Candidates for Colorado House face off in debate at Pueblo Community College
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With the midterm elections just two months away, Pueblo voters got the chance to hear from Republican and Democratic candidates for the Colorado House of Representatives at Pueblo Community College Tuesday evening.
Some of the candidates for this year's election have previously been on the ballot, but none are incumbents. They sparred Tuesday on divisive issues such as abortion access and election security, but also found common ground when discussing water rights and advocating for southern Colorado.
Dozens of attendees came out to the debates, which were coordinated by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and moderated by former Chieftain editor Steve Henson.
The Tuesday night series was the first of three nights of local debates scheduled this week. A gubernatorial debate and speeches from congressional candidates are scheduled for Sept. 28.
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Henson asked all of the candidates a similar set of questions, including if they thought that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. None of the three Republican candidates for state house said conclusively that Trump did not win the election, but emphasized that people need to move forward.
All three of the Democratic candidates discussed their personal experience with guns, but said that they would support measures to curb gun violence. On the other hand, the Republican candidates voiced their resounding support for the Second Amendment.
The candidates’ stances sometimes overlapped when discussing the flow of water and ensuring southern Colorado gets a fair share of federal and state monies, but often had differing opinions on how that could happen.
House District 46
HD46includes the southwestern corner of Pueblo County, the city of Pueblo apart from a chunk of the South Side, Bessemer and the East Side, and extends eastward to include the St. Charles Mesa and Avondale.
Jonathan Ambler, the Republican in the race, challenged Rep. Daneya Esgar in 2018 and 2020. He has worked in education as a teacher, administrator and superintendent and is now self-employed, according to his website.
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Democrat Tisha Mauro ran for Pueblo County Commissioner in 2020 for District 1 and lost in the primary to Epimenio “Eppie” Griego. Mauro grew up on a farm and has worked in the auto industry for more than two decades.
Esgar, the incumbent, has served the maximum number of consecutive terms since she was first elected in November 2014. She served as the House majority leader for her last term.
House District 47
HD47encompasses the southeastern corner of the state, including much of eastern Pueblo County and parts of Pueblo West. Over one-third of voters in the district are registered Republicans and one-quarter are Democrats.
Both candidates, Republican Ty Winter and Democrat Edwin “Dean” Ormiston, shared that they have deep roots and family ties to ranching and agriculture in southeastern Colorado.
Ormiston identified himself as a “conservative Democrat” and agreed with Winter on several conservative issues, but with a softer stance. For example, Ormiston said that he was “pro-life” and against abortion as a means of contraception, but added that there can be reasons for having abortions.
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Ormiston also agreed with Winter that voter identification should be required.
The incumbent for HD47, Republican Stephanie Luck of Penrose, was redistricted to HD60. Luck is seeking reelection in the new district, which consists of Custer, Fremont and Teller counties as well as a northwest chunk of Pueblo County. Democrat Kathryn Green is running against her.
House District 62
HD62 includes much of the San Luis Valley and snakes up into Pueblo to include the South Side, Bessemer and much of the East Side. The district has nearly twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans, according to the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission.
Both HD62 candidates reside in Monte Vista and have deep ties to the San Luis Valley. Democrat Matt Martinez is a veteran and works at Adams State University. Carol Riggenbach, the Republican in the race, works in elderly health care administration and is a small business owner.
Donald Valdez, a Democrat, had been the representative for HD62 since 2017. He ran to unseat Rep. Lauren Boebert for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District but did not qualify for the ballot.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado House candidates set to debate at Pueblo Community College
