Ganahl would like to be a law-and-order governor

REPUBLICANA| Heidi Ganahl, candidate for Governor of Colorado. (Foto/ El Comercio de Colorado)

ASPIRE TO BECOME GOVERNOR OF COLORADO

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

Haga click aquí para leer la versión en español

Heidi Ganahl is seeking to be the first female governor of the state of Colorado. The Republican candidate would like to win to be considered the “law and order governor”. “We’ve got to get crime under control. We are number one in auto theft, property crime, burglar, bank robberies. Crime is so bad here in Colorado. We are one of the worst states in the country,”says Ganahl.

The candidate believes that the bail system must be reformed so that it is not possible to release many of the prisoners. Ganahl indicates that “In Colorado, we have a catch and release approach so that we are the fourth worst in the country for recidivism or repeat offenders. a lot of the people who are stealing cars, who are committing crimes in neighborhoods on our families and our businesses are getting out of jail.”

Ganahl worries about the cost of living in Colorado. “It’s so expensive to live in Colorado. I’ve got to do everything I can to make it affordable again by reducing taxes, reducing fees, and reducing regulation on small business owners,” said. The candidate also wants to give parents the ability to choose their children’s schools.

Immigration and fentanyl

This Republican candidate considers that immigration issues are poorly managed. If Texas would sent a bus full of migrants to Colorado, she said that “I would act with compassion and make sure that they have what they need and that we subject them to due process to ensure that if they need asylum, that they can get it. If not, then have them follow the letter of the law.”

Ganahl says that the entry of fentanyl is the problem that worries her the most. The candidate says that “Law enforcement and ICE agents are telling me they don’t have the ability to stop it from coming in and prosecuting and keeping the drug dealers or cartels out of it. So that’s my priority around immigration is protecting Colorado from the fentanyl problem that’s destroying our communities.”

Consulta popular

The call for a popular vote o referendum is the solution that Ganahl has for the issue of abortion. “I don’t agree with late term abortion, and Jared Poll has passed one of the most aggressive or extreme bills in the country where it’s okay to abort a baby in the final weeks. I do not want to make any fundamental changes to our abortion law without checking in and getting the approval of the vote of the people of Colorado,” Ganahl concluded.

Transcribed interview

What would it be your priority being governor of Colorado?

Heidi Ganahl: A few priorities I have are, number one, school choice, making sure that our kids have good school choice options, because right now they are not learning to read, write, or do math. It’s very, very bad. So giving power back to parents.

Number two, we’ve got to get crime under control. We are number one in auto theft, property crime, burglar, bank robberies. Crime is so bad here in Colorado. We are one of the worst states in the country.

So I would like to be a law and order governor and make sure that we respect the law, but

also build relationships with law enforcement in the community. Got to address homelessness also, and fentanyl. Fentanyl is ruining a lot of our families, our communities.

It’s very, very bad right now. And then finally, it’s so expensive to live in Colorado. I’ve got to do everything I can to make it affordable again by reducing taxes, reducing fees, and reducing regulation on small business owners. So those are my passions.

In our previous conversation, you were talking about your opposition to Colorado’s Bail bond System. You said it have some consequences of increasing crime. Could you elaborate on your idea or describe your plan for fighting crime?

HG: Yes. On fixing crime in Colorado, we need a leader with a strong spine who will stand up and put drug dealers in jail, which is not happening right now. We need to stop allowing fentanyl to flow into our state and allow law enforcement to do what they can to stop that.

We’ve also got to reform bail like we talked about so that it’s not so easy to stay out of prison right now. They have a catch and release approach so that we are the fourth worst in the country for recidivism or repeat offenders.

So a lot of the people who are stealing cars, who are committing crimes in neighborhoods on our families and our businesses are getting out of jail. They’re not kept in jail. So they’re doing it again and again and again, and that’s a huge problem.

Imagine that in December, the Republican Party controls both the chamber and the Senate, and they passed Lindsey Graham bill banning abortion after 15 weeks. Would you instruct Colorado Attorney General to fight this law? or will you ask him to enforce it?

HG: I will ask this to go to a vote of the people of Colorado. I do not want to make any fundamental changes to our abortion law without checking in and getting the approval of the vote of the people of Colorado. I don’t agree with late term abortion, and Jared Poll has passed one of the most aggressive or extreme bills in the country where it’s okay to abort a baby in the final weeks. As a mom, as a woman, I don’t think that’s right. But I will put any of these decisions to a vote of the people of Colorado.

Imagine also that you are the governor, and you receive a bus full of immigrants coming from Texas. What would you do with these people?

HG: Well, I have a lot of compassion for the people. I think the politicians are handling it very badly. I want to make sure that we act with compassion and make sure they have what they need and that we put them through the due process to make sure if they are needing asylum, that they can get it. If not, then that they follow the letter of the law.

But what’s worrying me more is the fentanyl issue right now at the southern border. That’s where a lot of the fentanyl problems coming from, according to law enforcement. And in Colorado, law enforcement and ICE agents are telling me they don’t have the ability to stop

it from coming in and prosecuting and keeping the drug dealers or cartels out of it. So that’s my priority around immigration is protecting Colorado from the fentanyl problem that’s destroying our communities.

Choose one program from the current administration, the Polis administration, that you would like to continue.

HG: That I would like to continue. That’s hard. Mostly what I want to do is undo a lot of the bad decisions that he’s made. But I definitely want to support small businesses and communities and creating opportunities and jobs. I think he has a heart for that. We just have very different approaches.

I don’t believe the government should regulate and add red tape and programs and

expect them to pay higher taxes. I believe the more important way to do that is to put more money back into the people of Colorado’s pockets and let small business owners trust them to make good decisions for their employees and their customers.

Jared Polis trusts the government to do that and to mandate things. I don’t want to mandate anything. I want to trust the people of Colorado to make good decisions for themselves.

If you have Jared Polis in front of you, right now, what question would you ask him?

HG: Why the hell did you decriminalize fentanyl that is destroying our state? Why don’t you take a hard stance when it’s killing our children? It’s terrible what it’s doing to our communities, and you have taken no hard stance on this. You do not want to protect the children, the people, the communities of Colorado from this terrible, terrible poison that’s getting across our border.

Tell me, a Democrat, would you like to have a cup of coffee with?

HG: Tulsi Gabbard. She’s openminded. She’s committed to free speech. She likes working across the aisle. She’s bold. She’s not afraid to buck her party, and I think she has some common sense ideas that we could agree on.

Now imagine that in two more years, Donald Trump is the presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Would you support him?

Yes, I’ll support the Republican candidate for president. Right now Joe Biden’s a mess. He’s destroying our country. I can’t believe the things that are happening under his watch. So I believe Republicans have a much better approach.

Focuses on what you have learned in this time of your campaign. You already have a year on

campaign. What have been the first thing that you want to share with our readers?

HG: I’ve just found that the people of Colorado are really hurting right now. It’s so expensive to live here, and crime is so bad, and our kids are really struggling. We have one of the highest suicide rates for children in the country right here in Colorado and the second highest drug addiction rate for kids in the country right here in Colorado.

So we’ve got to make kids our priority. If our kids are not okay, nothing’s okay. We’ve got to get back to trusting families and communities to take care of a lot of these problems that the government has just stepped in and made worse.

Do you like music? and what music do you prefer?

HG: Yes, I love music. I love anything from Pitbull. One of my favorite songs for the campaign is “Freedom.” I love country music. I love 80s music. I graduated from high school in the 80s, so Van Halen is probably my favorite band of all time.

Do you offer additional message to the people in Colorado Western area?

HG: Yeah, I mean, I’ve grown to love the western slope of Colorado. I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time all over the south side of the state, and I’m so passionate about the issues that you are as well. I mean, I grew up here in the small town of Monument, and the small towns across our

state are what made us who we are.

We’ve got to protect you. We’ve got to give you the resources, the tools, the support that you need so that you can thrive. And it’s very different now than it was 20 years ago, but I will have your back as governor.

---

You may also like:

Polis wants to make Colorado schools the best in the nation

Barbara Kirkmeyer would support path to citizenship for dreamers

Former Sheriff McIntosh to use experience if elected

---