Progressives Note Silence of Municipal and School Board Candidates on Hate Group Endorsement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 6, 2023
CONTACT: Sara Loflin, Executive Director, ProgressNow Colorado – [email protected]
Wendy Howell, State Director, Working Families Party – [email protected]
Nicole Hensel, Executive Director, New Era Colorado Action Fund – [email protected]
Sean Hinga, AFSCME – [email protected]
Kathy Partridge, Longmont Leads with Love – [email protected]
DENVER: Last week, ProgressNow Colorado and the Colorado Working Families Party called on municipal and school board candidates across the state – particularly from Longmont, Broomfield, Aurora, and Lakewood – to reject the endorsement of former MAGA Trump Colorado Chairman David Hunt’s group the Colorado Conservative Patriot Alliance. Candidates such as Aurora Mayoral candidate Mike Coffman and Lakewood Mayoral candidate Don Burkhart have remained silent.
ProgressNow Colorado, the Colorado Working Families Party, New Era Colorado, AFSCME, and Longmont Leads with Love took note of the silence of these municipal candidates, and released the following statement:
“The silence from candidates like Mike Coffman, Don Burkhart, and Diane Crist is deafening. As individuals who want to lead some of Colorado’s most diverse communities, we are appalled that these candidates received the endorsement of this the racist, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion, hate group;” said ProgressNow Colorado executive director Sara Loflin. “The idea that any candidate running for school board would support this extreme agenda should outrage parents across Colorado.”
“Voters throughout Colorado, especially in places like Aurora and Lakewood where viable candidates have been actively trying to distance themself from right-wing movements, want to know: Do you accept the support of the Conservative Patriot Alliance and their anti-choice, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQ network? Or will you denounce this extremist group and the hate they represent? We would urge all Coloradans who reject Trumpian extremism to be sure to get out and vote this year — and in particular to vote against any candidates on the CCPA endorsement list who do not actively condemn this organization and its extremism.” said Wendy Howell of the Colorado Working Families Party.
ProgressNow Colorado, Working Families Party, and others want to make sure that Coloradans who have yet to vote are fully informed about these municipal and school board candidates. The full list of these “MAGA Trump Colorado” endorsements is below:
Aurora:
Mike Coffman (Mayor)
Curtis Gardner (At-Large
Jono Scott (At-Large)
Stephanie Hancock (Ward 4)
Angela Lawson (Ward 5)
Francoise Bergan (Ward 6)
Broomfield:
Chris Hammerschmidt (Ward 1)
Peter Crouse (Ward 3)
Maria Boutrous (Ward 5)
Centennial:
Rick Rome (District 2)
Englewood:
Rita Russell (At Large)
Kim Wright (At Large)
Matt Crabtree (District 1)
Laurett Barrentine (District 3)
Fort Collins:
Shirley Peel (District 4)
Alexander (Adams District 6)
Lakewood:
Don Burkhart (Mayor)
Pete Del Duca (Ward 2)
Longmont:
Terri Goon (Mayor)
Steven Altschuler (At Large)
Diane Crist (Ward 1)
Loveland:
Don Overcash (Mayor)
John Fogle (Ward III)
Ezekiel Cortez (Ward IV)
Monte Vista:
Martha Lock
Loren Howard
Northglenn:
Mark Bromley (Mayor)
School Board:
Derek Eadsen (Adams 27-J)
Shawna Hirter, Shawna (Adams 27-J)
Annie Jensen (Adams 27-J)
Ben Helgeson (Adams D12)
Ken Murphy-Montoya (Adams D12)
Rebecca Elmore (Adams D12)
Max Garcia (Aurora)
Scott Graves (Cherry Creek)
Steve McKenna (Cherry Creek)
Brian McCauley (Littleton 6)
Michelle Redfearn (LPS)
Elainah Trujillo (D-JT-50)
Max Garcia (APS)
Cynthia Nevison (BVSD)
Rebecca Elmore – (Adams 12)
Ben Helgeeson – (Adams 12)
Ken Murphy-Montoya – (Adams 12)
Amara Hildebrand- (Jeffco District 4)
Tom Wicke – (Jeffco District 3)
Montana Brown – (Buena Vista D-31)
Brett Mitchell – (Buena Vista D-31)
George Richardson – (Buena Vista D-31)
Beth Suppes (50J)
Hardy Hutto (50J)
Dave DiCarlo (Douglas RE-1)
Andy Jones (Douglas RE-1)
Maria Sumnicht (Douglas RE-1)
Celeste Fitzpatrick (Cheyenne Mtn 12)
Rick Gillitt (Cheyenne Mtn 12)
Sherrea Elliott-Sterling (Harrison 2)
Dave Boyd (Widefield-3)
Tina West, (Widefield-3)
Jill Grubbs (Fountain D-8)
Parth Melpakham (D-11)
Jason Jorgenson (D-11)
Jill Hefley (D-11)
Thomas Carey (D-11)
Derrick Wilburn (D-20)
Amy Shandy (D-20)
Tom Olmstead (D-38)
Deb Schmidt (D-49)
Mark Cravens (D-49)
Ivy Liu (D-49)
Michael Calahan (Elizabeth)
Rhonda Olsen (Elizabeth)
Mary Powell (Elizabeth)
Jonathan Waller (Elizabeth)
Matt Alexander (Canon City-RE1)
Graceann Pittner (Canon City-RE1)
Tom Wenzl (Canon City-RE1)
Beth Roman (Fremont D-2)
Phillip Bogart (Roaring Fork)
Alan Kokish (Roaring Fork)
Cassie Haskell (Garfield Re-2)
Fathom Jensen – unopposed (Garfield Re-2)
Chance Jenkins – (Garfield Re-2)
Cori Dobson (Gunnison – RE1J )
Lisa Henry (Gunnison – RE1J
Thomas Wicke (Jeffco 3)
Amara Hildebrand (Jeff 4)
Sheryle Hunter (Ignacio – 11JT )
Kyri Cox (Estes Park-RE3)
Kevin Morris (Estes Park-RE3)
Andrea Booth (Poudre – RE1 )
Kurt Kastein (Poudre – RE1 )
Caleb Larsen (Poudre – RE1 )
Scott Schoenbauer (Poudre – RE1)
Nancy Rumfelt (Thompson)
Yazmin Navarro (Thompson)
Ryan Wilcken (Thompson)
Elizabeth Kearney (Thompson) – “Best” of two Democrats in her district
Barbara Evanson (D-51)
Cyndee Skalaa (D-51)
Rhonda Tracy (Cortez RE-1)
Michael Rime (Dolores Re-4A)
Dustin Goodall (Dolores Re-4A)
Dawn Schieldt (RE-1J)
Neisha Balleck (RE-1J)
Ted Valerio (RE-1J)
Charli Oswald (RE-1J)
Jimmy Bailey (Holyoke )
Cherri Brown (Holyoke – RE1J )
Mike Brown (Holyoke)
Julia Kinner (Holyoke – RE1J)
Sally Goulet (Aspen)
Sue Pannunzio (D-60)
Brian Cisneros (D-60)
Dan Comden (D-60)
Dr. Roger Wright (D-60)
Cliff Kincannon (Monte Vista)
Mike Atkinson (Summit)
Jennifer Gonzalez (Summit)
Leigh Sargent (Summit)
Danielle Surette (Summit)
Mick Bates (WP-RE 2)
Dave Illingworth (WP-RE 2)
Cassie Kimbrell (Carter) (WP-RE 2)
Anna Smith (RE3J)
Mark Allen Leach – (RE4 Windsor/Severance)
Kathy Ulrich – (RE4 Windsor/Severance)
Karen Trusler – (RE4 Windsor/Severance)
TaRissa Campbell – (RE8)
Stacey Casteel (Greeley D-6)
Scott Rankin (Greeley D-6)
Ashlee Tilley (Greeley D-6)
Amy Musgrave (Milliken RE-J5)
Kristen Schaffner (Wray – RD2)
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