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Citizen engagement is crucial in sustaining America’s experiment in representative democracy, and voting in an election is not just any ritual. Encapsulated in that act is often the purest expression of a people’s ability to choose their leaders, exactly the kind of freedom denied to so many in other parts of the world.

As a public service, we compiled this primary voter guide for the 2022 elections. This guide focuses on contested primary races, whose outcome will ultimately decide the contours – and decisions – of our executive and legislative bodies. 

A few dates to remember:

June 6 – First day that mail-in ballots are sent to voters.

June 20 – Last day for an individual to submit a voter registration application and still get a ballot in the mail

June 28 – Primary election day. The polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

We hope that you find this guide informative and useful. If there are any errors, please don’t hesitate contact editors Luige del Puerto at luige.delpuerto@coloradopolitics.com and Pat Poblete at pat.poblete@coloradopolitics.com. 

GOVERNOR

The head of Colorado’s executive branch serves a four-year term.

Democrats: 1,069,637 Republicans: 956,294 Unaffiliated: 1,682,574 Total active voters: 3,775,931

Incumbent Gov. Jared Polis, a wealthy tech entrepreneur who served five terms in the U.S. House, is seeking a second term and is unopposed in his party’s primary.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Greg Lopez

• Party: Republican
• Phone number: 303-335-0180
• Email: debbora@lopez2022.com
• Website: lopez2022.com
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 1413, Parker, CO 80134
• Twitter: @LopezforCO
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GregLopezForGovernor
• Instagram: @lopezforco
• Education: Business Administration/Public Administration

What are your top three priorities if elected??

The good people of Colorado are focused on issues that impact their quality of life, children, and communities. They feel that Colorado is no longer recognizable from the state they once loved, lived in and were safe in. The priorities: reducing crime, parents rights in education, and revitalizing small business and main street across the state.

What experience has prepared you for office???

Being the strong mayor of the newly established Town of Parker at the age of 27 provided me with the experience needed to be a servant leader for a complex, diverse, and growing population. As head of the executive branch, every department reported directly to me. Additionally, I have developed my expertise with small businesses, supply chain, transportation, education, and the armed forces in the following ways: Director of the U.S. Small Business Association; President/CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; President/CEO of the Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council; Secretary and Treasurer of the E470 Highway Authority; Director of ACE Scholarship Foundation; U.S. Air Force veteran

Heidi Ganahl

• Party: Republican
• Phone number: 720-805-8683
• Email: Heidi@heidiforgov.com
• Website: www.heidiforgov.com
• Mailing address: P.O. BOX 754, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
• Twitter: @heidiganahl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heidiganahl
• Instagram: @heidiganahl
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing, 1988, University of Colorado Boulder; Master’s degree in healthcare administration, 1999, University of Denver

What are your top three priorities if elected??

Since I launched my bid for governor, my message has been clear – we must lower our soaring cost of living (which includes gas prices), our out-of-control crime rates, and our failing education system. As a former successful CEO, I am a fiscal hawk. We can save Coloradans money by cutting back on the exploding bureaucracy in our state. Our energy industry has been decimated by regulations and fees that must also be lifted to help fuel our economy.

Crime is skyrocketing. As governor, I will return to law and order by instituting bail reform and truth in sentencing. I am the daughter of a police officer. We must reallocate resources to better fund law enforcement, fill vacancies in our police ranks, and support the training they seek.

Education and protecting our kids are a top priority. I have taken the fight for Colorado freedom to the most liberal place in Colorado – the University of Colorado. I will use the same passion and dedication to fix our K-12 education system as I have used as a CU regent. True school choice is required to ensure that 60% of our children are no longer reading below grade level. We need transparency in the curriculum that allows parents to know how and what their children are learning. People are tired of mandates over their businesses, families, and children. I am running to give control back to the people of Colorado.

What experience has prepared you for office???

I am a former CEO who turned an idea my first husband and I had together before he passed away into a small business called Camp BowWow. It grew into hundreds of franchises across the U.S., became a $150 million brand, and hit the Inc. 500/5000 list five years in a row. I am currently the only Republican elected statewide in Colorado. As a CU regent, I have overseen a $5 billion budget and over 30,000 employees. I have chaired the finance committee, the audit committee, and the search committee for the new president of CU. I have also led significant initiatives around free speech, diversity, addressing the cost of college, and against using CRT in hiring and policy practices. I have led Colorado ballot initiatives to protect TABOR called “No on Prop CC” and to protect the Electoral College and stop the National Popular Vote. I’m passionate about giving back and have founded several non-profits, including: the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, Moms Fight Back, and the Fight Back Foundation. I’m a mother of four kids – ranging in age from 10 to 26, and the wife of a barbecue cook and restaurateur.

Editor’s note: Registration numbers came from the Secretary of State’s database as of May 1, 2022