During their final debate, this one held for western Colorado in Grand Junction on October 25, 2022, regent at University of Colorado Heidi Ganahl and Governor Jared Polis self-identified.

According to Colorado Public Radio (CPR), which sponsored the debate with the Grand Junction Sentinel, mom-on-a-mission Ganahl said, "I am mad.  I am a mad mom.  We have skyrocketing crime, out-of-control inflation, a huge fentanyl problem that's killing our kids, and our kids can't read, write, or do math at grade level.  I have a right to be angry, and I represent a lot of parents."

Governor Polis responded, "I identify myself as a happy dad of two great kids, 11 and eight, raising my kids in the best state of all the states, great outdoors.  We love our freedom.  I will always protect our freedom."

Ganahl spoke as a mama bear fighting for her young.  Polis spoke as a multimillionaire elitist with no need to worry.

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton interviewed Ganahl on their radio show the day after the debate, playing the clip and then talking about it.

Clay Travis said, "Boom!  Heidi, it seems like he walked right into that one.  There are a lot of mad moms and dads all over this country over Democrat failures.  What are you hearing from people in response to your debate last night?"

Ganahl answered, "Well, boy, people are really fired up.  We're getting mad moms.  Texts and tweets and posts all over Colorado.  So I think he created a storm with that comment.  And we are mad.  We're upset about the terrible things he's done to our state.  Colorado used to be an amazing place to live.  And now we have one of the highest inflation rates in the country.  One of the highest crime rates in the country.  We're number one in auto theft.  We're one of the top states for fentanyl.  I mean, it's just not okay what he's done to Colorado, and we are mad."

Personally, this writer is with the mama bear, not the happy dad, though I'd prefer to be a happy mom.

I have learned during this election season that Polis is not moderate, as many believe; his policies are radical, and he is a less than honest politician.  For example, when Polis speaks of freedom, he means freedom to choose a different lifestyle or freedom to have an abortion at stage of a pregnancy; he is not talking about liberty from government overreach, but he does not make his meaning clear.

On the radio, Buck Sexton said to Ganahl, "Right now you're in a competitive contest.  The top issues, I assume, mirror what we see in the rest of the country, Heidi, with the economy, the border crime, some variation of those three and inflation, obviously the primary issue within the economic sector.  So what is that?  What are some of the variance or some of the specificity that in Colorado you're hearing from the voters, you know, or is there a more of a focus even on schools or on some other issue that might make it into that top three?"

Heidi answered, "Well, I do think it's about our kids.  And I say Colorado is now one of the most dangerous places to be a kid.  We have one of the highest suicide rates for children in the country, one of the highest drug addiction rates for kids in the country.  And homelessness is rampant.  Teen homelessness is skyrocketing here.  And our kids are not doing well in school.  Sixty percent of kids in Colorado cannot read, write, or do math at grade level.  So all those things are firing up parents all over Colorado, and we are ready for change.  We flipped ten school boards last year.  So that's evidence that there's something brewing here."

Sexton asked, "Where is your opponent on the border and immigration issues, Heidi?"

Ganahl answered, "Well, he actually made Colorado a sanctuary state after saying he would not do that in his debate with his prior opponent.  And it's just making it impossible for ICE agents and law enforcement to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into Colorado, because I-25 goes right from New Mexico up into Colorado, and we've got I-70 as well.  So it's very important that as the minute I become governor, that I cancel that sanctuary status and do all we can to give law enforcement and ICE agents the tools to stop Colorado from being one of the top drug states in the country."

Voters may just hire a mad mom for Colorado governor this year.  It's going to be close, though.  We'll have to wait and see what they decide on November 8.

C.S. Boddie writes for Meadowlark Press.

Image: Heidi for Governor via YouTube, CC BY 3.0 (cropped).