Centennial State News

Centennial State News reporter T.H. Lawrence interviewed Heidi Ganahl, the Republican candidate for governor, covering a wide range of issues facing Colorado. The following Q&A has been lightly edited for context and clarity.

Q. Why do you want to be Colorado's next governor? 

A. "Because our state is a hot mess right now. And I have four kids that I want to stay here and I want my grandkids to stay here. And crime is out of control, our kids’ schools are not doing the job and the cost of living is insane. We have 15.6% inflation right now, number one in the nation. So it's just taken a terrible turn in the last few years.”

Q. What experiences in your life will help you to best represent Colorado? 

A. “As one of the nine people that oversees the university system, we manage a $5 billion budget and are the third-largest employer in the state. It's a big job, and it's taught me a lot about reaching across the aisle and coming to compromises as our board is very split.

“It's also taught me about the deeper kind of issues with education and why school choice is so important in K through 12. Because by the time they get to college, it's a little late to focus on the issues that are really affecting a lot of these kids, like the ability to read, write, math, civics education.

“I've also been a warrior for free speech, so I've been in higher education through this tumultuous time over the last six years when free speech has really been under attack. And you know what? I plan to keep that alive and well.”

Q. Tell us a bit about your life outside of politics and how that might impact how you govern Colorado? How did you come to found Camp Bow Wow, as well as its sister charity, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation?

A. “We were the largest pet care franchise in the world. And I built it to about 200 franchises and then sold it after about 15 years in 2014 and then stayed on as CEO for a couple of years and then ran for regent.

“I was in pharmaceutical sales for seven or eight years as a young person and also started a couple other businesses on the side.”

Q. What issues do you think matter most to Coloradans? 

A. “They're really frustrated with how expensive it is to live here now. Affordable housing is one of the top issues I hear about. They're really frustrated about crime and the constant attacks on our neighborhoods, our communities, whether it's auto theft or the fentanyl problem.

“They're also really worried about schools. Parents are fired up. They don't like what's happening in the schools, and the fact that 60% of our kids can't read, write or do math at grade level here.”

Q. How are you different from Gov. Jared Polis? 

A. “People are really upset about how much control he's taken over our lives, our businesses, our kids. He's suffocated small businesses with regulations and taxes and fees.

“He's shut down our schools and sports and churches during COVID, kept pot shops open, and under his watch, we've seen crime go out of control. We're one of the worst states in the country for crime right now. We're number one in auto theft, number one in property crime, number one in bank robberies. We have the highest violent crime rate in 25 years right now in Colorado. And we're second in overdose deaths, which is probably due to his soft-on-crime policies. But he also made us a sanctuary state. So law enforcement and ICE agents at the southern border can't do a whole lot to help us out.”

Q. Why should Colorado's moderate and independent voters choose you over Gov. Polis? 

A. “He likes to say that he's very moderate. There's nothing moderate about Jared Polis. I think if we focus on solutions for crime, for fentanyl, for homelessness, which is taking over our state, and for the cost of living, which is so out of control here and reducing taxes, these regulations, I think that we will have a great success on Nov. 8.”

Q. What is your position on the issue of fentanyl in the state and how does it differ from your opponent? 

A. “It’s become a huge issue here and one that I hear about from law enforcement constantly. They're very frustrated that he decriminalized that and is not taking it more seriously. And then it came back this last session. And apparently, the bill that they passed was supposed to fix it or help, and it made it worse because it's harder to prosecute drug dealers now. So I don't think he's taking it seriously.”

“We've got a huge issue. Kids are starting to die because of it. A lot of the drugs that kids experiment with in their teen years are being laced with fentanyl. And I'm hearing more and more about fentanyl poisoning in our youth. So it's a terribly difficult issue, but it's one that we can take it on.”

Q. In your opinion, should Coloradans be concerned about the safety of their communities? In your view, what decisions have been made that have had a negative impact on safety in Colorado? 

A. “We can cancel our status as a sanctuary state. I can give law enforcement and ICE agents the tools and resources to do their jobs. I can also make sure that we educate kids on the dangers that one pill can kill right now. And I think just taking it very seriously and. Perhaps even declaring a state of emergency around that mill in Colorado.”

Q. What is your position on abortion? How does it differ from your opponents? 

A. “I'm pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest and health and life of the mother and baby. So I focus more of my ire on Jared Polis, who signed the most extreme abortion bill in the country this spring. He is OK with abortion until birth and killing a baby in the final weeks of pregnancy. I don't believe that's where Colorado is. So I'll do all I can to turn that back.”

Q. How are Colorado's children doing in school right now? What would you hope to accomplish on education if elected governor?

A. “It's all about giving power back to parents. We need choice and competition in the schools. Right now, they are not doing the right things for our kids.

“But at the same point, we need to support our teachers. Our teachers are overwhelmed with being asked to focus on social issues and not reading and writing and math. They're not paid well. The average classroom in Colorado gets $250,000 in funding, and only $50,000 of that goes to teachers. Most of it is administrative bloat, which is the same thing I see in higher education as a region. The number of administrators we have now is just mind-boggling. Let's get that money back into the classroom and then let's make parents partners in education rather than leaving them out of the equation.

“One bill that came through last session that Jared Polis and the Democrats turned down dealt with transparency and curriculum. So allowing parents to see what was happening in curriculum in the classroom, which just blows me away, that they would not want parents to be able to see what's being taught in the classroom.”

Q. Transportation is an important state issue. How will you approach transportation in Colorado? How is that different than the current administration? How will your approach impact Coloradans? 

A. “It's very different. At a press conference I talked about how I will move most of the money he's put on climate change pet projects back to fixing the actual roads. It's canceled a bunch of big road projects over the last week that would really relieve congestion.

“They do not want people driving in their cars. It's very deliberate. This is one of the top people, one of the top governors in the country, along with (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom driving towards the Green New Deal and making sure that people don't drive anymore.

“And it's such a spread-out state. People just really need a vehicle to get around, especially with colder weather. It's just not an option to walk or ride a bike. So they're not trying to emphasize the roads.

“It's crazy. They want to electrify trucks. And I don't know how it's realistic to think that a truck could actually pull a load over the Rocky Mountains with charging stations here and there. That's just not realistic. He lives in a fantasy land.”