Rep. Mark Baisley, House District 39 incumbent and former vice chair of the Republican Party of Colorado, is facing Democratic challenger Ian Chapman, a military combat veteran and head nurse from Florissant.
The seat represents about 77,400 residents living in all of Teller County and parts of Douglas County.
Baisley, a Roxborough Park resident and cybersecurity engineer who was first elected in 2018, has served on the Education and Health and Insurance committees of the House, as well as the General Assembly’s Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee and Technology Committee.
Baisley cites finding ways to make a living and getting children educated during the COVID-19 pandemic as the top political issues facing the district.
“Unfortunately, these challenges are made more difficult by the classic dilemma of the ages — government overreach,” Baisley said.
“Rather than assuming an attitude of service by providing expert advice regarding the current pandemic, this governor’s administration seizes authority over how we all shall behave,” he said. “Citizens should be trusted to act in their own families’ best interest. They should not be threatened with jail time, fines and loss of business licenses by arrogant bureaucrats.”
He considers House Bill 20-1297, which protects parents who choose to delay or refuse the state’s vaccination schedule, from being charged with child neglect or abuse as his greatest accomplishment to date.
Baisley, who has raised about $22,000 in campaign contributions, wants to retain the seat because he believes he has demonstrated he can perform the job well. Baisley was named “2020 Legislator of the Year” by Metropolitan State University in Denver, received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association and was rated “100%” by the American Conservative Union Foundation.
Chapman says he’s running for public office to “make this world a better place” for his daughter, who was born last November.
He calls the policies of the Trump administration “divisive” and “a direct threat to our liberties as Americans.”
Trump’s slogan of “Making America Great Again” is “taking us back in time and threatens to overturn the great strides made in the civil rights movement, human rights, health care and even science,” Chapman said.
But he said he intends to represent everyone in the district, “not just one political party or my ‘base.’”
Chapman, with about $1,700 in campaign donations, is interested in working on expanding Colorado’s Medicaid and Medicare systems, improving infrastructure and education, and addressing environmental issues such as fire mitigation and forestry management.
“We need a leader who is willing to engage in debate, compromise and cooperate with all member so the Legislature can get things done,” he said.