Candidate Q&A: Colorado Senate District 12

Boxes of stickers stating “I voted” are seen at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton, Nov. 7, 2023. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline)

All 65 seats in the Colorado House of Representatives are up for election this year. Democrats currently hold a 56-19 supermajority and will likely retain the majority next year.

Senate District 12 is currently represented by outgoing Republican Sen. Bob Gardner. Republican Stan VanderWerf, an El Paso County Commissioner, is facing Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder for the seat. It leans 2.4% percentage points to the right, according to an analysis of recent election results.

The district is in the western part of the Colorado Springs area along Interstate 25, with Falcon in the north and Fountain in the south.

Registered voters in Colorado should soon receive their ballots in the mail for the Nov. 5 general election, which includes races for president, Congress, the state Legislature, the University of Colorado Board of Regents and other local positions, as well as a handful of statewide ballot measures.

Voters can contact their county clerk if they have not received their ballot or check the online BallotTrax system. They can also visit the secretary of state’s website to make a plan to vote in person ahead of or on Election Day. Ballots need to be received by the county clerk by 7 p.m. on that day, so voters should make a plan to mail their ballot at least eight days ahead of time or drop it off in person.

Voters can find their state legislative districts at the General Assembly’s website.

Snyder did not return survey responses.

If elected, what would be your top three priorities during the 2025 legislative session?

VANDERWERF: From polling in my district, the top three issues are illegal immigration (public safety), inflation, and economy in priority order. These will be my top three priorities. From immigration we have the challenges of increased use of fentanyl, human trafficking, and increasing numbers of terrorists who want to inflict another 9/11 on us. Economic challenges include increased energy costs, increased state regulatory burdens on citizens and companies, increased housing costs, and increases in costs on just about everything. We need to allow local law enforcement to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is presently restricted by Colorado law. We need construction defect reform to increase the stock of multifamily housing. We need to support all sources of energy production. We need to reduce regulatory burdens inflicted by state law on companies and citizens.

What unique perspective and life experiences would you bring to the General Assembly?

VANDERWERF: I have more than 35 years running public operations and creating and running private companies. I served 28 years in the military including a combat tour in Iraq and commander of large military organizations. I have served almost eight years as a county commissioner in El Paso County, the largest county in the state. I have worked on many issues including legislative issues at the state and federal level. I am the former chair of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, the Denver Regional Council of Governments equivalent for the Pikes Peak region. I am also former chair of the El Paso County Board of Commissioners and presently serve on two state boards dealing with rulemaking challenges trying to implement state law. I have a great network of friends who are government, private, and civic leaders and can quickly work with citizens, associations, and companies to help build better common sense legislation.

Coloradans told us through the Voter Voices survey that rising cost of living is a top issue for them this election year. How do you feel the Legislature can most effectively address the cost-of-living for Coloradans across all backgrounds?

VANDERWERF: We polled my district and discovered similar concerns. Current Colorado policy toward energy production is raising prices on everything. Better would be an all-sources approach including nuclear and geothermal. Additionally, the state has doubled in revenue and regulatory agency size in the last 10 years. Correspondingly, regulatory burdens have also increased substantially. In a recent small business forum 85 small business leaders were highly critical of Colorado’s increase in regulatory burdens. My opponent in this race, despite his claims, has contributed intensively to energy cost increases, regulatory burdens, and housing cost increases. As an industrial engineer, I have unique skills I have used my whole professional life to reduce the cost of compliance and implementation. I am discussing several of these achievements in my campaign. The citizens of Colorado will benefit greatly from my skills in the state Senate to help reduce regulatory burdens.

Democrats are expected to hold onto a wide majority next year. What does good governance look like in that political environment?

VANDERWERF: I have been told by Republicans and Democrats alike that to have good governance, no one party should have too much power. The Colorado Senate is one seat away from a Democrat supermajority and they already have a supermajority in the House. On this one point alone, to ensure balance in Colorado, residents in Senate District 12 should vote for me, the Republican. I am happy to report I have many Democrats supporting my race because they also want balance. They fear too much power in any one party including their own. As a Republican, I have and will continue to reach across the aisle to discuss issues important to our citizens. Indeed I am a Gov. Polis appointee to the State Board of Health, and Democrats across my district know they can reach out to me any time.

Residents across the state are concerned with air quality, from wildfire effects in the northwest to pollution along the Front Range. How can the Legislature work to ensure clean air for all Coloradans?

VANDERWERF: From polling my district, air quality did not come up in the top 20 priorities. Safety from forest fires was a higher priority and the biggest risk is from the Pike National Forest. I have helped obtain millions of dollars for the Pike National Forest to do mechanical fire risk mitigation. This is ongoing now and is substantially reducing fire risk. To the specific question, in El Paso County we are meeting all EPA air pollution requirements unlike many other Front Range areas. Regardless, I am working on ozone air quality in the Pikes Peak region. As the former chair of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, I helped us join a four-state coalition asking the federal government to mitigate ozone sources from outside Colorado, which makes up more than 50% of the ozone we encounter. This effort is bipartisan and supported by Gov. Polis and Republican governors.