7th Congressional District: JP Lujan
Oct. 16—Name: JP Lujan
Party: Unaffiliated
Website: lujan4colorado.us
Age: 30
Family: I am married, no children yet. My wife and I reside with my mother and younger brother, and I have two sisters who live out of state.
How long have you lived in Colorado?: 30 years.
Professional background: Retail service, environmental science, gig work, and skilled trades (woodworking and automotive technology)
Political/community experience: Nothing formal
Education: BS in biochemistry (philosophy minor) from Metropolitan State University of Denver. MS in clinical mental health counseling at Walden University (in progress).
Since CD7 was recently redrawn, how do you plan to cater to new constituents in the district?: I plan to address their needs as they delineate them to me. The redrawing has brought many smaller, less urban communities into the fold of CD7. The needs of these communities differ considerably from those of the urban and suburban areas in CD7. Ultimately, however, we the people share more common interests than we are typically led to believe. Bridging the divide between new and old constituents begins with making myself available to them and listening to them.
If you win, you will be replacing longtime Rep. Ed Perlmutter. How would you plan to best fill the shoes of someone who has been in the seat since 2006?: Simply put, I wouldn't plan on that at all. I firmly believe that it's time for an entirely new proverbial pair of shoes. I am not Rep. Perlmutter, nor do I intend to follow his path or that of a traditional major party politician. I am an entirely new breed of working-class leader.
According to the Denver Regional Council of Government, Adams County is projected to be one of the fastest growing communities in Colorado. How do you plan to cater to that growth?: I would defer to the county's leadership regarding what they need, if anything, from my office and the federal government more broadly and proceed accordingly.
