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As the election chaos clears, much of Colorado is aware that Jared Polis is the new governor. Polis was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2008 and is now governor of Colorado. Though, it wasn’t a normal election for Polis and his fellow Coloradans. Polis is the first openly gay governor elected. This is a big step for politicians everywhere, but we need to focus instead on what Polis will do for Colorado.
The media coverage on Polis has been largely centered around his sexuality. Here are some platforms the media hasn’t covered that Polis has planned for the coming years.
This election was considered a trifecta for Democrats in the state. Colorado has had a divided government since 2015. After his election, Polis will now be a huge factor in the coming redistricting under Colorado state law.
The governor has the power to veto any redistricting efforts put forth by state legislature. Polis will now be in charge of the redistricting process of 2020, which is a big win for Democrats. Redistricting means Polis and other Democrats can draw electoral district boundaries to their advantage.
In addition, Polis plans on free full-day preschool and kindergarten, affordable healthcare for all and “good-paying jobs in every community across our state.” Though, Polis’ concentration is mostly on universal healthcare for citizens of Colorado.
For his healthcare proposals, Polis pledged to allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada. Within the first 100 days of his administration, he also plans on reworking the state’s insurance pricing zones. Though Polis says it will drive down the total cost of healthcare for Colorado, his opponent Walker Stapleton claimed Polis has no plan to pay for or implement it.
Polis believes income inequality is currently high in Colorado and wants to ensure workers across the state have access to equal work. Polis’ agenda will be to help rural coal communities find jobs and provide training for workers searching for new careers.
Other key stances for Polis and his administration
1) 100% renewable energy by 2040
2) Reproductive care and reproductive justice
3) Update Colorado’s water supply
4) Transportation efficiency
Inclusive capitalism is another platform Polis believes he can bring to Colorado. Corporations are able to fill their taxes earning and hold them off-shore. If eliminated, Polis estimated that he could bring $70 million in revenue to Colorado’s key players like schools and neighborhoods.
Polis is additionally planning for high-speed internet in rural areas. The Broadband Deployment Fund could help with funding for rural communities to receive Wi-Fi, but restrictions on the law leave the fund with less wiggle room to implement the program. Polis plans on clearing up laws involving the development of high-speed internet for rural communities that need it most.
These policies have been overlooked in media and it is important for Colorado to know what our new governor has in store. Politicians tend to promise many reforms while campaigning, so it will be interesting to see if Polis can keep his promises while in office. These are just a few things to hold the new leader of Colorado accountable for in the coming years.
Wyatt Hansen can be reached at Letter@collegian.com and on twitter at @hansolo1610.