As the Republican candidate for Colorado House District 26, I’ve have the privilege of meeting and talking with people across our diverse district. While the counties of Rio Blanco, Moffat, Routt, and Eagle are unique, we are faced with the same challenges that stem from the actions of our so-called leaders in the Statehouse. Progressive ideology is hurting our residents and businesses.
The high cost of housing is a major obstacle for Eagle and Routt Counties. Soaring home prices and rent, as well as a shortage of workforce housing, are pushing teachers, nurses, first responders, construction workers, and ski industry employees out of the communities they serve. Democrats like Meghan Lukens voted for SB24-174, which subject local government to layers of regulation and bureaucracy. This increases the cost and slows the pace of new construction. Our communities are pressured to increase housing density without regard to local character and preferences. This top-down approach that supersedes local control to housing also results in strains on infrastructure and water resources.
As your representative, I will introduce a bill to repeal or scale back SB24-174, especially the mandatory housing needs assessments and required “strategic growth”. I support tax incentives and expedited permitting for deed-restricted workforce housing that is built by private developers and local nonprofits. We must also support modular and prefab construction by reducing regulatory barriers and building code hurdles that currently favor expensive traditional construction methods.
Energy jobs and economic stability are critical in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. HB19-1261 (passed in 2019 and signed by Governor Polis) created greenhouse gas mandates that are essentially forcing the retirement of the Craig and Hayden Stations. This means the loss of hundreds of high-paying jobs and major portions of local tax bases. She supports the broader Democratic agenda that flows from this law, even though she wasn’t present for the original vote. Legislation, such as SB24-230 has imposed new quarterly production fees on oil and gas produced in Colorado. Democrats like Meghan Lukens voted to make our local oil and gas industry pay for statewide environmental remediation and transit initiatives.
When I’m in the Statehouse, I will sponsor or co-sponsor a bill that eliminates or delays the most aggressive targets of HB19-1261 (especially the 2030 goal). The current law will lead to economic harm to rural Colorado, grid reliability risks, and job losses in Moffat and Routt counties. I will also introduce a bill to repeal SB24-230. It is tax on energy production that hurts our communities, raises costs for consumers, and diverts money from our local economy.
Across all four counties, rising property taxes and cost of living burden working families. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a constitutional amendment that was adopted in 1992 to limit the growth of government tax revenue and spending. Democrats are engaged in ongoing legislative efforts to bypass TABOR through creative accounting, reclassifying revenues, and shifting money into TABOR-exempt funds. In 2026, Democrats referred SB26-135 to the November ballot. Meghan Lukens is a prime sponsor of this bill that that would raise the TABOR spending cap by more than 4 billion dollars. It would allow the state to retain and spend excess revenue that would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers under TABOR.
If you elect me to HD26, I will campaign aggressively against SB26-135 because it is a multi-billion-dollar raid on your TABOR refunds. It lets politicians in Denver keep money that belongs to you and your family. if the ballot measure passes, I will introduce legislation to repeal or nullify key parts of SB26-135. I will support or sponsor bills requiring voter approval for large new fees, building on past efforts like Proposition 117. I will demand detailed annual reports from the Governor’s Office and Department of Revenue showing exactly how much revenue is being retained outside TABOR limits and where it’s going.
Water rights must be protected district-wide. Democrat-supported policies emphasize “conservation” and drought response that disproportionately burden the Upper Basin States and the Colorado Western Slope. In the midst of post-2026 Colorado River negotiations (replacing expiring guidelines), Colorado’s Democratic leadership is open to voluntary or structured reductions that could force senior Western Slope water rights holders to cut usage to help downstream Lower Basin states (AZ, CA, NV). Furthermore, Meghan Lukens voted for SB24-197 that expands temporary water transfers, loans, and instream flow programs. While framed as “conservation,” it actually facilitates moving water away from agriculture toward environmental flows and downstream demands. These policies are direct threats to the prior appropriation doctrine (“first in time, first in right”) that protects senior, West Slope water rights.
As your representative, I will not agree to any post-2026 Colorado River plan that includes mandatory curtailments in Upper Basin State (CO, NM, UT, WY). I will also insist that the legislature receive regular briefings from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and the Colorado River Conservation District regarding post-2026 negotiations. I will hold town halls in Craig, Meeker, Rangely, Steamboat, and Eagle County that include experts in Colorado water law and administration, aw well local water managers and users. We must work to keep Western Slope water on the Western Slope and not send it downstream or to the Front Range. I will fight for equitable treatment of Western Slope water users in every state decision.
House District 26 needs a responsible representative in Denver, not a progressive ideologue who sides with the Democrat majority. With your support, we can to bring about the change needed to protect the livelihoods of people in Eagle, Moffatt, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties.
James Kellogg – Republican Candidate for Colorado House District 26
