Secretary of State Jena Griswold often said while campaigning for attorney general that representing the working class isn’t just a talking point.
She said her poor, rural upbringing outside of Estes Park shaped her work on protecting democracy and voting rights in her current job, for which she is term-limited.
“I still have $200,000 in student debt,” she told people at a recent town hall. “When I stand here and protect you guys and protect Colorado consumers, I’m talking about my mom, I’m talking about my cousins, I’m talking about people who grew up like me.”
Griswold, 41, attended Whitman College and the University of Pennsylvania law school. She moved to Washington, D.C. afterward and worked briefly for the Paul Hastings law firm. She worked there for two years, mostly as a low-level lawyer.
On the campaign trail, Griswold, who has led the Democrats in fundraising, has taken offense at her portrayal by opponents as an inexperienced lawyer compared to her competitors.
“This is campaign trail mudslinging from my opponents,” she said. “I've been campaigning hard for the seat, taking no vote for granted, and I've been doing it while serving as the only statewide elected official in this race and preparing for our upcoming elections and defending our democracy from the Trump administration. No other candidate in this race can say that.”
The candidate responded in writing to the following questions. They are shared verbatim below.
Affordability: Colorado voters cite affordability and high costs as a top concern, from gas and food prices to housing and childcare costs. What policies would you implement to address this?
Growing up in rural Colorado in a working-class family that at times relied on food stamps, I understand the impact that rising costs have on everyday Coloradans. Big corporations are rigging the system against everyday people. As Attorney General, I will stop hedge funds and corporate landlords from illegally driving up the cost of housing, prevent grocery store mergers that create monopolies, and stop illegal pricing practices that increase costs to consumers. I will also work to protect workers by staffing up an office of workers' rights to target wage theft and other illegal practices.
Democracy: What is the state of our democracy? What is working and what isn’t working? What would you do to address those problems?
American democracy has been under attack by Donald Trump and extremists. As secretary of state, I worked with the legislature to expand voting access, pass automatic voter registration, ban guns near voting, and make it a crime to threaten election workers. And when Tina Peters compromised her county’s voting equipment, I removed her from direct election oversight.
As Attorney General, I will stand up to Trump’s attacks on our democracy and protect Coloradans’ civil rights. This means protecting voting rights, enforcing environmental regulations, and defending reproductive rights, to name just a few top priorities.
Immigration: What needs to be done about federal immigration enforcement? Including border security and tactics by federal officers?
Trump’s ICE is terrorizing the country. We must put an end to the lawlessness. As attorney general, I will prosecute any ICE or federal agent that commits a crime in Colorado. The Constitution doesn’t disappear because someone is wearing a badge. Colorado law is clear that the state must not cooperate with ICE in most situations, and I will ensure this law is enforced. Also, in the unfortunate circumstance of excessive force complaints involving federal immigration enforcement, we likely cannot trust the federal government to transparently investigate. I will do everything in my power to ensure Colorado leads independent investigations.
