A student-run forum aims to bring structure, not campaigning, to Colorado’s crowded governor’s race

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice

“There’s a lot of candidates running and I know there’s a lot of confusion out there about who conservatives in the area should be supporting,” said James Ruehmann, president of the Turning Point USA chapter at CMU.

With more than 20 Republicans in the governor race, and the field wide open until the primary election on June 30, Coloradans on the Western Slope have few opportunities to hear candidates gathered together to discuss how they’d lead the state. 

A student-organized forum at Colorado Mesa University on Feb. 9 will bring several of those candidates together.

A forum with limits

“This isn’t a debate. It’s just a forum.” Those limits aren’t stylistic. Ruehmann said the structure is shaped by compliance requirements that prevent the event from turning into a traditional campaign stop.

“The number one thing that sticks out is that technically we are bound by 501(c)(3) laws,” he said. “These candidates can’t be asking for money or asking people to go to caucus for them.”

“It’s strictly like, ‘Hey, this is what I would do if I were to be elected,’” he added.

Who is confirmed to attend

Multiple candidates in the governor’s race have confirmed they plan to attend.

Those confirmations include Greg Lopez, Rep. Scott Bottoms, Jason Mikesell, Maria Orms, Jason Clark and Chaz Evanson. Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer is listed as tentative.

Ruehmann said Democrat officials were also invited.

“I will say that we did invite both the Attorney General Phil Weiser and Senator Bennett, but because we did not get a response, we figured it was best to phrase this as a republican, you know, primary forum,” he said.

“I will likely make a statement at the event acknowledging that we did invite them and that we did not hear anything back.”

Student moderators and structure

Rather than bringing in outside facilitators, organizers chose a student-led moderator panel.

“We will have four students moderating the forum, myself as the Turning Point president, Jess Clark Scott as the College Republicans president, my vice president for Turning Point, Logan Jochim, and then Branson Kaiser, the president of Kappa Sigma fraternity, because that is the second largest student organization on campus,” Ruehmann said.

The forum will move through a tightly defined format.

“We’ll give everybody give or take two minutes for opening statements,” Ruehmann said.

“There will be four moderator questions.”

After the panel portion, audience participation will follow.

“We’re gonna open it up to the audience. Students first.”

Ruehmann said candidates will generally have about a minute to respond to panel questions and slightly less time for audience questions before closing statements.

Why this race and why students

Ruehmann said the decision to focus on the governor’s race was deliberate.

“It’s the highest position on the ticket available this year other than U.S. Senate, so we figured that it would be a good opportunity to get students involved.”

Ruehmann said the issue is not student apathy, but access to clear information about the race.

The forum is meant to give students a chance to hear directly from candidates.

The role of the university

Ruehmann said he views universities as appropriate venues for statewide political leadership, particularly because of how policy decisions affect higher education.

“They have a responsibility too, because at some level these higher elected officials determine the funding to these universities.”

He said those decisions shape “what goes downstream,” and noted that political leaders regularly appear on campus.

“CMU has done a really good job of this,” Ruehmann said, adding that elected officials frequently use campus venues. “I know Polis and Bennett are at the theater quite often.”

Topics and priorities

The first round of questions will focus on fiscal policy.

“The number one that we are talking about is TABOR and budget issues because as you know, we’re in what I would describe as a budget crisis.”

Additional topics will include leadership philosophy, energy policy and land use.

For those attending

Ruehmann said one of the first things he realized while preparing for the forum was how many people were unsure about the event logistics.

“I had to spend about 15 minutes clarifying this last night,” Ruehmann said, recalling questions from a local group about where to park and where to head once inside (CMU garage or the parking lot across the street).

On Monday, those questions play out again at the University Center, where students take the front rows and the rest of the room fills in ahead of a 5 p.m. start.

If someone shows up without signing up online, Ruehmann said adding, “We just have to have your name for security purposes.”

Ruehmann said CMU police officers and private security will be present, and disruptions will not be tolerated.

“Heckling stuff like that is not going to be tolerated,” he said. “If it is a continual thing, people will be asked to leave.”

After the forum

Ruehmann said the structured portion of the evening is only part of the experience.

“At the end of the forum, people will have a chance to mingle with the candidates and ask them any questions that they may have.”

For him, the goal is straightforward.

“It’s really simple,” he said. “We’re getting these candidates together to ask these questions, and everybody can see it and get on with their week.”