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MAGA Heidi Conspiracies Countdown DAY 10: Anti-Vaccine Fever 

The Colorado Democratic Party is drawing attention to Heidi Ganahl’s dangerous commitment to conspiracies in a countdown to Election Day, continuing with Day 10: Anti-Vaccine Fever.

From the beginning of her campaign, MAGA Heidi has trafficked in vaccine misinformation. She even held an event with right-wing radio host Dennis Prager just weeks after announcing her candidacy.

During the town hall Prager called vaccines for children “child abuse” and bragged about putting people at risk by intentionally tring to catch COVID. When Prager tested positive for COVID after the event, the Ganahl campaign was forced to contact the attendees they put at risk by bringing Prager to Boulder.

Most recently, Ganahl has begun spreading misinformation around the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines for children. 

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MAGA Heidi Conspiracies Countdown DAY 11: Furry Fury

The Colorado Democratic Party is drawing attention to Heidi Ganahl’s dangerous commitment to conspiracies in a countdown to Election Day, continuing with Day 11: Furry Fury.

Ganahl spent weeks of her campaign pushing unfounded conspiracy theories about children “identifying as cats” and “furries” in Colorado schools. School districts immediately discredited her anti-LGBTQ moral panic, but Ganahl and her allies kept pushing this debunked hoax. 

Her campaign is so far removed from reality that they began saying they would provide “evidence” of this conspiracy to journalists by sharing photos of school children supposedly dressed up as “furries” in school.

The only piece of “evidence” ever published was this photo, provided by Ganahl’s campaign without explanation to 9NEWS’ Kyle Clark.


ICYMI: 

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MAGA Heidi Conspiracies Countdown DAY 12: Election-Denying Extremist

With only 12 days left until Election Day, one thing is abundantly clear: Heidi Ganahl’s only commitment to Coloradans is to maintain her far right-conspiracies. 

Just this week, Axios Denver reported that Ganahl told supporters there was “shady stuff going on” with regard to the 2020 election.

Ganahl has previously called questions about the 2020 election “divisive,” appointed an election denier as her running mate, and said Republicans needed to win “by a big margin” this election to overcome non-existent election rigging. She also praised an armed elections conspiracy group

Additionally, the Washington Post included Ganahl on their list of nearly 300 Republican election deniers running for office. 

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Colorado Democratic Party Stands with the Latino Community Against Right-Wing Vote Suppression Efforts

The Colorado Democratic Party issued the following statement:

“Right-wing white nationalist groups are spending significant money in Colorado targeting Latino voters with blatantly false, shocking, and ugly content designed to keep Latino voters from participating in their constitutional right to vote – with the hope of changing the outcome of elections.

Senior Trump advisor, white nationalist, Stephen Miller, the architect behind Trump’s immigration policy and supporter of the January 6 attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 US election, is using a 501(c)(3) to allow unlimited amounts of undisclosed money to fund these attacks.

The Colorado Democratic Party strongly condemns all electoral efforts designed to reduce voter participation, disenfranchise the power of the Latino vote, and the cynical use of hate speech about trans or LGBTQ Coloradans in an attempt to suppress the Latino vote.

The failure of the Republican party or any Republican candidate to denounce these attacks speaks volumes to what they are willing to do to simply get power.

These practices put democracy at risk, people’s lives at risk, and are never acceptable.  The best way to fight back is to know who is behind these efforts, hold them accountable, reject this dangerous tactic – and VOTE.”

Patricia Barela Rivera, Vice Chair of Communications 

Vicky Lopez, Chair of Jefferson County Democratic Latino Initiative 

Deb Suniga, Outreach Coordinator of the Weld County Democratic Party 

Stacey Suniga, Former Greeley City Councilwoman

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In Final Debate, Gov. Polis Highlights MAGA Heidi’s Misinformation and Misdirection

“The Question Was About Wolves”

Today in the final gubernatorial debate at Colorado Mesa University, Governor Jared Polis made short work of GOP nominee Heidi Ganahl’s misinformation and misdirection.

Despite Ganahl’s commitment to spending the night repeating tired lies and misinformation, Governor Polis displayed his signature pragmatism and data-driven decision-making to Coloradans.

In the pivotal exchange of the night, Ganahl tried to ignore the moderator’s question about reintroducing wolves, and Governor Polis shut down her lies without delay:

ICYMI:

  • Ganahl: “Yeah Jared, didn't answer the question about whether he would roll back our sanctuary–”

  • Gov. Polis: “The question was about wolves.”

  • Ganahl: “And you also didn't answer the question whether you talked to Kim Kardashian–”

  • Gov. Polis: “This was a question about wolves.”

  • Ganahl: “You don’t answer the question.”

  • Gov. Polis: “I did, are you going to get to wolves?”

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

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ICYMI: Heidi Ganahl’s Top 5 Lies

Today the Colorado Democratic Party launched a video to highlight GOP nominee Heidi Ganahl’s commitment to lies and misinformation. 

MAGA Heidi has repeated misleading statistics and falsehoods since the beginning of her campaign, and there’s little reason to expect that she will change– no matter how many times the media corrects her. 

HEIDI’S LIES: 

WATCH HERE.

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Joe O’Dea Shows True MAGA Colors with 14 Days Left

O’Dea campaigns with Republicans who proposed ending federal programs like Social Security and conspired to overturn the 2020 election

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is undermining his own claims of being a “moderate” and an “outsider” by campaigning with MAGA Republicans who proposed ending federal programs like Social Security and aided Donald Trump in his fake electors scheme to try and overturn results of the 2020 election. O’Dea also touted an endorsement from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who signed the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law to target LGBTQ+ kids and used asylum seekers as political tools. 

O’Dea is trying to mislead Coloradans with his claims of wanting to protect Social Security, however he spent the weekend campaigning with NRSC Chair Rick Scott who has released a plan that could end Social Security and Medicare.  And O’Dea also campaigned with GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel who helped plot to overturn the 2020 election with Trump’s fake electors scheme

O’Dea concluded his MAGA weekend by touting an endorsement from far-right Governor Ron DeSantis. O’Dea has grossly used same-sex marriage and Dreamers for his “moderate” credentials, but DeSantis’ cruelty toward LGBTQ+ youth and asylum seekers sends a clear message to Coloradans that O’Dea is no champion for immigrants or equal rights. DeSantis signed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law to target LGBTQ+ youth and he is under criminal investigation for luring asylum seekers onto a plane under false pretenses. 

With only 14 days left until the election, O’Dea seems to have given up on his efforts to distance himself from the far-right faction of his party and instead is embracing the MAGA agenda and election denialism. 

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Joe O’Dea Claims Big Tech is Censoring His Campaign without Evidence

“O’Dea’s claim that Google, one of the world’s most powerful tech companies, was censoring him echoes a frequent conservative talking point about bias from Big Tech.”

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is taking a page out of Trump’s playbook for a last ditch effort to save his flailing campaign. O’Dea is claiming that Google is censoring his campaign and aiding Senator Bennet without providing any evidence. According to Kyle Clark from 9News, “If Big Tech companies were censoring Republican candidates in Colorado, that would be a huge deal. If Republican candidates are making that up, just totally inventing it for political gain, well then that would be a huge deal too right?”

9News Denver: O’Dea claims Google censorship, refuses to provide evidence

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is fundraising off his claim that he’s being censored by Google, but his campaign declined to provide any evidence to support his assertion. 

“You know Democrat Michael Bennet is in serious trouble when left-wing Big Tech companies like Google rush to his aid by pulling my ads,” O’Dea said in a social media post, which asked readers to donate to “FIGHT BACK against this calculated censorship.” 

O’Dea’s claim that Google, one of the world’s most powerful tech companies, was censoring him echoes a frequent conservative talking point about bias from Big Tech.

O’Dea is the second prominent Republican candidate in Colorado to allege censorship without evidence. 

A review of O’Dea’s ad history on Google, which is publicly available, does not indicate a pattern of ads being removed, and the O’Dea campaign declined to provide evidence of its claim. 

They pointed to a screenshot of an ad posting reading, “Removed for a policy violation.”  

Such notices are common and can be a result of something as simple as a spelling error or formatting issue with the ad. Advertisers, including political campaigns, often resolve these so-called ad disapprovals by correcting the issue or appealing Google’s determination. 

According to Google, O’Dea’s advertising accounts have had a small number of violations, mostly due to formatting issues. 

A review of O’Dea's two Google ad accounts, which are publicly available to provide transparency on political ad spending, show a single ad was removed for a policy violation in June. The O’Dea campaign declined to share which policy violation was alleged by Google. That information is not publicly available. Additionally, the campaign would not say whether the issue was fixed or appealed to Google for review. 

Read more on 9News.

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PHOTOS: Mr. Doug Emhoff Energizes Voters, Thanks Volunteers in Colorado

Today, Mr. Doug Emhoff joined a volunteer meet & greet with Secretary of State Jena Griswold, candidate for Congressional District 8 Yadira Caraveo and Colorado First Gentleman Marlon Reis to encourage Coloradans to vote early ahead of Election Day. Emhoff highlighted the stakes of this year’s elections and outlined how Democrats can win Colorado this November.

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Joe O’Dea Opposed Critical Funding for Mental Health

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea proved at the Healthier Colorado Forum that he would put the MAGA agenda ahead of Colorado. O’Dea opposes the bipartisan gun bill which will invest billions in mental health. The bill was cosponsored by Texas Senator John Cornyn who O’Dea just fundraised with in Texas.

O’Dea is wrong for Colorado because he:


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Joe O’Dea Can’t Be Trusted on Abortion

“[B]ig margins also believe that [...] electing O’Dea would make it more likely that the Senate would vote to ban abortion.”

A new poll from Global Strategy Group finds that “nearly two thirds of voters believe that if the GOP takes power in Colorado, they will try to ban abortion here; and big margins also believe that if they take power in DC, they’d try to ban abortion nationwide and that electing O’Dea would make it more likely that the Senate would vote to ban abortion.

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea continues to undermine his own misleading claims on abortion by campaigning with anti-abortion extremists and labeling himself as “personally pro-life” in the most recent Church Voter Guide. He recently campaigned with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst who reportedly pushed for a national abortion ban and blocked a bill that would have provided guaranteed access to birth control

This comes on the heels of O’Dea signing a petition to put an abortion ban on Colorado’s 2020 ballot which sparked outrage because it is “at odds with his position on abortion today.

Other O’Dea anti-abortion surrogates include Tim Scott and Barbara Kirkmeyer. Tim Scott says he’s “committed to protecting the unborn” and voted for a 20-week abortion ban. And congressional candidate Barbara Kirkmeyer signed a petition in support of personhood, opposes abortion in all cases, and voted to ban the Plan B abortion pill


Colorado Times Recorder: Abortion the Main Issue in 2022 Elections According to Recent Poll

Abortion has been a major issue in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Republican businessman Joe O’Dea. Throughout the campaign, O’Dea has tried to stake out a middle position between hardline anti-abortion voices in the Republican base and the fact that abortion is overwhelmingly a popular issue with voters. 

According to Mountaineer poll, “Nearly two thirds of voters believe that if the GOP takes power in Colorado, they will try to ban abortion here; and big margins also believe that if they take power in DC, they’d try to ban abortion nationwide and that electing O’Dea would make it more likely that the Senate would vote to ban abortion.”

O’Dea has claimed that while he doesn’t support Colorado’s Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), which enshrined abortion protections in Colorado law, he also claimed he did not support the overturn of Roe. But he also said he would support the confirmation of the justices that overturned Roe. O’Dea also signed the petition to get failed Proposition 115 on the ballot, which would have banned abortion after 22 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest.

In his response to a Church Voter Guide question about protecting the “unborn,” O’Dea responded, “I was raised a Catholic and I was adopted. I am personally pro-life. I also think the men and women who adopt and provide foster care are real-life heroes.”

Yesterday O’Dea campaigned in Castle Rock with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who has pushed for a federal abortion ban and blocked legislation to guarantee access to contraceptives.

O’Dea has consistently tried to shift focus away from abortion, claiming he isn’t running on “social issues,” but rather the economy and inflation. The Mounaineer poll found that among voter concerns, abortion actually trumps the economy. “When abortion is matched against taxes and inflation as an issue, it shifts the votes significantly towards Democrats,” notes the poll. “The political benefit for Democrats is biggest among center-right white voters, particularly white non-college voters and those outside of the Denver Metro region.”

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Heidi Ganahl Goes All-In on Conspiracies

While GOP candidate Heidi Ganahl left any semblance of a “do no harm” campaign behind a long time ago, anti-vaccine conspiracies and misinformation are once again part of her campaign platform.

Ganahl has chosen to spend the last weeks of her campaign spreading misinformation by Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson.

Ganahl has a history of promoting anti-vaccine conspiracies: shortly after launching her campaign, Ganahl held an event with anti-vaccination reactionary Dennis Prager, who later announced that he had contracted COVID-19 on purpose. Last year Ganahl voted in favor of an anti-vaccine resolution as a CU Regent last year that would have eliminated all vaccine requirements, including flu and tetanus immunizations.

This is on top of the many other extreme conspiracy theories Ganahl has promoted. Most recently she has quadrupled down on saying “kids are identifying as cats” in Colorado schools–a hoax spread by Ganahl campaign volunteers on a right-wing parents group on Facebook. 

Ganahl has not apologized to the kids she shamed and targeted or the LGBTQ community, as she said she would Sunday night. She attributes her anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and positions to an elementary school play about a transgender raven.

“For over a year now, Heidi Ganahl has allied herself with extremists and election deniers, parroted baseless conspiracy theories, and promoted misinformation that has been corrected by the media again and again. As Heidi likes to say, Coloradans are not extremists–and in less than three weeks, voters will reject MAGA Heidi’s signature extremism once and for all.” – Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Kailee Stiles

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Ganahl Doubles Down on Eliminating Colorado’s Abortion Protections

“I Did Rip Up That Disgusting Bill” 

Heidi Ganahl alienated Coloradans even further Sunday night at a gubernatorial forum, pledging once again to “rip up” the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which protects Coloradans’ access to abortion–making it abundantly clear in her answer that she is pro-forced birth.

Ganahl also repeated the lie that RHEA allows abortion “on their birth date.” Medical experts agree that abortions in the third trimester are exceedingly rare and not a casual occurrence as Ganahl implies.

Colorado voters have rejected at least six abortion bans since 2000, the most recent being 2020’s extreme Proposition 115, which had no exceptions for rape and incest.

“In the face of the overturn of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, Colorado Democrats have worked to protect our freedoms and prevent the criminalization of women and their doctors in our state. Coloradans have rejected abortion bans over and over again, and Heidi’s extreme agenda will be no different.” – Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Kailee Stiles

WATCH HERE

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Will Heidi Ganahl Apologize for Targeting LGBTQ Kids?

Heidi Ganahl has thus far failed to apologize for the harm she perpetuated on LGBTQ youth, as she said she would do at last night’s Colorado Springs Gazette gubernatorial forum.

Heidi Ganahl said she would “absolutely apologize” to anyone she has hurt by tripling down on the conspiracy theory that kids are “identifying as cats” in Colorado schools. 

Ganahl has up to this point continuously ignored calls to apologize for her comments. The Colorado Democratic Party officially calls on Ganahl to make such an apology.  

“Brave Coloradans have spoken out against the harm this conspiracy causes LGBTQ+ youth. If Heidi Ganahl thinks she wants to be a governor for all of Colorado, she can start by issuing a formal apology to everyone who has suffered the damage she causes every time she talks about this hoax.” – Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Kailee Stiles

WATCH HERE

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Joe O’Dea Leaves Colorado For Texas Fundraiser with George Bush

O’Dea campaigns with Bush who tried to privatize Social Security while O’Dea misleads Coloradans on protecting Social Security

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is ditching the campaign trail (again) to fundraise in Texas tonight with former President George Bush the same week ballots are being mailed to Colorado voters. O’Dea is trying to have it both ways by self-proclaiming to be a political outsider while cozying up to Republican Party insiders.  

O’Dea has been misleading Coloradans about protecting Social Security and campaigning with Bush, who tried to privatize Social Security, raises a red flag with Colorado seniors: 

“President George W. Bush wanted to privatize Social Security and Medicare. His support for Joe O’Dea confirms that the Republican Party is still on the path to eliminate benefits paid for by workers and now receiving the benefits. Joe O’Dea and the Republican Party can’t be trusted to protect the benefits of the 65 million senior citizens on Social Security.” – Carolyn Boller, Executive Vice President of the Colorado Alliance for Retired Americans

Colorado Times Recorder fact checked O’Dea’s claims since the campaign is now running ads claiming that O’Dea will protect the benefits. In June, O’Dea said there’s “going to be a reduction in some of those programs,” when responding to a question about reducing Medicare and Social Security benefits. 

O’Dea also touted support from an organization that supported privatizing Social Security. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, the organization vouching for O’Dea “was founded to support efforts — most notably from George W. Bush in 2005 —  to privatize Social Security. Until 2016, the group was funded by the conservative Koch Brothers.”

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Gov. Polis Shows Pragmatic Leadership, Ganahl Pushes Signature Extremism at Colorado Springs Forum

Colorado Springs, CO – Following the gubernatorial forum in Colorado Springs, the Colorado Democratic Party released the following statement from Chair Morgan Carroll: 

“Ganahl’s attention during the Colorado Springs forum was on her extreme agenda and wild falsehoods, not on how to address the issues facing Coloradans. Governor Polis showed leadership and his trademark data-driven pragmatism, proving he is the right choice for Colorado.”

ICYMI, tonight Ganahl: 

  • Opposed Colorado’s red flag law, which has bipartisan support and has saved lives.

  • Admitted to raising tuition at CU, despite her previous claims that she kept tuition flat. 

  • Lied about her right-wing tax scheme, which would gut funding for schools and law enforcement, forcing local governments to raise sales or property taxes.

  • Dodged questions about her belief in conspiracy theories, including her ludicrous assertion that kids in Colorado schools are “identifying” as cats. 

  • Doubled down on “ripping up” Coloradans’ abortion protections and reproductive freedoms. She again spread misinformation about “abortions up until birth” and declared her support for forced births.

Ganahl’s performance tonight builds on her showing at the CBS4/Colorado Sun debate last Thursday, when she made it clear she is too extreme for Colorado.

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ROUNDUP: Joe O’Dea Stumbles Before Ballots Arrive

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea is facing scathing criticism from various news outlets right before Colorado voters receive their ballots next week. O’Dea is under fire for his record of hurting and underpaying workers, being supported by a racist Trump megadonor who funded the border wall, misleading voters about protecting Social Security, and more. Read more below:

Opinion & Editorials

  • Durango Herald: Our View: Vote for Bennet: Champion for Southwest

    • “In our meeting, O’Dea said he’s a ‘centrist moderate Republican,’ ‘more in the middle’ and ‘more libertarian.’ O’Dea’s self-described political persuasions are worlds away from those of a ‘rock-solid conservative.’ He can’t be both. They represent wildly different bases.”

  • Summit Daily: Opinion | Susan Knopf: Vote green

    • “In a 9News Next broadcast, he told Kyle Clark there is some debate as to the contribution of human activity. Clark called him out twice and O’Dea insisted the human contribution to climate change is in debate.”

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Joe O’Dea Continues to Campaign with Anti-Abortion Republicans

GOP Senate candidate Joe O’Dea continues to undermine his own misleading claims on abortion by campaigning with anti-abortion extremists. Today he is campaigning with former one-term Senator and Trump yes-man Cory Gardner. Next week he is expected to fundraise with George Bush in Texas and campaign with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst who blocked a bill that would have provided guaranteed access to birth control

This comes on the heels of O’Dea signing a petition to put an abortion ban on Colorado’s 2020 ballot which sparked outrage because it is “at odds with his position on abortion today.

“Joe O’Dea can lie all he wants about abortion, but campaigning with anti-abortion Republicans and a disturbing record of supporting an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest proves that he can’t be trusted. He would give McConnell and MAGA Republicans the majority they need to pass a national abortion ban.” – Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Nico Delgado

Other O’Dea anti-abortion surrogates include Tim Scott and Barbara Kirkmeyer. Tim Scott says he’s “committed to protecting the unborn” and voted for a 20-week abortion ban. And congressional candidate Barbara Kirkmeyer signed a petition in support of personhood, opposes abortion in all cases, and voted to ban the Plan B abortion pill

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Governor Polis Wins First Televised Gubernatorial Debate

Ganahl Dodges Her MAGA Agenda

Denver, CO – Following the first and only statewide televised gubernatorial debate, the Colorado Democratic Party released the following statement from Chair Morgan Carroll: 

“At the debate tonight, Heidi Ganahl proved herself over and over to be an extreme candidate focused on hiding her MAGA agenda – not on solutions for Coloradans. Governor Polis has led us through tough times, and has always done what’s right for Colorado. He will continue to get the job done, and it is crystal clear that Polis is the best choice for Colorado this fall.” 

Ganahl spent the debate throwing out wild falsehoods and personal attacks, and trying to hide her extreme agenda.

TOP TAKEAWAYS ABOUT GANAHL FROM TONIGHT’S DEBATE.

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BINGO: Play “MAGA Heidi” Bingo at Tonight’s Gubernatorial Debate

Ahead of tonight’s only statewide televised gubernatorial debate, the Colorado Democratic Party created “MAGA Heidi” Bingo to highlight the falsehoods, conspiracy theories, and absurd promises that Republican Heidi Ganahl has told Coloradans.

We know Heidi Ganahl won’t stop repeating these lies, so it shouldn’t take long to hit BINGO! 

Play here.

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