As college students approach the November general elections, issues such as college affordability, equal access to higher education, job growth, gender and racial equality and access to the outdoors may be among the top considerations when choosing who to back in the Colorado Senate race. The Democratic candidate for Colorado Senate is John Hickenlooper, a small businessman and former Governor of Colorado. Six-year Republican incumbent Cory Gardner currently serves as senator of Colorado and is up for re-election.
Both Hickenlooper and Gardner express a deep interest in the people of Colorado on their campaign pages. As someone who lives in a small town, Gardner is an advocate for the state’s rural areas, access to the outdoors and environmental practices. Gardner believes there does not have to be a choice between addressing climate change and achieving economic growth. However, he aims to consciously reduce emissions, pushing for investments in wind and solar energy in Colorado.
Hickenlooper supports the effort to move the United States to net-zero emissions by 2050 as well as invest in research towards government-funded climate technology. He hopes these initiatives will simultaneously create jobs, challenge younger generations to pursue careers related to combating climate change and ensure equity to vulnerable communities most affected by the climate crisis.
In addition to climate policies, Gardner prioritizes fighting for Colorado’s public lands. It is important to him to protect national monuments and address critical projects in the state’s national parks. He supports the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act, which would analyze the impact of the outdoor industry.
Hickenlooper opposes selling federal lands to gas and oil companies to protect recreational space as well as natural habitats. He also wants to maintain Colorado’s national parks. Hickenlooper hopes to pass the “Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act,” which aims to designate new areas in the state as preservation sites, conservation areas or recreation management areas.
Among Hickenlooper’s top issues is addressing college affordability. He acknowledges the burden of student loan debt and seeks to broaden opportunities for loan forgiveness pathways. In addition, he supports community college access regardless of an individual’s ability to pay and programs that invest in minority-based scholarships. Hickenlooper believes in ensuring funding to colleges and universities that directly serve minority students.
Gardner hopes to increase job availability for all Coloradans by supporting technology and renewable energy industries. However, he also states that without relieving student loan debt, none of this is possible. Therefore, he backs his “Student Loan Repayment Acceleration Act” to combat this issue and amend the Internal Revenue Code to exclude employer contributions to student loan repayment from income. This will allow employees to maintain their entire paycheck if a situation arises where their employer contributes to student loan debt.
Hickenlooper has developed a plan to fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Part of this goal is wanting to pass the “Equality Act,” which would strengthen non-discrimination mandates in education, healthcare, housing and other sectors. Under this same agenda lies his goal to strengthen civil rights protections, boost economic security for LGBTQ+ business owners and workers and expand access to inclusive health care.
Hickenlooper believes the Department of Education should be a leader in advocating for and protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. He states his disagreement with the choice of Secretary Betsy DeVos to dismiss Title IX issues related to the rights of transgender students to use restrooms associated with their gender identity. All of this follows Hickenlooper’s firm belief that students cannot learn in an environment where they do not feel safe. Therefore, those in the department need to be responsible for creating a safe environment for all students.
While Gardner does not clearly make a statement in his campaign on his personal policies regarding LGBTQ+ policy and Title IX, he has supported Betsy DeVos as Secretary of the Department of Education. He voted her into office and accepted campaign funding from her and her family. Gardner stated his vote was due to her pledge to “be an advocate for public schools, teachers and educational opportunity for all.”
Of the policies she has worked to pass in this position, DeVos has proposed cuts to federal student loans and worked to rescind more than twenty policy guidelines on anti-discrimination laws for many students. This includes transgender students’ ability to choose which facilities to use and affirmative action guidelines meant to curb high punishment rates for minority students. Another policy surrounded sexual assault and altered the decision to equally acknowledge both the rights of the accused and the complainant. Gardner has not come forward with his own policies moving forward in this area but has supported the lawmaker in line with these stances.
2020 elections for the Senate, presidency and the House of Representatives will be Tuesday, Nov. 3. See the following resources on how to vote in Colorado and deadlines for registration.
