Peg,
(I was opposed to the idea of opting-out at first, but then I realized there were a lot of advantages.) Read below:
At his State of the State Address in February, Governor Polis cast his vision for how we should fundamentally transform Colorado – a vision he and his majority in the General Assembly worked hard to accomplish throughout the 2021 legislative session.
If you are anything like my constituents, you do not want to fundamentally transform Colorado.
You believe in our founding principles, our system of government, our way of life. You recognize that the ideas that birthed our nation have brought us more peace, stability, prosperity, and opportunity than the world has ever known.
To abandon these ideas now would be devastating for our generation and for those generations that follow.
As leaders of the Republican Party, we must take every opportunity before us to preserve our Republic, to strengthen our communities, and to equip our neighbors.
We must succeed in electing leaders who understand that government exists to secure liberty and that officials serve only with the consent of the governed.
One such opportunity we must take is to opt-out of the open primary at our State GOP Central Committee meeting on September 18, 2021.
I hate politics. No, it’s true. I. Hate. Politics. But I love people: the young, the old, the rich, the poor – everyone.
Like you, I want to see them all thrive. It was this passion that led me to run for office and to stand in the gap for my neighbors and friends. It was also this passion that led my campaign team to abandon the conventional wisdom of political consultants and to pursue a new strategy.
People thought we were crazy.
We were running in a district that included Pueblo County (not exactly a GOP safe-haven).
We were up against a Democrat incumbent whose campaign spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to advance an outlandish and deceptive narrative (compared to our paltry $30,000).
The situation looked so bleak that even traditional Republican supporters, like the National Rifle Association, endorsed our opponent.
So how is it that we were the only state-level campaign to have successfully defeated an incumbent Democrat in a swing district in the 2020 election?
It’s actually very simple.
By the grace of God, we were able to build relationships; we emphasized one-on-one, face-to-face connections with our neighbors.
Any campaign could mail off a slick postcard that lacks heart, but we knew that times had changed.
People were craving community, belonging, and attention.
They wanted to know that someone would listen to them and would be there for them and their families, so we built a network that we continue to nurture to this day.
Together we can accomplish something similar for our party statewide.
By choosing to get back to basics - the grassroots caucus and assembly nomination model - we will focus on what really matters: our neighbors and communities.
Therefore, please join me and others in opting out of the open primary. By opting out of the open primary, Colorado Republicans will be choosing to implement a people-focused and community-centric plan like we did in my campaign.
We will reduce the chances of our communities being torn down by the “circular firing squad” and the costly negative campaigns that pit us against each other.
We will also ensure that our candidates have more resources – time, money, and volunteers – as they head into what will undoubtedly be an extremely challenging general election.
Some might say it’s too risky to go a new way and opt-out, but remember, the same was said about my campaign strategy. Great risks often lead to great rewards.
Please, opt-out of the open primary for the 2022 election.
Also, if you will, please take a moment to complete the reply form you received in the mail and send it back in the provided envelope.
It would be great to know if you plan to attend the State GOP Central Committee meeting on September 18, 2021 and where you stand on this important issue.
Thank you for all you do to advance good governance in beautiful Colorado!
May you and yours thrive -
Stephanie Luck
Representative, HD47 (R)
P.S. Full disclosure: I was opposed to the idea of opting-out at first, but then I realized there were a lot of advantages. Here are just a few more:
1. We can decide to opt-out (or not) every election year, so your decision will only apply to 2022.
2. The Democrats often use primary election data to craft their general election strategies. By opting-out, we limit the amount of information they have.
3. Redistricting upsets a lot of standard campaign calendars. By opting out, we help our candidates recover some of that time and enable them to start their general election campaigning before their Democrat opponents.
