Restore the Balance’s primary election candidate evaluations

Restore the Balance (RTB) is a non-profit organization in Mesa County made up of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents whose mission is to build an alternative to political extremism. The local community members who make up RTB’s Board of Directors are ​​Dave Murphy (Chairman), Thea Chase, Dennis Kirtland, Jim Brown, Ivan Geer, Chris Muhr, Jana Gerow, Tim Sarmo, Betsy Longenecker, Janalee Hogan, Glenn Whitaker, Kirk Rider and Sharon Heller.  RTB emphasizes that it does not endorse candidates. Rather, its mission is to better inform voters about the candidates. Colorado’s primary election is June 30, 2026. 

RTB embraces a set of 8 principles:

• Political parties, citizens, and elected officials should vigorously compete over values, principles, and ideas, but must also find common ground to solve problems and pass needed legislation.

• Facts, supported by objectively examined evidence, are the basis for what to believe and how to act.

• No one person or political party has a monopoly on the best public policy proposals; communication and good faith negotiations are essential to the legislative process.

• The public interest must come before party interests, for voters and elected officials alike.

  

• Extremists of all kinds attract supporters and money by appealing to fears and resentments, amplifying divisions instead of truly addressing problems.

• Citizens should be free to run for or hold office without being threatened or harassed.

• Citizens may certainly exercise their personal freedoms, but they may not ignore their personal responsibilities to the community at large.

• We must protect and enforce the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, and Assembly; its guarantees of Due Process and Equal Protection under the law for all persons; the Rule of Law; and the three separate and coequal branches of Government established by the Constitution. 

To provide voters with information about the primary candidates running in this month’s primary election, RTB sends out a questionnaire to each candidate containing six questions. With the exception of candidates for Mesa County Clerk and Recorder, the questions are:

• Why are you running for this office?
• What are your qualifications to serve in this position?
•  CD 3 voters seem interested in six issues in particular this year: a. Inflation, b. Health care, c. The U.S. budget deficit, d. The Iran war, e. ICE activities and f. Whether the Rule of Law is alive in the U.S.  Please select three issues from this group that are the most important to you and discuss how you would address them.
• Is there a current policy or piece of legislation that your party supports that you do not support? Would you vote against it if elected?
• What immigration policy would you support?
• Do you disagree with any of the eight RTB Principles? If so, please elaborate.

Since it is not a policy-making position, candidates running for Mesa County Clerk and Recorder get slightly different questions:

• Why are you running for this office?
• What education, qualifications and experience will you bring to this position?
• What, if any, changes would you seek to make to the operations of the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder?
• What do you think of Colorado’s current laws governing the operations of county Clerk and Recorder’s offices?
• What is your opinion on mail-in voting? ICE agents at polling places?
• Do you disagree with any of RTB’s Eight Principles? If yes, please elaborate.

RTB can only evaluate candidates who participate in their questionnaire.

The group says,

“When candidates decline [to answer their questionnaire], voters lose the chance to compare perspectives, see answers to the same questions, and evaluate using consistent criteria. Participation is voluntary, but transparency is crucial. If a candidate isn’t rated, it’s because they chose not to engage.”

Below, RTB reviews and grades the primary candidates who responded to their questionnaire, based on their eight principles. You can read the full responses each candidate gave at the bottom of this page on RTB’s website. It’s well worth reading the candidates’ full responses to get a more comprehensive understanding of each candidate’s views.