All eyes will be on Colorado this fall because Republicans have an historic opportunity to pick up a U.S. Senate seat in a state some thought was safely placed in the Democratic column.
Joe Biden’s presidency and the polices of the Democrats in Congress have created a mess and the American people are realizing it. First, Biden and the Democratic Congress rammed through reckless and excessive spending which created inflationary pressure. Then President Biden carried out the incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan, which disillusioned Americans and the world. Through it all, Biden and his Democratic champions like Michael Bennet have refused to change course, despite all evidence that their agenda is taking the country backwards.
A recent civics poll affirms what Coloradans feel: Biden’s job approval rating is a dismal 35%.
The question for Republican voters is, will we seize the moment by nominating a common-sense conservative who will take the fight to Joe Biden and Michael Bennet on issues like inflation, the price of gas and rampant crime?
We urge Colorado Republicans to do exactly that — to seize the moment by voting for candidate Joe O’Dea.
Joe’s story inspires — adopted at birth, raised by a Denver cop, Joe started his career as a construction laborer and carpenter. Joe left college to start a construction company and has never looked back, employing thousands since and serving as CEO.
What makes O’Dea’s candidacy even more appealing? His laser focus on inflation, the cost of living, and American energy independence.
While some Democrats want to make this election a referendum on social issues like abortion, O’Dea wants to fix the immediate challenges facing the working families of Colorado and the nation.
The exploding cost of energy, and the inflationary disaster it has helped trigger, are at the top of the list. O’Dea’s formula — focusing on fixing inflation and high energy costs — is how Republicans win Colorado.
That’s because Colorado has become a case study in far-left energy policy delivering disaster. Our energy policy reflects all that is wrong with the Democratic Party today — extreme, impractical, divorced from common sense.
Joe O’Dea is running to restore balance and get America back on the path to energy independence.
We know for a fact that Colorado supports responsible oil and gas development. Voters resoundingly defeated a de facto ban on the ballot in 2018. But the anti-fossil fuel attitudes of Colorado’s Democratic state officials have created regulatory uncertainty and chased off oil and gas investment. Production has cratered.
Not to be outdone, Biden has largely tried to stifle future energy development on federal lands. Even against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and skyrocketing energy bills, Biden’s support for new production on federal lands has been meager. Biden has asked OPEC for access to its spare oil capacity while, very literally, choking off access to our own. It’s malfeasance.
And the worst part, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet votes with Biden 100% of the time.
Add all of these moves up and it is no surprise energy production is down and the price of energy at the pump and to heat our homes has exploded.
A return to balance means increasing energy production on federal lands, requiring the Bureau of Land Management to restart regular leasing on the Western Slope, which produces some of the cleanest gas on the planet.
O’Dea wants that resource to be produced for the benefit of Americans, but also for Europe and energy markets around the world. The Piceance Basin in northwest Colorado has an abundance of gas — more than 60 trillion cubic feet. Why would we sit passively while our allies buy gas from Vladimir Putin when the freedom-loving world could benefit from clean-burning Colorado gas?
In the wake of the energy chaos the Russian invasion has caused, there is a local and global leadership opportunity for Colorado and America. Now what we need is leadership.
O’Dea has also promised to encourage sensible state energy policies. A little push from a tough, accomplished, construction CEO turned U.S. Senator would remind officials that plentiful energy reduces consumer prices.
Heaven knows, Colorado needs it. Our state has an abundance of energy assets — oil, gas, wind and solar. We believe if we rally behind Joe O’Dea’s leadership and common-sense, we can unlock those resources, attack inflation, promote energy independence and get our state and country headed in the right direction. We urge voters to join us in supporting Joe O’Dea for U.S. Senate.
Gale Norton served as the 48th U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush; she previously served as the 35th Attorney General of Colorado. David Bernhardt served as the 53rd U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Donald J. Trump.
Original source can be found here
