Currently holds the office of Colorado State Senate - District 11 until January 12, 2027.
Candidate for Colorado State Senate - District 11 in 2026 Colorado Primary Election.
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Get StartedProtecting the reproductive rights of pregnant people is important to me. This is why I’ve supported and voted for legislation protecting a woman’s right to choose her own healthcare services. Learn more
Further legislative action could be taken to regulate the deceptive practices of certain pregnancy crisis centers, which often present themselves as being neutral clinics merely counseling women about all the options available to them in their pregnancy, but which really push women away from abortions and manipulate women into keeping unwanted pregnancies. Learn more
As a man of faith, my religion is important to me and a prominent aspect of my life. In fact, it is because I am religious, and because I have faced discrimination due to the color of my skin, that I am against the idea of people using their religion as an excuse to be bigoted, disguising intolerance as religious freedom. I believe it is critical that we continue to fight to protect our first amendment rights, and I believe our community should be a safe, inclusive place for everyone. Learn more
As I have always done, I will work hard to support laws protecting consumers from fraud, price gouging, and abuse; investing into poverty reduction programs, homelessness supports, and food pantries; growing broad economic prosperity from the ground up by expanding employment support services for unemployed and underemployed workers; protecting the rights of workers to fair pay and safe workplaces; investing in small businesses, supporting their creation and growth; and investing in community development, public transportation, and public education. Learn more
I have worked as a legislator to help address these problems, even running many bills myself to help solve some of them. If I am re-elected into the State Senate, as I hope I will be, I will continue working with teachers, students, parents, administrators, and elected officials to improve our whole education system, not just K-12 but also higher education too. Learn more
More than this: the burdens of pollution and climate change fall disproportionately on low income and minority communities. Southeast Colorado Springs, for example, is not only one of the poorest, most racially diverse parts of the city, but is also one of the most contaminated, with toxic PFAS firefighting foams in the water supply. Learn more
As we strengthen Colorado’s efforts to fight climate change, we must take an equity-focused approach to how we deal with waste, pollution, and the enforcement of regulations which protect the health and safety of all Coloradans – not just the white and wealthy ones. I will continue supporting good legislation to combat climate change, and I look forward to doing more of this good work in the State Senate. Learn more
Climate change is affecting us now, so we’re investing more into wildfire mitigation, into water conservation, into environmental protection and preservation, and into energy efficiency with our buildings, appliances, and vehicles. We’ve passed legislation addressing all of these issues, and I’ve been glad to support that legislation because I know climate change is a real threat, happening now, and we have to work to combat it. Learn more
Some guns have a place in American life, for hunting, sport, and home defense. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. When rights are abused, though, that’s a problem. I believe military-style weapons have no place in civilian hands or in our communities, and keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of dangerous people should always be a high priority. This is why I’ve supported bills to close background check loopholes and expand background check requirements, and why I’ve also supported bills requiring waiting periods, because “in the heat of the moment” is not when anyone should be given a gun. Learn more
The top healthcare priority in Colorado should be access, which means reducing costs. Cost is the main barrier to coverage for most Coloradans. While we still need meaningful action at the federal level, I believe that we can build on the steps we have already taken in Colorado. We have already taken serious steps to address the problem of rising costs by instituting a reinsurance program and expanding the availability of medical co-ops. In the last few sessions, we’ve also passed a few good mental health bills. We need to continue that good progress. People struggle also with mental health and substance abuse issues everywhere in Colorado, including in southeast Colorado Springs. Which is why I’ve been glad to sponsor and support dozens of pieces legislation supporting mental health services, including: continuing the regulation of mental health professionals; requiring the Department of Early Childhood to contract with a non-profit to provide mental health services for children; improving the safe2tell program; creating and continuing the mental health criminal justice diversion program; requiring coverage of behavioral, mental health, and substance use disorder services in parity with physical health services provided through private health insurance and Medicaid; and many others. Learn more
I would support reforming TABOR first, before I supported repealing it. I would leave in place the part requiring voter approval for any tax raise, because I do believe we as state legislators should be able to explain and justify to voters any tax increase we need to make for the state. But I would support removing those parts of TABOR which restrict year-over-year financial growth for our state and restrict our state government’s ability to spend excess collected revenues, because doing so would help us invest in schools, roads, and jobs. Learn more
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