A representative should listen to the people of CD3

Editor:

Here in Gunnison County, and across Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, we need a representative who understands that this district is not Washington, D.C. We are ranchers, veterans, small business owners, working families, sportsmen, hunters, recreation users, energy workers, farmers, parents, and neighbors. We do not all agree on every issue, and we do not have to. But we should be able to agree on this: our representative should be available, accountable, and willing to listen.

That is why I am grateful Ron Hanks has stepped forward to run for Congress in CD3.

Ron Hanks is a veteran, a former Colorado legislator, and someone who has consistently stood for constitutional principles, public access, transparent government, and local control. He is not running to become a career politician. He is running because he believes the people of this district deserve to be represented, not managed.

My concern with Congressman Jeff Hurd is not just about party labels. It is about representation. When I watch his speech at a Republican Lincoln Day fundraiser last year, he spoke to the room, but not with the room. He did not take questions, and he left quickly after his speech. Several people wanted to speak with him personally and were unable to do so. Many constituents have also written to his office and felt ignored or unanswered. That matters.

A congressional district like ours cannot be represented from a distance. CD3 needs someone who understands our land, our roads, our ranching and agriculture, our outdoor recreation, our veterans, our energy needs, and our way of life. We need someone who will sit down with people, hear their concerns, and take those concerns seriously.

Ron Hanks has laid out priorities that matter deeply to western and southern Colorado. He supports keeping public lands accessible to the public, not locking people out through federal overreach and road closures. That matters to hunters, ranchers, campers, off-road users, outfitters, working families, and local communities whose livelihoods are tied to responsible access.

He understands that energy is a national security issue. Our electric grid is not ready for a forced one-size-fits-all energy policy, and Colorado should be able to use the natural resources we have responsibly. He also recognizes that manufacturing, agriculture, high-tech industries, pharmaceuticals, AI, and domestic production are all tied to national security and American independence.

Ron Hanks also supports real transparency in federal spending. He has called for auditing federal agencies, funding departments separately, ending the habit of massive continuing resolutions, and using zero-based budgeting so taxpayers can see where their money is going. That should matter to every voter, regardless of party.

He also supports legislative reform: one issue per bill, clear summaries citizens can understand, and expiration dates so laws do not simply live forever without review. Those are common-sense reforms that would make government more accountable to the people.

This race should not just be about Republican versus Democrat, or conservative versus liberal. It should be about whether the people of CD3 have a representative who shows up, listens, answers questions, and fights for the district instead of special interests.

Ron Hanks has committed to meeting regularly with constituents, providing clear updates, listening to concerns, and seeking ideas from the people he hopes to represent. That is the kind of representation we need.

For those of us who feel unheard, overlooked, or pushed aside, Ron Hanks gives us a reason to believe we can have someone in this fight with us.

Tom Warren