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The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Midterm voter guide: Candidates for CO governor, lt. governor

Collegian | Falyn Sebastian

Piper Russell, News Editor

Five pairs of candidates are running for Colorado governor and lieutenant governor, jobs that implement state laws and oversee the Colorado executive branch primarily.

Heidi Ganahl/Danny Moore

Republican Heidi Ganahl, founder of organizations such as Camp Bow Wow and Moms Fight Back, is running for governor of Colorado with Danny Moore as lieutenant governor. Ganahl was listed as one of Fortune magazine’s 10 Most Promising Entrepreneurs and one of Parade magazine’s top women entrepreneurs in the country.

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According to her campaign website, Ganahl “has a passion for keeping the American dream alive for future generations.” Ganahl’s platform includes the issues of safety, reducing the size of the state government and addressing mental health.

Running mate Danny Moore served 24 years in the Navy before retiring to the aerospace and defense industry. According to his website with Ganahl, Moore was the first Black man to be named cryptologic technician technical master chief in the Navy.

Moore is also the owner of a service-disabled, Black veteran-owned small business that provides the Department of Defense with engineering, scientific, technical and operational support.

Jared Polis/Dianne Primavera

Jared Polis, current Democratic governor of Colorado, is running for reelection with Dianne Primavera. Polis has been Colorado’s governor since 2019, and according to their campaign website, he has worked on lowering child care and health care costs, fighting climate change and lowering taxes. Polis has worked as an entrepreneur and businessman, starting three companies, including ProFlowers, by age 30.

His website says Polis “knows it’s more important than ever to save people money and help all families share in the amazing Colorado way of life.”

Primavera, current lieutenant governor, has worked to further the Polis/Primavera administration’s goals to lower the cost of health care through leadership of the Colorado Disability Funding Committee and Disability Policy. Primavera has also led the AmeriCorps Colorado program, Serve Colorado, according to her joint website with Polis.

Primavera also served as CEO of Susan G. Komen Colorado, a breast cancer research and treatment organization that is one of the largest in the country. She served four terms in the Colorado legislature, fighting for small businesses and expanding affordable health care access.

Paul Noel Fiorino/Cynthia Munhos de Aquino Sirianni

Paul Noel Fiorino is running as a candidate for the Unity Party with Cynthia Munhos de Aquino Sirianni as his lieutenant governor.

Fiorino ran for governor as an unaffiliated candidate in 2010 and 2014. Fiorino also ran for mayor of Denver in 2015 and for the U.S. Senate in 2016.

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Fiorino’s campaign website states he is a “singer, songwriter and political advocate for arts and humanities.” The Unity Party’s platform includes affirmation of the Second and Fourth Amendments, elimination of the federal income tax, free and fair trade and more.

Running mate Munhos de Aquino Sirianni also places emphasis on arts and humanities as well as mental health and the environment, according to her Twitter.

Danielle Neuschwanger/Darryl Gibbs

Originally from Colorado, Danielle Neuschwanger is running as an American Constitution candidate with Darryl Gibbs as her lieutenant governor. Neuschwanger has worked in real estate, opening Wild Buck Realty in 2019. She has also worked in criminal justice and health care security.

On her campaign website, Neuschwanger said, “I have strong leadership, thick skin and a winning strategy to put common sense back into legislation and prosperity back into Colorado.” Her website says she stands for the constitution, truth and justice, opportunity and common sense.

Gibbs is in the Air Force Reserve and is a former employee of the Denver Police Department. Gibbs believes his background has provided him with professional, political and financial skills for the position.

“I am running for lieutenant governor alongside Danielle Neuschwanger because I’m tired of watching the state that I love get slowly run into the ground due to bad policies and a lack of common sense,” Gibbs said on the pair’s website.

Kevin Ruskusky/Michele Poague

Kevin Ruskusky is running for Colorado governor as a Libertarian candidate with Michele Poague as his running mate. His campaign website states he has worked as a teacher for elementary to high schoolers and currently teaches U.S. history and government at Colorado Early Colleges charter school and Yeshiva Toras Chaim.

Ruskusky’s campaign platform includes better education, energy independence and “securing water rights through environmental stewardship.” According to his website, Ruskusky will also support and defend constitutional rights, including freedom to assembly, speech and religion.

Poague is a science fiction author of five published novels. She has held leadership positions with the Libertarian Party of Denver, Libertarian Party of Colorado and national Libertarian Party. She was awarded the Colorado State Libertarian Party Lifetime Achievement award and was executive producer of the Libertarian National Convention in 2008, according to her website.

Reach Piper Russell at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @PiperRussell10.

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About the Writer
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Piper Russell, News Editor

Piper Russell is one of The Collegian’s news editors this year and is thrilled to be working in the role. She started as a news reporter her sophomore...