Greenwood Village, Colorado. – At tonight’s gubernatorial debate in Pueblo, Regent Heidi Ganahl took Gov. Jared Polis to task, easily defeating him on his failed record. Meanwhile, the Governor chose to throw out unfounded accusations and tried to evade the bills he supported and signed into law.

Noting that we all must live by our records, Ganahl pointed out Polis’ record on crime:

• #1 in the nation for auto theft
• #1 bank robberies
• #1 for cocaine use
• #2 in the nation for fentanyl overdose deaths
• #4 in the nation for recidivism.

Ganahl asked Polis to address a mom in the crowd, Miki, whose daughter Heather died from fentanyl overdose. Polis shamefully would not acknowledge Miki even once during the entire debate. Polis also failed to answer any questions about the fentanyl bill he supported and signed into law in 2019 that decriminalized the drug, along with cocaine, meth, and heroin.

Statement from COGOP Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown: “Heidi Ganahl was absolutely correct when she stated that Polis is ‘living on fantasy island,’ instead of the reality Coloradans face every day. It’s clear Jared Polis can’t defend his terrible record that continues to hurt working families.”

A few notable moments:

• Polis admitted to using “reverse psychology” on the people of Colorado with Meat Out Day to make sure they bought meat.
• When Polis bragged about making things like state park passes free, Ganahl responded: “There’s nothing free…if you didn’t take economics, Governor. Taxpayers are paying for these ‘free’ programs.”
• When Polis tried to remind people about the $750 refund the state sent them this year and took credit for it, Ganahl took him to task, reminding the attendees of his real record: Polis fought to repeal TABOR while she fought to defend it.
• She also corrected the record on inflation, noting that Colorado has the highest national inflation rate since Biden took office at 15.6%.