While Democrats have long considered House District 62 safely in their column, 2006 saw Republicans almost take this southern Colorado seat. Two years later as both parties prepare for November's election, the GOP is hopeful that its second stab at the seat may be the charm.
House District 62
Map courtesy CoMaps.orgJackson has come out swinging. “Democrat gerrymandering during the 2002 redistricting brought Pueblo into our district and changed the ideological make-up,” Jackson said. According to Jackson, people of the San Luis Valley tend to cross party lines and vote on “valley issues” like water and agriculture. Compared to the urban Pueblo that has voted overwhelming for Democrats in the last three election cycles. Jackson hopes that he will gain support for his positions on “valley issues,” while the two Democrats fight each other instead of him.
While nearly 48 percent of all district voters are registered Democrats and just 26 percent are Republicans, the 26 percent of voters that are unaffiliated have played a big role in recent elections. In the 2006 contest, Gallegos won by just over 2,000 votes. Unlike other heated state-level races this go-around, this race has not seen any dramatic infusions of cash. As of the candidates' last campaign finance report, due July 7th, Jackson had $883.49, compared to White's $4,147.62 and Vigil's $1,290.
“My platform is like a three-legged stool,” said Jackson. “I support a healthy economy, healthy citizens and a healthy environment.” Jackson proclaims himself an economist at heart and says that you can’t have two legs without the other. “Democrats tend to focus on health and the environment at the expense of the economy.”
The focus of White’s campaign has been health care reform, with a focus on progressive support of universal health care and a single-payer system. “What we need to do is move towards a social insurance model,” said White. According to White, about 24 percent of HD 62 is uninsured, higher than the state average of 17 percent.
Jackson agrees that the health care system in American is broken, but he does not believe socialized medicine is the answer. “We need to deregulate,” he said. “Rocky White wants a Canadian care kind of system, but he doesn’t see the challenges that Canada faces.” Jackson argues that the Canadian health care system is plagued by limited access, longer waiting times than in the U.S.,and a shortage of doctors. Those who can afford to do so often cross into the United States for medical care.
Vigil is taking a different approach altogether. He says the biggest problem in the valley is unfunded mandates. “We are stuck upholding state statute, but the state is not putting enough money into our jails,” Vigil said. As Costilla County Commissioner, he says he sees first hand how counties bear the brunt of unfunded mandates.
As a small business owner, Jackson also begrudges unfunded mandates and over-regulation. “Sometimes I find my business double and triple regulated, and those regulations often contradict each other,” he said. “It costs me and my employees a lot of money to comply with that.”
All three candidates have begun campaigning, but the geography of the district makes that a difficult task. It takes about four hours to traverse the district end to end. With a door-to-door knocking campaign made difficult, all three candidates are attending community events, group meetings and doing their best to meet people.
“I’m making myself available to the public,” said White. “I believe that is the most important thing a representative can do.” White added that he has heard a lot of complaints from constituents who say Gallegos was “very non-responsive.”