Bob Gardner

Republican | Colorado

Candidate Profile*

Conservative

*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Bob Gardner


Party

Republican


Election Year

2020


Election

General


Race

State Senate, Dist. 12


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Bob Gardner websitesBob Gardner phones Bob Gardner emailFacebookX

EDUCATION

Geo Washington University, Washington DC, LLM, 1986

Univ of Texas, Austin TX, JD, 1981

US Air Force Academy

WORK & MILITARY

United States Air Force Reserve, LtCol, 1989-1998

United States Air Force, Maj, 1976-1989

AFFILIATIONS

(Candidate did not provide)

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

State Representative, 2007-2014

State Senator, 2017-Present

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

(Candidate did not provide)

Race

Previous Races

SCORECARDS

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS


LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS

2020

44%


2019

43%


2019

8%, 25% (cum.)†


2019

8%, 25% (cum.)†


2015-16

16%


2019

0%, 12% (cum.)†


2019

0%


2018

F



2019

|

8%, 25% (cum.)†


2019

|

8%, 25% (cum.)†


2015-16

|

16%


2019

|

0%, 12% (cum.)†



ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (1)

National Rifle Association (NRA) PVF

OTHER (4)

*Americans for Prosperity Action

Colorado Chamber of Commerce

Colorado Medical Society PAC

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Colorado

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (17)

Amy Stephens (2012)

Bob Beauprez (2017)

Colorado Leadership Fund (2017)

Conservative Joint Victory Fund 2010 (2010)

Doug Lamborn (2014)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (20)

BrianPAC (2017)

Colorado Concern (2012)

Colorado Liberty Fund (2020)

Committee for the American Dream (2017)

Frank McNulty (2017)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (4)

Black Jack PAC (2017)

Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (2008)

Joe Miklosi (2020)

WilsonPAC (2017)

OTHER INFORMATION

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.

Strongly Agree

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.

Strongly Agree

I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.

Strongly Disagree

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

Based upon current Supreme Court precedent, I believe abortion should be prohibited at 20 weeks except when the life or health of the mother is at stake in a serious way.


ECONOMY

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.

Strongly Disagree

Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.

Strongly Agree

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?

I would reduce as much social spending as possible and do a bottom up review of existing programs to determine what is duplicative, inappropriate for government to do, or simply has continued beyond its usefulness.


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.

Strongly Agree

Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.

Neutral

Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.

Strongly Agree

I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.

Yes

What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?

It means that government should not interfere in a person's exercise of his/her faith or religion either as an individual or a group. Ironically, I think the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, when followed and upheld, has struck about as workable a balance as can be done in free exercise and separation of church and state. It is not perfect, but better than the court precedents by themselves.


HEALTHCARE

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.

Strongly Disagree

How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?

The best way to do this is to allow the free market to work as much as possible in healthcare and support tort reform and caps on non-economic damages is malpractice litigation.


NATIONAL SECURITY

The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.

Strongly Agree


IMMIGRATION

I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.

Strongly Agree

State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.

Agree

Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?

Only legal immigration should be allowed. Unfortunately, neither the left nor the right has been willing to address immigration issues in a coherent way and then enforce the legislative decisions made.


EDUCATION

Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.

Strongly Disagree


VALUES

Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.

Strongly Agree

I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.

Strongly Disagree

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I am an evangelical Christian; Southern Baptist by denomination.


ABOUT YOU

When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?

Very Conservative

Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.

One who wishes to validate this claim may search my voting record in my 12 years of service in the Colorado legislature and make their own conclusions.

What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?

I am a military veteran and a practicing attorney for almost forty years. I have a BS in International Affairs, a JD (first law degree) and an LLM (graduate law degree). I have served 12 years in the Colorado General Assembly. Some will say I am highly qualified and others will say that some of this disqualifies me. The voters can decide for themselves.

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.

No.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

I have twelve years of legislative record in the Colorado General Assembly. In that time, I have been a consistent advocate and supporter of conservative values. If one thinks that I am not conservative enough for their liking, I invite them to consider my opponent who is a progressive social liberal. The choice is stark and clear.


JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY

I support the use of Sharia law as a basis for legislation and judicial decisions in the United States.

Strongly Disagree


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.

Strongly Agree


2ND AMENDMENT

Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?

Yes

What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?

Very few. I support restrictions on gun ownership by convicted felons, those with diagnosed mental illness, and other findings of violence arrived at by due process proceedings. I do not support red flag orders as enacted in Colorado or similar ones in other jurisdictions.


OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Disagree

I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Strongly Disagree

The Electoral College should be abolished.

Strongly Disagree

In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?

Restrictions on executive power during declared emergencies Sharing of public education funding with parents when required to educate children at home Amendments to new police accountability legislation in support of law enforcement

Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?

I don't even know what this means. My view is best expressed this way: I abhor racism and believe that it should not be tolerated.

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