Amanda Gonzalez, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, visited Pagosa on Aug. 28.
She's currently the clerk in Jefferson County, one of the largest in the state. So she's got some experience running elections.
She took questions about the SAVE Act, her opponent's plan to wipe Colorado's voter rolls and start over (not legal or feasible), and how we can keep our elections safe and secure.
Amanda stressed that a lot of the legal maneuvering by the Trump administration is intended to create confusion and chaos. When you need info about elections, turn to your county clerk or the secretary of state's office.
Our annual chili supper is set for Sept. 12 at the County Extension Building. We have a great lineup of candidates who will appear, and for the first time LIVE MUSIC.
This is always a fun evening, but this year is going to be better than ever. In addition to speakers and music, we'll have some great door prizes.
Dwayne Romero trails incumbent Rep. Jeff Hurd by just one point in a poll conducted in mid-July!
Two years of doing Donald Trump's bidding in Congress has left Hurd with a 48 percent unfavorable rating with voters. Unaffiliated voters and moderate favor Romero -- and why wouldn't they? Hurd has voted to give billions to ICE -- even after it became clear that ICE was out of control. He's voted for budget cuts that are hurting rural health care. He supports Trump's Iran war, which has dragged on longer than Trump expected and sent gas prices through the roof.
What does Romero bring to the table? Years of public service -- in the military and in his community. He'll fight for his constituents. He believes the law applies across the board to everyone.
The last week of July was a big one for candidate visits to Archuleta County.
On July 29, Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic candidate for governor, spoke to a crowd of about 45 people at Pagosa Baking Company. He outlined some of his plans and took questions from the crowd. Among the issues he highlighted: rule of law, health care, water, and economic development.
On July 30, we had two visitors at the Archuleta County Fair. In the morning, congressional candidate Dwayne Romero came the Archuleta Dems booth with coffee and donuts -- and his plan for unseating Rep. Jeff Hurd. Romero believes his history of service and willingness to fight for all of us in CD3 sets him apart from our current congressman.
In the afternoon, state Rep. Katie Stewart hung out with us. We talked about her work improving health-care access and affordability here in southwest Colorado. She also worked across the aisle to address the ways our state's affordable housing program doesn't work quite right for Archuleta County.
On July 31, our guest was Barb Clementi, candidate for state school board. She taught in public schools for 30 years and knows firsthand the challenges to our education system. One of the main issues she wants to address is the way funds are siphoned from public schools to private and religious institutions.
