2026 Primary Election: Candidates for Congressional District 8

In the legislature, I’ve focused on bread-and-butter issues – including prime sponsoring the laws that fully funded Colorado’s schools for the first time in 15 years, free two-year college for students from working class families, boosting Medicaid spending and supporting our community health clinics. These policies help everyone, but especially our LGBTQ community, who are more likely to get their health insurance through Medicaid and rely on community clinics.

We also know that LGBTQ youth are disproportionately impacted by homelessness. In the legislature, as a member of the Joint Budget Committee, I increased funding for homelessness services and passed major legislation to increase housing supply to create more affordable housing.

I’m committed to continuing to advance common-sense solutions like this in Congress while protecting the rights of LGBTQ Coloradans – just as I’ve done in the State House. I am proud to have voted for and co-sponsored more LGBTQ rights legislation than any other candidate in this race.

CD-8's diversity is our strength. Growing up with my immigrant mother, I learned that families—in all their forms—deserve dignity and opportunity. I'll focus on kitchen-table issues: affordable healthcare, good jobs, and quality education. LGBTQ+ families face the same challenges. I'll fight for policies grounded in evidence, not right-wing distractions, ensuring federal programs serve everyone equitably, and I’ll draw on my experience passing dozens of Colorado laws, many with bipartisan support, to get it done.

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. In Congress, I will co-sponsor the Equality Act to help end discrimination. I also believe that colleges that expel or discipline students for being LGBTQ should not receive federal funding, and will support federal efforts like the previously introduced Exposing Discrimination in Higher Education Act. And I will work to reinstate the Department of Education, which enforces our nation’s anti-discrimination laws. I also support codifying President Obama’s Executive Order 13672, which was rescinded by Trump, which prohibited anti-LGBTQ discrimination by federal contractors.

I look forward to working with Rocky Mountain Equality on further solutions to support LGBTQ students, families, and educators.

Our schools should be safe spaces for learning, not battlegrounds. I support enforcing Title IX protections, opposing policies that endanger students and their privacy, and ensuring federally funded institutions cannot discriminate. Book bans and censorship harm all students. As someone who worked multiple jobs to put myself through high school and college, I know how critical supportive environments are. I'll push for stronger federal guidance protecting LGBTQ+ students, families, and educators from harassment and politically motivated attacks.

I believe that care should be between patients, doctors, and parents – not politicians in Washington. I will oppose efforts to criminalize care, and I will work to undo the defunding of Planned Parenthood, one of the nation’s largest providers of LGBTQ healthcare.

I’m proud to be the only candidate in this race who has already stood up to the Trump administration. Last year, as vice chair of the Joint Budget Committee, I sponsored the law that allocated funds to our Attorney General’s office to protect our state from illegal federal interference – and AG Weiser has utilized these funds to fight back and win, including in support of LGBTQ rights.

Healthcare decisions belong to families, patients, and doctors—not politicians. I’m the only candidate in this race who voted for HB 1309 to protect gender-affirming care in Colorado. I'll continue to oppose efforts to restrict care and fight to protect insurance coverage. This means defending Medicaid funding, challenging discriminatory executive orders in court, and supporting federal non-discrimination protections for healthcare providers. Families in CD-8 deserve access to the care their doctors recommend, period.

I was proud to vote for and co-sponsor Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, and would support a federal ban. I would be happy to sign on to amicus briefs in support of a potential federal ban when lawsuits challenging it are filed.

I'd absolutely support a federal ban on conversion therapy for minors. This harmful practice has been condemned by every major medical association. The science is clear: conversion therapy causes harm. I'd work with medical and legal experts to craft constitutionally sound federal legislation that protects youth while respecting First Amendment principles for religious counseling that doesn't involve coercive practices.

The reckless, politicized attacks on science at HHS and throughout federal agencies need to stop. I support efforts like the bipartisan Scientific Integrity Act to prevent political interference in these decision-making processes.

I was also disheartened to see that the Trump administration has halted and erased data collection, including when it comes to tracking HIV/AIDS. We need to reverse this policy and go back to sound, scientific data collection.

I will consult with LGBTQ groups and medical associations before voting on any legislation that may affect LGBTQ healthcare.

Federal policy must follow peer-reviewed, evidence-based science, not ideology. I'd advocate for robust consultation with medical associations, social science researchers, and LGBTQ+ healthcare organizations when crafting rules and guidance. My background in microbiology and economics taught me the importance of evidence-based policymaking, and I believe Congress needs more members with that experience. I'll demand the same rigor for policies affecting LGBTQ+ Americans.

Early on, the Trump administration rescinded the non-discrimination protections in the ACA’s Section 1557; I would seek to codify these protections, because no one should be denied care because of who they are. Broadly, I believe that the federal government should not be denying services to people on the basis of identity, and I would oppose and work to undo such efforts.

Religious freedom is fundamental, but it cannot justify discrimination in publicly funded programs. I'd oppose overly broad religious exemptions that deny LGBTQ+ people access to essential services like foster care, adoption, healthcare, or housing. We can respect religious beliefs while ensuring taxpayer-funded programs serve everyone. I'll scrutinize exemption proposals to prevent them from becoming licenses to discriminate.

We need a congressperson who shows up and engages with the community. During my time in the legislature, I hosted over 90 town halls and community coffees, and throughout this campaign, I’ve made over 100 stops across CD-8 to engage with residents, service providers, and businesses, including attending Northern Colorado Pride in Greeley, Adams County Pride, and touring Planned Parenthood, where I learned more about their LGBTQ health services.

I will continue to do the same in Congress, and will consult with LGBTQ community organizations within the district and state before voting on legislation that specifically impacts the LGBTQ community. I am proud to have voted for and co-sponsored more LGBTQ rights legislation than any other candidate in this race.

Representation means listening. I'd establish regular roundtables with organizations like Rocky Mountain Equality, meet with families facing discrimination, and maintain open communication channels. My office would actively seek input on legislation affecting the community before votes, just as we do in the State House. Having worked with diverse communities in Adams County, I understand that good policy requires hearing directly from those most impacted. Your voices will shape my priorities.