kill an innocent child.
Candidates who we consider 100% Pro-Life will be listed in Bold (Note: Scott Tipton's and Ryan Frazier's names appear in bold because sentences are bolded for emphasis, NOT because we believe them to be Pro-Life).
One final note -- Support for Amendment 62 has been used against some candidates, who are faced with the charge (untrue) that it would ban all birth control (it only bans forms of birth control that would cause an abortion). Senate candidate Ken Buck made a series of missteps in responding to the challenge, but is now officially "pro-Personhood, but neutral on Amendment 62". It's worth noting that very few of the other candidates are backing away from their commitments to support Amendment 62!
Colorado Governor
Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo has not responded to CRTL's survey, but he has assured both us and the Constitution Party leadership (as well as Ben Goss, the man who he replaced) that he is 100% Pro-Life with no exceptions, and we have no reason to doubt this. The Constitution Party is firmly supportive of Personhood in its party platform. Both Tom Tancredo and his running mate, Pat Miller, have endorsed Amendment 62. Tancredo was recently challenged on this position in a media interview, and he re-emphasized that he supports Amendment 62.
Republican Dan Maes supports the Personhood Amendment, has responded to our survey correctly (he had to be convinced to give up support for embryonic stem cell research) and his current statements seem to agree with Colorado Right to Life's positions. He has made statements in the past which we disagreed with, but has met with Colorado Right to Life since then. However, his appointment of pro-abortion Tambor Williams (former state representative) as his running mate shows a complete lack of understanding for what it means to support pro-life principles. Recent revelations have also made us question Maes' credibility in what he says. If Maes is ever forced to resign, that would leave Colorado with a pro-abortion Republican Governor (Tambor Williams). That is not something CRTL can accept, and we ask you to consider this before voting for Dan Maes.
Democrat John Hickenlooper is pro-abortion.
U.S. Senate
Republican Ken Buck has said in the past he supports Personhood, and has responded to CRTL's survey with answers that seemed to be correct (with the caveat that he hasn't taken a position on state ballot measures). A recent Denver Post article claimed Buck had reversed his support for Amendment 62. Buck's campaign explained that was not true, and said he had never endorsed Amendment 62. However, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and other sources claimed he had. It's not entirely clear whether he's changed his position, but his comments about not knowing it would "ban birth control" (an untrue claim - see note above) have concerned us. A representative met with him long ago to explain that some forms of birth control are abortifacient, and would be banned, but that other forms would not be.
Every time Buck tries to clarify his stance, he makes things worse, and even seems to be officially supporting abortifacient birth control (he says he doesn't support banning any common forms of birth control).
Ken Buck now seems to be embarrassed by the very pro-lifers who enabled him to win the GOP nomination, which is very disappointing, and in contrast to many GOP candidates it's the last thing we expected from him. Buck has turned his back on the pro-lifers who have supported him, and gone back on his promises to us in several ways, including that he now says he will vote to allow "pro-choice" judges. This is a betrayal, much like what we came to expect from Republicans in recent decades who campaigned on pro-life issues, then did nothing to fulfill their promises. We're tired of electing people who use us to get elected, and then do their own thing.
CRTL vice president Leslie Hanks says, "We would rather he be a statesman than a politician." Thomas Jefferson said, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." If Ken Buck is elected, CRTL will work with him, as with any other politician, but we will have a special expectation that he will follow through with what he has promised his supporters. It's not CRTL's job to back candidates, but rather to tell you who we have confidence in. We have no confidence in Ken Buck.
Democrat Michael Bennet is pro-abortion.
Unaffiliated candidate Charley Miller responded to our survey with very mixed responses. While his heart seems to be in the right place, he does not believe life begins at conception, supports euthanasia, and opposes government involvement in abortion.
Congressional District 1
Republican Mark Fallon is not overtly pro-life. The Denver Post said, "Fallon, a practicing Catholic with traditional religious beliefs, says he would remain neutral on social issues like a woman's right to an abortion and gay rights."
Democrat Diana DeGette is pro-abortion.
Congressional District 2
Both Republican Stephen Bailey and Democrat Jared Polis are strongly pro-abortion.
Constitution Party candidate Jenna Prather-Goss has responded to the CRTL survey, supports Amendment 62, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Congressional District 3
Democrat John Salazar is pro-abortion.
Republican Scott Tipton won't go on record, and tells people he is pro-life but is NOT considered by us to be honestly pro-life. Scott Tipton has avoided responding to CRTL surveys for 3 years, has lied to us and others about having responded, regularly tells voters he's pro-life and that he's responded to our questionnaire, and his website says he is pro-life but he approves of abortion in cases of rape or incest. Scott Tipton is NOT PRO LIFE and is lying in order to get your vote!
Write-In candidate John Hargis is 100% Pro-Life, and has responded to CRTL's survey. If you want to cast a write-in vote, the Secretary of State's website says a voter must write the candidate's name (John W. Hargis Sr.) in the space reserved on the ballot for write-in votes, and properly marks the oval OR connects the arrow on optical scan ballots according to the directions provided to the voter. If you want to find out more about John Hargis, his website is here (CRTL does not endorse candidates, but since he is a write-in candidate not connected to a major party, it seems reasonable to show you where to find him).
Congressional District 4
Republican Cory Gardner supports Personhood, responded to our survey, has participated in CRTL events, and is considered 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Betsy Markey is pro-abortion.
There is a Constitution Party candidate, Doug Aden, but CRTL has not heard from him to establish his positions. The ACP normally supports Personhood.
Incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn has always been solid on life issues, and has co-sponsored Personhood legislation at the national level.
Congressional District 6
Incumbent Republican Mike Coffman is on record supporting Personhood and is on record as Pro-Life with no exceptions. However, he does not appear to have co-sponsored the Personhood legislation introduced in Congress. We hope that he would vote to support such legislation if he had the opportunity, as he has pledged.
Congressional District 7
Republican Ryan Frazier has never indicated support for Personhood or a 100% Pro-Life position. He has told pro-life voters he is pro-life, but is also on record saying he doesn't believe it is government's place to interfere on the issue, except to prohibit public funding. We believe Ryan Frazier is lying to get the votes of pro-lifers, saying he is pro-life without committing to do anything about it. Ryan Frazier is NOT pro-life by any reasonable measure.
Democrat Ed Perlmutter is pro-abortion.
State Senate District 1
Greg Brophy (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 2
Kevin Grantham (R) has responded to our survey with 7 of 7 correct, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 3
Vera Ortegon (R) has responded to our survey with 7 of 7 correct, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 6
Both the Republican and Democrat candidates in this race are pro-abortion (pro-Personhood Dean Boehler was defeated in the primary).
State Senate District 7
Steve King (R) responded to the CRTL survey, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions. (King did support "emergency contraception" in a previous legislative session -- we take this as his promise he will not do so again)
State Senate District 9
Kent Lambert (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 11
Owen Hill (R) hasn't responded to our survey but we believe he is 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 13
Scott Renfroe (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions (in fact he's the only Colorado legislator to have carried the equivalent of Personhood legislation).
State Senate District 15
Kevin Lundberg (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 16
Tim Leonard (R) has said that he has not taken a position on Amendment 62, but he believes life begins at conception and past evidence indicates he is willing to protect that life through legislation. Without concrete information we cannot be more concrete in our assessment of his position.
State Senate District 20
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 22
Mike Kopp (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 24
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 30
Ted Harvey (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 31
Doug Smith (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to contact. We have no reason to believe he's pro-life except that he appears to have supported pro-life candidates in the past. If you know Doug and can get him in touch with us, please do so.
Clifton Powell (Constitution) is another candidate we've not been able to contact, but he has a track record of pro-life activism and we have every reason to believe he is 100% Pro-Life. His party is also 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 32
Tyler Kolden (R) has responded to our survey and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Chris Romer (son of the previous governor) is pro-abortion.
State Senate District 33
Lisa Ringle (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 34
No pro-life candidates.
NOTE ABOUT CANDIDATES: Senate Districts 31-34 and House Districts 1-9 are City of Denver districts, and even pro-life candidates from these districts often don't want to be on record. We would prefer if they would be public about their beliefs, but it is typical candidate behavior to avoid controversy. The same goes for Boulder Districts (Senate 16 and House 10-14).
State House District 1
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 2
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 3
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 4
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 5
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 6
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 7
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 8
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 9
C.J. Garbo (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent does not appear to be pro-life)
State House District 10
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 11
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 12
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 13
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 14
Janak Joshi (R) says he is pro-life but we've not received his survey.
State House District 15
Mark Waller (R) says he is pro-life and is willing to talk with CRTL - haven't had an opportunity to talk with him yet.
State House District 16
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 17
Mark Barker (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, pro-life without exceptions.
State House District 18
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 19
Marsha Looper (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 20
Amy Stephens (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us. Amy also stood up for us at the legislative council hearings over Bluebook wording for Amendment 62, which CRTL very much appreciates.
State House District 21
No reason to believe candidates are pro-life (Bob Gardner supported "emergency contraception" -- abortifacients -- in the legislature)
State House District 22
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 23
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 24
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 25
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 26
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 27
Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys, but we believe she is 100% pro-life.
State House District 28
Jim Kerr (R) has not returned his survey, but he did sign the Personhood petition, and may be fully pro-life. Please have him contact us.
State House District 29
Robert Ramirez (R) has responded to our survey, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Debbie Benefield is pro-abortion.
State House District 30
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 31
Tom Janich (R) has responded to the survey with 7 of 7 responses correct except that he says he supported the 2008 Amendment but has difficulty with the wording of the 2010 Amendment. We're sure this could be worked out by talking through the different wording and why it was chosen. We believe he is 100% Pro-Life.
State House District 32
Kaarl Hoopes (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
Edward Casso (D) is pro-abortion.
State House District 33
If you know Don Beezley (R) please have him respond to the survey. We hear he's pro-life but need confirmation.
State House District 34
Brian Vande Krol (R) was thought to have supported Personhood, but has since contacted our office and indicates he does not, that he is pro-abortion.
State House District 35
Edgar Antillon (R) said he was pro-life but has since distanced himself from Amendment 62. His reasons for doing so appear to be that he mistakenly believes it would prevent medical treatment for a woman whose pregnancy has life-threatening complications, which is just not true. Hopefully after the election we can work through these things with him.
State House District 36
No pro-life candidates.
State House District 37
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life. Spencer Swalm supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 38
Kathleen Conti (R) has responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Joe Rice is pro-abortion.
State House District 39
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 40
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 41
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 42
Sally Mounier (R) has responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Karen Middleton is pro-abortion.
State House District 43
Frank McNulty (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 44
Chris Holbert (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 45
Candidates did not respond to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 46
Steven Rodriguez (R) responded to our survey and supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 47
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 48
Glenn Vaad (R) signed the Personhood petition this year, which implies that he is pro-life without exception. We have not received a survey response from him though, to confirm this. He did support "emergency contraception" in the legislature, and if he would respond to our survey we could confirm his promise not to do so again.
State House District 49
B.J. Nikkel (R) supports Personhood, and we have reason to believe she is pro-life with no exceptions. We've not received her survey, so we cannot confirm this for certain.
State House District 50
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 51
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 52
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 53
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 54
Ray Scott (R) supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
Claudette Konola (D) is pro-abortion.
State House District 55
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 56
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 57
Randy Baumgardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 58
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 59
J. Paul Brown (R) has been seen on recent debate video announcing that he supports Amendment 62, and standing firm even when publicly challenged by his opponent. Though we have not heard from him, it seems reasonable to believe from his statements he is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Brian O'Donnell is pro-abortion.
State House District 60
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life. Tom Massey supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 61
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 62
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 63
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 64
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 65
Jerry Sonnenberg (R) supports Personhood, and he is pro-life with no exceptions.
Colorado Right to Life's candidate survey and comments here are based on one, simple definition: No candidate is considered "pro-life" unless they have pledged never to support any policy or law that would allow the killing of even one child.
Additionally, we expect that they will support Amendment 62, Colorado's Personhood Amendment. If they do not, this is noted. In practice, these two positions (Personhood and the definition of pro-life above) are one and the same. Candidates who support "rape or incest exceptions" are NOT pro-life because there is never an excuse to kill an innocent child.
Candidates who we consider 100% Pro-Life will be listed in Bold (Note: Scott Tipton's and Ryan Frazier's names appear in bold because sentences are bolded for emphasis, NOT because we believe them to be Pro-Life).
One final note -- Support for Amendment 62 has been used against some candidates, who are faced with the charge (untrue) that it would ban all birth control (it only bans forms of birth control that would cause an abortion). Senate candidate Ken Buck made a series of missteps in responding to the challenge, but is now officially "pro-Personhood, but neutral on Amendment 62". It's worth noting that very few of the other candidates are backing away from their commitments to support Amendment 62!
Colorado Governor
Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo has not responded to CRTL's survey, but he has assured both us and the Constitution Party leadership (as well as Ben Goss, the man who he replaced) that he is 100% Pro-Life with no exceptions, and we have no reason to doubt this. The Constitution Party is firmly supportive of Personhood in its party platform. Both Tom Tancredo and his running mate, Pat Miller, have endorsed Amendment 62. Tancredo was recently challenged on this position in a media interview, and he re-emphasized that he supports Amendment 62.
Republican Dan Maes supports the Personhood Amendment, has responded to our survey correctly (he had to be convinced to give up support for embryonic stem cell research) and his current statements seem to agree with Colorado Right to Life's positions. He has made statements in the past which we disagreed with, but has met with Colorado Right to Life since then. However, his appointment of pro-abortion Tambor Williams (former state representative) as his running mate shows a complete lack of understanding for what it means to support pro-life principles. Recent revelations have also made us question Maes' credibility in what he says. If Maes is ever forced to resign, that would leave Colorado with a pro-abortion Republican Governor (Tambor Williams). That is not something CRTL can accept, and we ask you to consider this before voting for Dan Maes.
Democrat John Hickenlooper is pro-abortion.
U.S. Senate
Republican Ken Buck has said in the past he supports Personhood, and has responded to CRTL's survey with answers that seemed to be correct (with the caveat that he hasn't taken a position on state ballot measures). A recent Denver Post article claimed Buck had reversed his support for Amendment 62. Buck's campaign explained that was not true, and said he had never endorsed Amendment 62. However, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and other sources claimed he had. It's not entirely clear whether he's changed his position, but his comments about not knowing it would "ban birth control" (an untrue claim - see note above) have concerned us. A representative met with him long ago to explain that some forms of birth control are abortifacient, and would be banned, but that other forms would not be.
Every time Buck tries to clarify his stance, he makes things worse, and even seems to be officially supporting abortifacient birth control (he says he doesn't support banning any common forms of birth control).
Ken Buck now seems to be embarrassed by the very pro-lifers who enabled him to win the GOP nomination, which is very disappointing, and in contrast to many GOP candidates it's the last thing we expected from him. Buck has turned his back on the pro-lifers who have supported him, and gone back on his promises to us in several ways, including that he now says he will vote to allow "pro-choice" judges. This is a betrayal, much like what we came to expect from Republicans in recent decades who campaigned on pro-life issues, then did nothing to fulfill their promises. We're tired of electing people who use us to get elected, and then do their own thing.
CRTL vice president Leslie Hanks says, "We would rather he be a statesman than a politician." Thomas Jefferson said, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." If Ken Buck is elected, CRTL will work with him, as with any other politician, but we will have a special expectation that he will follow through with what he has promised his supporters. It's not CRTL's job to back candidates, but rather to tell you who we have confidence in. We have no confidence in Ken Buck.
Democrat Michael Bennet is pro-abortion.
Unaffiliated candidate Charley Miller responded to our survey with very mixed responses. While his heart seems to be in the right place, he does not believe life begins at conception, supports euthanasia, and opposes government involvement in abortion.
Congressional District 1
Republican Mark Fallon is not overtly pro-life. The Denver Post said, "Fallon, a practicing Catholic with traditional religious beliefs, says he would remain neutral on social issues like a woman's right to an abortion and gay rights."
Democrat Diana DeGette is pro-abortion.
Congressional District 2
Both Republican Stephen Bailey and Democrat Jared Polis are strongly pro-abortion.
Constitution Party candidate Jenna Prather-Goss has responded to the CRTL survey, supports Amendment 62, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Congressional District 3
Democrat John Salazar is pro-abortion.
Republican Scott Tipton won't go on record, and tells people he is pro-life but is NOT considered by us to be honestly pro-life. Scott Tipton has avoided responding to CRTL surveys for 3 years, has lied to us and others about having responded, regularly tells voters he's pro-life and that he's responded to our questionnaire, and his website says he is pro-life but he approves of abortion in cases of rape or incest. Scott Tipton is NOT PRO LIFE and is lying in order to get your vote!
Write-In candidate John Hargis is 100% Pro-Life, and has responded to CRTL's survey. If you want to cast a write-in vote, the Secretary of State's website says a voter must write the candidate's name (John W. Hargis Sr.) in the space reserved on the ballot for write-in votes, and properly marks the oval OR connects the arrow on optical scan ballots according to the directions provided to the voter. If you want to find out more about John Hargis, his website is here (CRTL does not endorse candidates, but since he is a write-in candidate not connected to a major party, it seems reasonable to show you where to find him).
Congressional District 4
Republican Cory Gardner supports Personhood, responded to our survey, has participated in CRTL events, and is considered 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Betsy Markey is pro-abortion.
There is a Constitution Party candidate, Doug Aden, but CRTL has not heard from him to establish his positions. The ACP normally supports Personhood.
Congressional District 5
Incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn has always been solid on life issues, and has co-sponsored Personhood legislation at the national level.
Congressional District 6
Incumbent Republican Mike Coffman is on record supporting Personhood and is on record as Pro-Life with no exceptions. However, he does not appear to have co-sponsored the Personhood legislation introduced in Congress. We hope that he would vote to support such legislation if he had the opportunity, as he has pledged.
Congressional District 7
Republican Ryan Frazier has never indicated support for Personhood or a 100% Pro-Life position. He has told pro-life voters he is pro-life, but is also on record saying he doesn't believe it is government's place to interfere on the issue, except to prohibit public funding. We believe Ryan Frazier is lying to get the votes of pro-lifers, saying he is pro-life without committing to do anything about it. Ryan Frazier is NOT pro-life by any reasonable measure.
Democrat Ed Perlmutter is pro-abortion.
State Senate District 1
Greg Brophy (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 2
Kevin Grantham (R) has responded to our survey with 7 of 7 correct, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 3
Vera Ortegon (R) has responded to our survey with 7 of 7 correct, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 6
Both the Republican and Democrat candidates in this race are pro-abortion (pro-Personhood Dean Boehler was defeated in the primary).
State Senate District 7
Steve King (R) responded to the CRTL survey, supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions. (King did support "emergency contraception" in a previous legislative session -- we take this as his promise he will not do so again)
State Senate District 9
Kent Lambert (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 11
Owen Hill (R) hasn't responded to our survey but we believe he is 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 13
Scott Renfroe (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions (in fact he's the only Colorado legislator to have carried the equivalent of Personhood legislation).
State Senate District 15
Kevin Lundberg (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 16
Tim Leonard (R) has said that he has not taken a position on Amendment 62, but he believes life begins at conception and past evidence indicates he is willing to protect that life through legislation. Without concrete information we cannot be more concrete in our assessment of his position.
State Senate District 20
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 22
Mike Kopp (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 24
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 30
Ted Harvey (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 31
Doug Smith (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to contact. We have no reason to believe he's pro-life except that he appears to have supported pro-life candidates in the past. If you know Doug and can get him in touch with us, please do so.
Clifton Powell (Constitution) is another candidate we've not been able to contact, but he has a track record of pro-life activism and we have every reason to believe he is 100% Pro-Life. His party is also 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 32
Tyler Kolden (R) has responded to our survey and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Chris Romer (son of the previous governor) is pro-abortion.
State Senate District 33
Lisa Ringle (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 34
No pro-life candidates.
NOTE ABOUT CANDIDATES: Senate Districts 31-34 and House Districts 1-9 are City of Denver districts, and even pro-life candidates from these districts often don't want to be on record. We would prefer if they would be public about their beliefs, but it is typical candidate behavior to avoid controversy. The same goes for Boulder Districts (Senate 16 and House 10-14).
State House District 1
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 2
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 3
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 4
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 5
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 6
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 7
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 8
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 9
C.J. Garbo (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent does not appear to be pro-life)
State House District 10
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 11
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 12
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 13
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 14
Janak Joshi (R) says he is pro-life but we've not received his survey.
State House District 15
Mark Waller (R) says he is pro-life and is willing to talk with CRTL - haven't had an opportunity to talk with him yet.
State House District 16
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 17
Mark Barker (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, pro-life without exceptions.
State House District 18
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 19
Marsha Looper (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 20
Amy Stephens (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us. Amy also stood up for us at the legislative council hearings over Bluebook wording for Amendment 62, which CRTL very much appreciates.
State House District 21
No reason to believe candidates are pro-life (Bob Gardner supported "emergency contraception" -- abortifacients -- in the legislature)
State House District 22
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 23
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 24
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 25
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 26
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 27
Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys, but we believe she is 100% pro-life.
State House District 28
Jim Kerr (R) has not returned his survey, but he did sign the Personhood petition, and may be fully pro-life. Please have him contact us.
State House District 29
Robert Ramirez (R) has responded to our survey, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Debbie Benefield is pro-abortion.
State House District 30
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 31
Tom Janich (R) has responded to the survey with 7 of 7 responses correct except that he says he supported the 2008 Amendment but has difficulty with the wording of the 2010 Amendment. We're sure this could be worked out by talking through the different wording and why it was chosen. We believe he is 100% Pro-Life.
State House District 32
Kaarl Hoopes (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
Edward Casso (D) is pro-abortion.
State House District 33
If you know Don Beezley (R) please have him respond to the survey. We hear he's pro-life but need confirmation.
State House District 34
Brian Vande Krol (R) was thought to have supported Personhood, but has since contacted our office and indicates he does not, that he is pro-abortion.
State House District 35
Edgar Antillon (R) said he was pro-life but has since distanced himself from Amendment 62. His reasons for doing so appear to be that he mistakenly believes it would prevent medical treatment for a woman whose pregnancy has life-threatening complications, which is just not true. Hopefully after the election we can work through these things with him.
State House District 36
No pro-life candidates.
State House District 37
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life. Spencer Swalm supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 38
Kathleen Conti (R) has responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Joe Rice is pro-abortion.
State House District 39
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 40
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 41
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 42
Sally Mounier (R) has responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Karen Middleton is pro-abortion.
State House District 43
Frank McNulty (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 44
Chris Holbert (R) responded to our survey, supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 45
Candidates did not respond to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 46
Steven Rodriguez (R) responded to our survey and supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 47
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 48
Glenn Vaad (R) signed the Personhood petition this year, which implies that he is pro-life without exception. We have not received a survey response from him though, to confirm this. He did support "emergency contraception" in the legislature, and if he would respond to our survey we could confirm his promise not to do so again.
State House District 49
B.J. Nikkel (R) supports Personhood, and we have reason to believe she is pro-life with no exceptions. We've not received her survey, so we cannot confirm this for certain.
State House District 50
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 51
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 52
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 53
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 54
Ray Scott (R) supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
Claudette Konola (D) is pro-abortion.
State House District 55
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 56
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 57
Randy Baumgardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 58
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 59
J. Paul Brown (R) has been seen on recent debate video announcing that he supports Amendment 62, and standing firm even when publicly challenged by his opponent. Though we have not heard from him, it seems reasonable to believe from his statements he is 100% Pro-Life.
Democrat Brian O'Donnell is pro-abortion.
State House District 60
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life. Tom Massey supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 61
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 62
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 63
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 64
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 65
Jerry Sonnenberg (R) supports Personhood, and he is pro-life with no exceptions.
Friday, August 6, 2010
"Pro-Life" Means More Than it Used To (press release)
Colorado Right to Life does not issue endorsements of candidates, but we do separate the "wheat from the chaff" in terms of who is really pro-life, and who is simply using the issue as a prop to get elected.
Both Republican candidates for Governor, and both Republican candidates for U.S. Senate have endorsed Amendment 62, the Personhood Amendment. However, Jane Norton's website says she still supports rape and incest exceptions which would allow an innocent person -- the unborn child -- to be killed.
Personhood is the new definition of "pro-life" in Colorado politics. CRTL believes life begins at the very beginning -- when the sperm reacts with the ovum to create DNA for a new, individual Person with a Right to Life.
We're also greatly concerned about the 3rd Congressional District, where both candidates "say" they're pro-life, but only one candidate -- Bob McConnell -- responded to CRTL's candidate survey. Only one candidate went on record as supporting the Personhood Amendment. And only one candidate seems at all serious about defending the life of the unborn child. "Scott Tipton may think abortion is just an election issue," says Leslie Hanks, VP of CRTL and co-sponsor of Amendment 62, "but it's not. It's a heart issue, and it's a matter of life and death, and we're glad one candidate understands that."
Similar contrasts exist in other legislative races.
The 6th State Senate District (Montrose, Durango, Pagosa Springs) offers a contrast between a 100% pro-life candidate named Dean Boehler and pro-abortion Rep. Ellen Roberts. "Ellen Roberts is the most pro-abortion Republican in the entire legislature!" Hanks said. "Every time she had the option to vote for or against abortion, she voted for it." That's five different pieces of legislation, as shown by CRTL's Legislative Scorecard (2007-2008). Pro-abortion NARAL has rated Ellen Roberts 100%.
In the 2nd State Senate District (Canon City, south Pueblo, Walsenburg, Las Animas) Kevin Grantham is 100% pro-life while his opponent has said on the radio he's "pro-choice."
In Grand Junction's House District 54, Ray Scott is a 100% pro-life conservative running against Bob Hislop. Scott supports the Personhood Amendment, while Hislop does not.
In Douglas County's House District 44, Chris Holbert is 100% pro-life, and has taken the life issue very seriously, attending CRTL's legislative events. David Casiano has also endorsed Personhood and supports CRTL's positions on life issues. But their opponent, Polly Lawrence does not support Personhood, and will only say she is "Personally pro-life" (which is the same thing Bill Ritter and John Kerry said and means "officially pro-abortion").
"The Right to Life isn't just on the ballot in November," Hanks says. "It's on the ballot Tuesday, too, when only some Republicans support the little guy -- the really little guy."
coloradorighttolife.blogspot.com/2010/08/full-list-of-pro-life-candidates.html
Both Republican candidates for Governor, and both Republican candidates for U.S. Senate have endorsed Amendment 62, the Personhood Amendment. However, Jane Norton's website says she still supports rape and incest exceptions which would allow an innocent person -- the unborn child -- to be killed.
Personhood is the new definition of "pro-life" in Colorado politics. CRTL believes life begins at the very beginning -- when the sperm reacts with the ovum to create DNA for a new, individual Person with a Right to Life.
We're also greatly concerned about the 3rd Congressional District, where both candidates "say" they're pro-life, but only one candidate -- Bob McConnell -- responded to CRTL's candidate survey. Only one candidate went on record as supporting the Personhood Amendment. And only one candidate seems at all serious about defending the life of the unborn child. "Scott Tipton may think abortion is just an election issue," says Leslie Hanks, VP of CRTL and co-sponsor of Amendment 62, "but it's not. It's a heart issue, and it's a matter of life and death, and we're glad one candidate understands that."
Similar contrasts exist in other legislative races.
The 6th State Senate District (Montrose, Durango, Pagosa Springs) offers a contrast between a 100% pro-life candidate named Dean Boehler and pro-abortion Rep. Ellen Roberts. "Ellen Roberts is the most pro-abortion Republican in the entire legislature!" Hanks said. "Every time she had the option to vote for or against abortion, she voted for it." That's five different pieces of legislation, as shown by CRTL's Legislative Scorecard (2007-2008). Pro-abortion NARAL has rated Ellen Roberts 100%.
In the 2nd State Senate District (Canon City, south Pueblo, Walsenburg, Las Animas) Kevin Grantham is 100% pro-life while his opponent has said on the radio he's "pro-choice."
In Grand Junction's House District 54, Ray Scott is a 100% pro-life conservative running against Bob Hislop. Scott supports the Personhood Amendment, while Hislop does not.
In Douglas County's House District 44, Chris Holbert is 100% pro-life, and has taken the life issue very seriously, attending CRTL's legislative events. David Casiano has also endorsed Personhood and supports CRTL's positions on life issues. But their opponent, Polly Lawrence does not support Personhood, and will only say she is "Personally pro-life" (which is the same thing Bill Ritter and John Kerry said and means "officially pro-abortion").
"The Right to Life isn't just on the ballot in November," Hanks says. "It's on the ballot Tuesday, too, when only some Republicans support the little guy -- the really little guy."
coloradorighttolife.blogspot.com/2010/08/full-list-of-pro-life-candidates.html
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Full List of Pro-Life Candidates (Colorado 2010 - August Update)
This blog has been superseded by new information (which is why the links are gray). Fully updated information as of mid-October 2010 is available by clicking here.
You may still look up our detailed comments on candidates in the following places:
Governor & Senate Candidates (plus key State Senate races)
Pro-life vs. pro-abortion candidates in 3 Congressional Primaries (candidates are lying!)
Legislative Candidates' detailed comments (today's post contains updates and supersedes the old information)
We have received NEW candidate surveys in the past few days, which are listed here. Pro-life candidates' names are listed in bold.
This is a simplified list of all candidates who Colorado Right to Life considers "pro-life". To be on this list, a candidate must meet the following qualifications:
1) They must support Personhood - Amendment 62 - and be on record supporting an actual Right to Life which should be guaranteed under the law.
2) They must officially support NO ABORTIONS for any reason (other than to save the "life of the mother" which is a matter we've discussed before -- we support doing whatever is necessary to save the life of the mother, which NEVER requires trying to kill an unborn child in the womb -- candidates who support "life of the mother exceptions" are misunderstanding this, but we just need to talk through it with them).
This list includes only valid pro-life candidates for Governor, US Senate/Congress, State House and State Senate, and occasionally candidates who are NOT pro-life whose position we want to make clear (their names will not be bolded). We're sorry if the non-inclusion of a favorite candidate offends you. Candidates who are NOT on this list are either missing because they have made statements which violate either of our two criteria or because they have not responded to the CRTL Candidate Survey -- call them, e-mail them, ask them to answer, and they will be included.
Colorado Governor
Dan Maes (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Scott McInnis (R) supports Personhood (his claims of having a pro-life record in Congress are NOT true), and says he is pro-life with no exceptions (we'll hold him to that).
Tom Tancredo (Constitution) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
U.S. Senate
Ken Buck (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Jane Norton (R) says she supports Personhood, but her website supports abortions for rape or incest which violate the concept of Personhood -- she is NOT 100% pro-life.
Congressional District 1
Steve Barton (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(Mark Fallon, his Republican opponent, is not overtly pro-life: Denver Post: "Fallon, a practicing Catholic with traditional religious beliefs, says he would remain neutral on social issues like a woman's right to an abortion and gay rights")
Congressional District 2
No candidates are 100% pro-life -- Bob Brancato opposes most abortions, Stephen Bailey supports all abortions.
Congressional District 3
Bob McConnell (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Scott Tipton (R) won't go on record, and claims to be pro-life but is NOT considered truly pro-life.
John Hargis (write-in) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 4
Cory Gardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 5
Doug Lamborn (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 6
Mike Coffman (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 7
No candidates are confirmed 100% pro-life. Lang Sias hasn't responded to repeated attempts to get a response to our surveys, though he says he's pro-life. Ryan Frazier falsely claims to be pro-life while he's told newspapers he doesn't think the government should interfere.
State Senate District 1
Greg Brophy (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 2
Kevin Grantham (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent is pro-abortion)
State Senate District 3
Vera Ortegon (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Alexander Mugatu (R) supports Personhood, but also supports some abortion exceptions so he cannot be considered fully pro-life.
State Senate District 5
No pro-life candidates (pro-life Wayne Wolf doesn't appear to be on the ballot any longer)
State Senate District 6
Dean Boehler (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent supports abortion)
State Senate District 7
Steve King (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(King did support "emergency contraception" in a previous legislative session -- we take this as his promise he will not do so again)
State Senate District 9
Kent Lambert (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 11
Owen Hill (R) hasn't responded to our survey but we believe he is 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 13
Scott Renfroe (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions (in fact he's the only Colorado legislator to have carried the equivalent of Personhood legislation).
State Senate District 15
Kevin Lundberg (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 16
Tim Leonard (R) is unclear in his support of Personhood, and though he has been 100% pro-life in the past he hasn't responded to our survey.
State Senate District 20
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 22
Mike Kopp (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 24
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 30
Ted Harvey (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 31
Doug Smith (R) is a new candidate we've not had time to contact. We have no reason to believe he's pro-life except that he appears to have supported pro-life candidates in the past. If you know Doug and can get him in touch with us, please do so.
Clifton Powell (Constitution) is another candidate we've not been able to contact. His party is considered 100% pro-life. If you know him please have him contact us.
State Senate District 32
Tyler Kolden (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 33
Lisa Ringle (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 34
No pro-life candidates.
NOTE ABOUT CANDIDATES: Senate Districts 31-34 and House Districts 1-9 are City of Denver districts, and even pro-life candidates from these districts often don't want to be on record. We would prefer if they would be public about their beliefs, but it is typical candidate behavior to avoid controversy. The same goes for Boulder Districts (Senate 16 and House 10-14).
State House District 1
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 2
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 3
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 4
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 5
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 6
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 7
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 8
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 9
C.J. Garbo (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent does not appear to be pro-life)
State House District 10
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 11
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 12
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 13
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 14
Janak Joshi (R) says he is pro-life but we've not received his survey.
State House District 15
Mark Waller (R) says he is pro-life and is willing to talk with CRTL - haven't had an opportunity to talk with him yet.
State House District 16
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 17
Mark Barker (R) supports Personhood, pro-life without exceptions.
State House District 18
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 19
Marsha Looper (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 20
Amy Stephens (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 21
No reason to believe candidates are pro-life (Bob Gardner supported "emergency contraception" -- abortifacients -- in the legislature)
State House District 22
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 23
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 24
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 25
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 26
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 27
Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys, but we believe she is 100% pro-life.
State House District 28
Jim Kerr (R) has not returned his survey, but he did sign the Personhood petition, and may be fully pro-life. Please have him contact us.
State House District 29
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 30
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 31
Tom Janich (R) is responding to the survey now -- we'll update this when we see his responses.
State House District 32
Kaarl Hoopes (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 33
If you know Don Beezley (R) please have him respond to the survey. We hear he's pro-life but need confirmation.
State House District 34
Brian Vande Krol (R) supports Personhood, which we assume means he has no exceptions. We'd like to confirm this. If you know him please have him contact us. We haven't received his survey.
State House District 35
Edgar Antillon (R) says he's pro-life but we never recieved his survey. We cannot confirm.
State House District 36
No pro-life candidates.
State House District 37
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life. Spencer Swalm supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 38
Kathleen Conti (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life without exception.
State House District 39
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 40
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 41
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 42
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 43
Frank McNulty (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 44
Chris Holbert (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
David Casiano (R) recently responded that he supports Personhood, and is pro-life without exceptions.
Polly Lawrence (R) responded to our survey, indicating she is "personally pro-life" (which means she's professionally pro-abortion) -- she refused to support Personhood.
State House District 45
Candidates did not respond to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 46
Steven Rodriguez (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 47
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 48
Glenn Vaad (R) signed the Personhood petition this year, which implies that he is pro-life without exception. We have not received a survey response from him though, to confirm this. He did support "emergency contraception" in the legislature, and if he would respond to our survey we could confirm his promise not to do so again.
State House District 49
B.J. Nikkel (R) supports Personhood, and we have reason to believe she is pro-life with no exceptions. We've not received her survey, so we cannot confirm this for certain.
State House District 50
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 51
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 52
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 53
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 54
Ray Scott (R) supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
(Ray's Republican opponent is pro-abortion)
State House District 55
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 56
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 57
Randy Baumgardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 58
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 59
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 60
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life. Tom Massey supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 61
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 62
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 63
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 64
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 65
Jerry Sonnenberg (R) supports Personhood, and he is pro-life with no exceptions.
You may still look up our detailed comments on candidates in the following places:
Governor & Senate Candidates (plus key State Senate races)
Pro-life vs. pro-abortion candidates in 3 Congressional Primaries (candidates are lying!)
Legislative Candidates' detailed comments (today's post contains updates and supersedes the old information)
We have received NEW candidate surveys in the past few days, which are listed here. Pro-life candidates' names are listed in bold.
This is a simplified list of all candidates who Colorado Right to Life considers "pro-life". To be on this list, a candidate must meet the following qualifications:
1) They must support Personhood - Amendment 62 - and be on record supporting an actual Right to Life which should be guaranteed under the law.
2) They must officially support NO ABORTIONS for any reason (other than to save the "life of the mother" which is a matter we've discussed before -- we support doing whatever is necessary to save the life of the mother, which NEVER requires trying to kill an unborn child in the womb -- candidates who support "life of the mother exceptions" are misunderstanding this, but we just need to talk through it with them).
This list includes only valid pro-life candidates for Governor, US Senate/Congress, State House and State Senate, and occasionally candidates who are NOT pro-life whose position we want to make clear (their names will not be bolded). We're sorry if the non-inclusion of a favorite candidate offends you. Candidates who are NOT on this list are either missing because they have made statements which violate either of our two criteria or because they have not responded to the CRTL Candidate Survey -- call them, e-mail them, ask them to answer, and they will be included.
Colorado Governor
Dan Maes (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Scott McInnis (R) supports Personhood (his claims of having a pro-life record in Congress are NOT true), and says he is pro-life with no exceptions (we'll hold him to that).
Tom Tancredo (Constitution) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
U.S. Senate
Ken Buck (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Jane Norton (R) says she supports Personhood, but her website supports abortions for rape or incest which violate the concept of Personhood -- she is NOT 100% pro-life.
Congressional District 1
Steve Barton (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(Mark Fallon, his Republican opponent, is not overtly pro-life: Denver Post: "Fallon, a practicing Catholic with traditional religious beliefs, says he would remain neutral on social issues like a woman's right to an abortion and gay rights")
Congressional District 2
No candidates are 100% pro-life -- Bob Brancato opposes most abortions, Stephen Bailey supports all abortions.
Congressional District 3
Bob McConnell (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Scott Tipton (R) won't go on record, and claims to be pro-life but is NOT considered truly pro-life.
John Hargis (write-in) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 4
Cory Gardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 5
Doug Lamborn (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 6
Mike Coffman (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Congressional District 7
No candidates are confirmed 100% pro-life. Lang Sias hasn't responded to repeated attempts to get a response to our surveys, though he says he's pro-life. Ryan Frazier falsely claims to be pro-life while he's told newspapers he doesn't think the government should interfere.
State Senate District 1
Greg Brophy (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 2
Kevin Grantham (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent is pro-abortion)
State Senate District 3
Vera Ortegon (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
Alexander Mugatu (R) supports Personhood, but also supports some abortion exceptions so he cannot be considered fully pro-life.
State Senate District 5
No pro-life candidates (pro-life Wayne Wolf doesn't appear to be on the ballot any longer)
State Senate District 6
Dean Boehler (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent supports abortion)
State Senate District 7
Steve King (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(King did support "emergency contraception" in a previous legislative session -- we take this as his promise he will not do so again)
State Senate District 9
Kent Lambert (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 11
Owen Hill (R) hasn't responded to our survey but we believe he is 100% pro-life.
State Senate District 13
Scott Renfroe (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions (in fact he's the only Colorado legislator to have carried the equivalent of Personhood legislation).
State Senate District 15
Kevin Lundberg (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 16
Tim Leonard (R) is unclear in his support of Personhood, and though he has been 100% pro-life in the past he hasn't responded to our survey.
State Senate District 20
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 22
Mike Kopp (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 24
No pro-life candidates that we're aware of.
State Senate District 30
Ted Harvey (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State Senate District 31
Doug Smith (R) is a new candidate we've not had time to contact. We have no reason to believe he's pro-life except that he appears to have supported pro-life candidates in the past. If you know Doug and can get him in touch with us, please do so.
Clifton Powell (Constitution) is another candidate we've not been able to contact. His party is considered 100% pro-life. If you know him please have him contact us.
State Senate District 32
Tyler Kolden (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 33
Lisa Ringle (R) is a new candidate we've not been able to reach. No reason to believe either way so far.
State Senate District 34
No pro-life candidates.
NOTE ABOUT CANDIDATES: Senate Districts 31-34 and House Districts 1-9 are City of Denver districts, and even pro-life candidates from these districts often don't want to be on record. We would prefer if they would be public about their beliefs, but it is typical candidate behavior to avoid controversy. The same goes for Boulder Districts (Senate 16 and House 10-14).
State House District 1
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 2
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 3
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 4
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 5
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 6
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 7
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 8
No pro-life candidates we're aware of.
State House District 9
C.J. Garbo (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
(his Republican opponent does not appear to be pro-life)
State House District 10
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 11
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 12
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 13
We believe some of the Boulder Republicans are pro-life - please contact them.
State House District 14
Janak Joshi (R) says he is pro-life but we've not received his survey.
State House District 15
Mark Waller (R) says he is pro-life and is willing to talk with CRTL - haven't had an opportunity to talk with him yet.
State House District 16
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 17
Mark Barker (R) supports Personhood, pro-life without exceptions.
State House District 18
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 19
Marsha Looper (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 20
Amy Stephens (R) may support Personhood, and considers herself pro-life. Have not received survey responses to evaluate her positions. Please ask her to contact us.
State House District 21
No reason to believe candidates are pro-life (Bob Gardner supported "emergency contraception" -- abortifacients -- in the legislature)
State House District 22
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 23
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 24
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 25
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 26
Candidates would not return surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 27
Libby Szabo (R) has not returned surveys, but we believe she is 100% pro-life.
State House District 28
Jim Kerr (R) has not returned his survey, but he did sign the Personhood petition, and may be fully pro-life. Please have him contact us.
State House District 29
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 30
Candidates have not returned surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 31
Tom Janich (R) is responding to the survey now -- we'll update this when we see his responses.
State House District 32
Kaarl Hoopes (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 33
If you know Don Beezley (R) please have him respond to the survey. We hear he's pro-life but need confirmation.
State House District 34
Brian Vande Krol (R) supports Personhood, which we assume means he has no exceptions. We'd like to confirm this. If you know him please have him contact us. We haven't received his survey.
State House District 35
Edgar Antillon (R) says he's pro-life but we never recieved his survey. We cannot confirm.
State House District 36
No pro-life candidates.
State House District 37
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life. Spencer Swalm supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 38
Kathleen Conti (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life without exception.
State House District 39
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 40
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 41
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 42
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they're pro-life.
State House District 43
Frank McNulty (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 44
Chris Holbert (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
David Casiano (R) recently responded that he supports Personhood, and is pro-life without exceptions.
Polly Lawrence (R) responded to our survey, indicating she is "personally pro-life" (which means she's professionally pro-abortion) -- she refused to support Personhood.
State House District 45
Candidates did not respond to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 46
Steven Rodriguez (R) supports Personhood, and is pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 47
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they're strongly pro-life.
State House District 48
Glenn Vaad (R) signed the Personhood petition this year, which implies that he is pro-life without exception. We have not received a survey response from him though, to confirm this. He did support "emergency contraception" in the legislature, and if he would respond to our survey we could confirm his promise not to do so again.
State House District 49
B.J. Nikkel (R) supports Personhood, and we have reason to believe she is pro-life with no exceptions. We've not received her survey, so we cannot confirm this for certain.
State House District 50
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 51
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 52
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 53
Candidates have not responded to our survey. We have no reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 54
Ray Scott (R) supports Personhood, and is 100% pro-life with no exceptions.
(Ray's Republican opponent is pro-abortion)
State House District 55
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 56
Candidates have not responded to our survey. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 57
Randy Baumgardner (R) supports Personhood, pro-life with no exceptions.
State House District 58
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 59
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 60
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life. Tom Massey supported "emergency contraception" (abortifacients) in the legislature.
State House District 61
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 62
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 63
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 64
Candidates have not responded to surveys. No reason to believe they are pro-life.
State House District 65
Jerry Sonnenberg (R) supports Personhood, and he is pro-life with no exceptions.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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.
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.
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