Boulder is part of Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, one of seven in the state that will be electing a new representative in this year’s general election to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Candidates include incumbent Democratic Rep. Jared Polis, challenger Republican Nicholas Morse and Libertarian Richard Longstreth.
Polis, a lifelong resident of Boulder, was first elected in 2008 and won the seat for the fourth time in 2014 by 56.7 percent of the vote. The congressman wants to lower the cost of higher education as well as student loan interest rates, and provide additional learning opportunities for veterans.
He also hopes to keep public lands, such as national parks, well-maintained and preserved and is advocating for green jobs training and tax credits for production of renewable energy.
Republican Nicholas Morse has lived in Colorado since 2000, and worked as a marketing executive with Madwire Media in Loveland/Fort Collins before entering the race for a congressional seat.
Although Morse is running as a Republican, he calls himself a “centrist” who is fiscally conservative and “socially neutral.”
In terms of education, the newcomer wants to provide aid for skills training, create a pre-tax option for graduates who are trying to pay back student loans and allow a 5 percent tax write-off for employers who make payments for those graduates.
He is also a supporter of fracking and plans to reopen mines and drill sites that have closed. However, he still recognizes the benefits of investing in renewable energy sources.
Libertarian Richard Longstreth is running for congressman in order to show voters that they have options other than Democrats and Republicans, and believes that the two-party system is not what this country needs.
His goals include closing U.S. military bases overseas and cutting military spending. He believes that the troops should protect the country from home. While Longstreth acknowledges that the government has a role in the country, if elected he would “leave people alone” and allow them to have the freedom to make their own choices.
Although Polis has two challengers, various political reporting services have called his seat “safe.” Having served four terms, his stable voter base, name recognition and financial standing place him on solid ground in the upcoming election.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Eliza Radeka at Eliza.Radeka@colorado.edu.
