On Nov. 8, 2022, Coloradoans get to decide if they want to give Governor Jared Polis four more years in office. For some, this decision will come down to their political affiliation — some Democrats will vote for Polis simply because he has a “D” in front of his name. Many Republicans will vote for their candidate for the same reason.

For others, the decision to re-elect Gov. Polis will come down to his governance over the last four years. With this in mind, let’s look at Polis’ track record and see if he deserves four more years as Colorado’s governor.

Key Campaign Issues

To better understand Gov. Polis and his goals for Colorado going forward, The Maverick Observer reached out to his office several times. Unfortunately, we didn’t hear back. Still, we can get a clear picture of Gov. Polis from his 3+ years in office.

Gov. Polis was sworn into office in January 2019, and during his campaign, he promised that if elected, he’d focus on four key issues:

• Foster an economy that works for everyone.
• Move to renewable resources and protect the environment.
• Save Coloradans money on healthcare.
• Fulfill every child’s potential regardless of their ZIP code.

Gov. Polis’ Dashboard shows that he met several of his “Wildly Important Goals” over the past three years regarding the economy. This includes everything from increasing businesses in rural counties in 2019 to fostering the recovery of Colorado’s economy by increasing access to capital in 2021.

Regarding the environment and renewable energy, in 2019, Gov. Polis released his “Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action” report, which included several projects designed to help Colorado become more environmentally friendly. Additionally, thanks to an overwhelming majority in the Colorado House and Senate, Democrats successfully passed several new laws governing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, promoting renewable energy in Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

On healthcare and education, Democrats successfully passed, and Gov. Polis signed into law, HB 21-1068, which requires insurance to cover yearly mental health exams, and HB 21-1232, which requires insurers, hospitals and health care providers to reduce premiums by 15 percent by 2025. Plus, they successfully passed HB 21-1304 in support of free universal preschool, which was made possible by the passage of Proposition EE.

Gov. Polis hit the ground running with his campaign promises and successfully implemented several of his goals. The question remains, were his achievements good for Coloradoans? And are there other factors Coloradoans should consider?

The Good

Gov. Polis is a Democrat, but that doesn’t mean he always agrees with his Democratic colleges in the General Assembly. This is a good thing because it shows he’s willing to think for himself and not just follow what his party wants.

For example, in 2019, Gov. Polis vetoed several bills that would’ve allowed the state to license certain occupations instead of guilds, professional associations and unions. His vetoes aligned him with conservative Republicans who had blocked such measures in the past.

Additionally, when it comes to the economy and GHG emissions, Gov. Polis has shown he’s not willing to reduce GHG emissions at the expense of the economy. For example, Democrats hoped to pass SB21-200, which would’ve given the Air Quality Control Commission power to enforce sector-specific emissions caps for a wide range of economic activities. However, Gov. Polis threatened to veto the bill stating, “We’re not willing to give dictatorial authority over our economy to one unelected board that lacks the broader mandate and expertise,” according to The Colorado Sun. Because of his veto threat, SB21-200 died in the Senate.

When it comes to the handling of COVID, Gov. Polis was the first and only Democratic governor to declare that “the emergency is over” and state he wouldn’t implement additional statewide mask mandates or closures, or penalize individuals who refused to get vaccinated.

The Bad

On the other hand, Gov. Polis fulfilled many of his campaign promises as itemized above, but not all these successes are good for Coloradoans. For example, Gov. Polis published his Roadmap for renewable energy and reduced GHG emissions, but his plan relies heavily on lithium-ion batteries. This is both shortsighted and bad for the environment, as detailed in my previous articles.

Plus, in his initial handing of COVID, Gov. Polis told non-essential businesses to close their doors. According to Colorado Politics, this cost Colorado restaurants an estimated $1 billion in losses. Of more concern is that when a small business in Castle Rock refused to close, Gov. Polis suspended the restaurant’s license. Many saw this as a clear sign of government overreach and abuse.

Furthermore, Gov. Polis signed into law a number of new bills that add up to $2.1 billion in new taxes and fees and progressive housing bills that could end up hurting Colorado’s housing prices. These new laws not only make it more expensive to live in Colorado but could also end up hurting the economy over time.

The Ugly

Finally, while Gov. Polis showed himself to be a moderate Democrat in some areas, in others he embraced controversial and progressive bills. For example, on May 20, Gov. Polis signed House Bill 21-1108, “Gender Identity Expression Anti-discrimination,” into law. This bill enforces government-mandated beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity under threat of criminal and financial penalties and codifies discrimination for anyone with a different view of human sexuality.

Plus, Gov. Polis also signed into law several bills that make it harder for law-abiding citizens to buy and own a gun and bills that legally regulate speech. All of these should be concerning to Coloradoans who value their freedoms.

Coloradoans Decide

The above is a brief overview of Gov. Polis’ governance over the past 3+ years and should give you a better understanding of the issues going into the November vote.

In sum, over the past three years, Gov. Polis fulfilled his campaign promises and showed his willingness to buck his party’s desires. But some of his fulfilled promises involved the implementation of concerning policies.

Additionally, Gov. Polis was less heavy-handed in his approach to COVID than many Democratic governors. But he still implemented measures that cost people their livelihoods, and as we’ve recently learned from a John Hopkins study, “had no detectable health benefits.” Finally, Gov. Polis has embraced progressive laws that are controversial at best. Consequently, there’s a lot to consider before voting to re-elect Governor Jared Polis.  

The Maverick Observer is an online free-thinking publication interested in the happenings in our region. We launched in February 2020 to hold our politicians and businesses accountable. We hope to educate, inform, entertain, and infuse you with a sense of community.