At least three local candidates for the Buena Vista School board are listed as having received the endorsement of former MAGA Trump Colorado Chairman David Hunt’s group known as the Colorado Conservative Patriot Alliance; Brent Mitchell, George Richardson, and Montana Brown.
This is the second outside organization that is attempting to meddle in a local school board election during this 2023 Consolidated election. But to date, it appears that none of those who have been endorsed have acknowledged it.
According to Yellow Scene Magazine, the group has ties to known Colorado white supremacists. Ark Valley Voice has not independently confirmed whether or not the local candidates are aware that they have been endorsed by this group. But they are among at least 27 municipal candidates and 107 school board candidates identified across the state as endorsed by the Colorado Conservative Patriot Alliance.
The local candidates were also identified by the Transform Colorado voter guides provided by the Truth and Liberty Coalition. Those guides have been distributed not just across some local churches, but in the Buena Vista-based Darren Patterson Christian Academy, which is embroiled in a lawsuit over receiving state preschool education funds (UPK) but continuing to discriminate in its hiring practices. The guides provide answers by candidates to questions relating to, among other things, sex education and the use of pronouns, as well as how history should be taught.
It should be noted that neither the Colorado Democratic nor Republican Party has released a voting guide this year.
It should be noted that neither conservatives nor liberals have a corner on patriotism and simply including the word “patriot’ in a name does not make a group more patriotic than another. With our citizenship in this democracy comes not just rights, but the responsibilities of citizenship.
Meanwhile there is a banner at the top of this page for 2 weeks for the “Teachers Choose” organization that you have been glad to accept money from. The add is misleading and attempting to influence a local election. Ignorance is one thing. Willful ignorance is quite another.
HI Matt,
The ad is not misleading. Per the rules of the Institute for Nonprofit News, we can accept advertising that does not direct people to vote for anyone, and we have never endorsed candidates. The rules have been followed and we have stated facts.
The announcement was paid for locally and it announces a local endorsement, but not one from us, nor is it an out-of-market endorsement. It does not tell anyone to vote for the candidates, it says that the teachers in the Great Teachers – Great Schools BV group support three candidates.
Thank you for defining misleading….Also,
It’s a local campaign committee registered with the Secretary of State. All well and good. It’s not funded locally. I’m told this in an email by one of the candidates that is being endorsed. You could find that out if you asked. Again, willful ignorance.
Per your note to me saying: “So are you going to post the second one. Or is it lunchtime again. Or are you composing your response. Funny how you only post a response when someone challenges your views.”
My response: It’s election day and we’re still working. Are you???????
We work six days a week. Do you?
Most news organizations no longer even maintain an electronic posting section like we do because it’s time-consuming and we get tired of rude comments. Yours required a response because you clearly had misinformation and we are holding the check written LOCALLY at our nonprofit rates for that ad you reference.
Willful Ignorance should be your party handle. It is unfortunate that the ignorance appears to be fueled by hatred and thus is incurable.
The low voter turnout is going to make it easy for these extremists to get elected.
Anyone not vehemently denying such an endorsement is using it to get the votes of the ignorant and in my opinion disqualifies their validity to serve on any school board. Given that ignorance has just about and still might destroy our country and our democracy it needs to be eliminated not used as a goal to control others.