IGNACIO – Greg Lopez puts “people over politics.” That’s the very motto he’s running his gubernatorial campaign on as an unaffiliated candidate.
“We need a governor that understands that his responsibility is to be the voice of the people. And I’m not going to play politics. If there’s a side that has a good idea and it makes sense, we’re going to run with it,” Lopez said during a visit last week to Ignacio, where the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission held a two-day hearing.
The June primaries resulted in Democrat Phil Weiser and Republican Victor Marx heading to the November general election for their respective parties. But several candidates are still fighting for votes come election time. Greg Lopez has a storied past in politics – most recently serving as a U.S. representative for CD4 in Colorado, which covers much of the eastern part of the state. Now, he’s making a run for governor.
Lopez’s path through politics has never been straightforward. He was elected mayor of Parker at 27 years old. Though he was elected as a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party during his time as mayor. He then ran for Congress and snagged a seat in the House as a Republican. Now he’s running unaffiliated for governor. He made the party switch at the beginning of this year, he said.
“What I determined was both parties have forgotten the people. Both parties are no longer interested in solving the problems that everybody deals with every single day,” Lopez said of his switch.
Lopez is running on a plethora of topics, but his top three, he said, are affordability, education and crime. He is particularly focused on bringing gas prices down and increasing homeownership, he said. Lopez has a plan to incentivize the construction of 25,000 homes across Colorado – specifically starter homes, which he describes as modest two-bedrooms.
His campaign is centered around his character rather than strict policy lines. He said he wants to focus on what’s right for his constituents, and he’s not afraid to walk back a decision if new information comes to light, he said.
“I don’t look at it as making a mistake,” he said. “I look at it as there’s new information, and it’s time to do it correctly.”
The general election will be held on Nov. 3.
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