Colorado GOP Gubernatorial Primary: What You Need To Know

COLORADO — When Jared Polis was elected Colorado's 43rd governor in 2018, he became the first openly gay man in the U.S. to be elected governor. He also was Colorado's first Jewish governor.

Both candidates running in Colorado's Republican Party primary on Tuesday also would be historic firsts in the governor's mansion if they were to overcome Polis in November's general election.

Heidi Ganahl, from Lone Tree, would be Colorado's first female governor, while Greg Lopez, from Elizabeth, would become the state's first Latino governor.

Both candidates also are hoping to become something of a rarity in Colorado politics these days: a Republican elected to statewide office.

In fact, Ganahl was the last Republican elected to statewide office when she won a seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 2016, on which she still serves.

The GOP has not held the governorship since 2007. Democrats took full control of the legislature in 2018, and Republicans have not come close to winning down-ballot races such as Treasurer or Secretary of State recently, according to Colorado Public Radio (CPR) News.

"It's lonely. I need help," Ganahl told the Republican assembly in April, where she and Lopez were confirmed as the GOP's two gubernatorial candidates after both won more than 30 percent of the votes.

The 55-year-old Ganahl is a mother of four who founded, ran and sold the highly-successful Camp Bow Wow national dog care franchise. She is considered to be the more moderate Republican in the race — though Ganahl is far from a moderate, according to The Denver Post.

According to CPR News, Ganahl styles herself as a "Reagan Republican" who cares most about shrinking government and unleashing private enterprise.

Ganahl opposes legal abortion in almost all cases. Though, unlike Lopez, she would allow exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother.

Early in her campaign, Ganahl refused to respond to questions and press inquiries about where she stands on the baseless GOP claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, according to The Denver Post.

But more recently, Ganahl has said "Joe Biden is our president," though she still won't directly answer questions about whether she believes the national election results were themselves valid, according to CPR News.

Ganahl did get the endorsement of former Gov. Bill Owens, the last Republican to hold the office and somebody considered more of a centrist.

CPR News suggested Owens and other members of the party establishment may believe that hard-right conservatives, like Lopez, may have a tougher time gaining traction in an increasingly moderate and liberal state.

"It's a challenge for my party," Owens told CPR News, "And the challenge is how to get through the primary as a strong conservative, without appearing to be nuts."

On the campaign trail, according to The Denver Post, Ganahl has focused on issues like the cost of living in Colorado, public safety and growing mental health issues among children.

"I think right now people want big, bold solutions for the future," Ganahl said recently, according to The Denver Post. "We're headed down a scary path with inflation and crime and what's happening with our kids."

Ganahl often talks about how she will repeal Polis' executive orders when she gets into office, though she has been vague about which executive orders she is opposed to, according to The Denver Post.

Lopez, 58, appears to be the underdog in the race, especially from a money standpoint, where Ganahl has raised 10 times more cash. Lopez also has received fewer big endorsements, according to CPR News. However, Lopez did beat Ganahl at this past spring's state assembly

Lopez previously ran for governor in 2018, though received just 13 percent of the vote in the GOP primary won by Walker Stapleton.

Currently the co-owner — with his son — of an Aurora restaurant and bar, Lopez is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and he was elected mayor of Parker when he was just 27 years old.

Later, Lopez was appointed by the Obama administration as Colorado director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he spent six years.

However, in 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice pursued a civil case alleging Lopez had improperly tried to influence former business association colleagues several years earlier, after he had left the Administration.

Lopez agreed to pay $15,000 to settle the case, just a small fraction of what the feds were asking, according to the CPR News.

It's one of a few unsavory incidents Lopez has had to answer questions about on the campaign trail. He also was the subject of a 1993 domestic violence complaint by his wife Lisa — the couple still are married — and he received a DUI in 2003.

"I'm not a perfect man. I've made my mistakes. I've learned from them, and I think most people learn from their mistakes, and I think that's what most people want to hear," Lopez told 9News in an interview.

In many of his political views, Lopez cuts hard right: He believes Donald Trump won the 2020 election, has said the "jury is still out" on whether climate change should be a priority for lawmakers, he opposes abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother, and he told the GOP assembly that he would abolish "critical race theory and the sexualization of our kids in school," according to CPR News.

However, unlike many hard-right Republicans, Lopez told Colorado Matters that he would be open to banning the sale of AR-15-style rifles to people under the age of 21. Ganahl has expressed a similar view.

Though Lopez's political views may be clear, The Denver Post said Lopez's answers on a broad range of policy questions are "often incomplete."

According to the Post, Lopez "admitted to (the newspaper) that his platform is a work in progress. (And) he's open about the fact that he doesn't know precisely what to do about some of the state's greatest challenges."

Like Ganahl, Lopez often has talked about rolling back Polis' executive orders, without mentioning which ones he would undo.

Republican consultant Josh Penry told CPR News that he believes Democrats view Lopez as the more beatable of the challengers to Polis in November. Though recent polls show both Republican candidates well behind the incumbent.

According to Penry, Democratic-aligned groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads that could help Lopez win the primary.

"Democrats have … concluded Greg (Lopez) is the one they'd prefer to run against," Penry said.