Tara Menza
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
Tara Menza
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 11
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Candidate did not provide
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Longmont Republican Women, President, League of Women Voters Boulder County
Gun Safety Team Chairman, Boulder Republican Women, Associate Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
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)
*Stand For Health Freedom
OTHER (1)
Colorado Young Republicans
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Endorsed by the Colorado Young Republicans
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be considered to save the life of the mother when the baby is too young to survive outside the womb. Abortion should be the last option for a woman, I believe she should always be given other options first.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
We need to protect TABOR and amend it to define any fee as a tax.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
We need to audit the bureaucratic agencies that were created over the past 4 years that put a fiscal burden on the budget, establish metrics for them to hold them accountable and eliminate those that are not working. We need to hold these programs accountable for what they have been designed to do and if they are not working, get rid of them.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None. It is our constitutionally protected right to religious liberty.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
The response that closely matches my view on healthcare is, (C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other tax payer funded programs are necessary.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Medical decisions should always be personal choice after being fully informed by a credentialed healthcare provider. The government should not ever be allowed to force medical procedures, vaccines, or devices on anyone. I trust individuals to do what is right for themselves and their families.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We need to close the borders and end the censorship of news and facts by mainstream media that suppresses global violence as a result of Islamic terrorism.
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Strongly Disagree
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Those wishing to immigrate through proper legal avenues within the confines of our existing laws designed to protect our safety and sovereignty, including refugees and those seeking political asylum that is clear and delineated should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Disagree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Strongly Agree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was born and raised a Christian and hold strong spiritual convictions and faith based values. My family prioritizes God then country in our lives and we strive to make the world a better place every day based on our Christian values.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
People need to feel like their vote is secure and counted. Without voter identification, votes cannot be absolutely secure. If we continue to have software that isn't completely secure and free from manipulation, then we cannot trust our votes are counted accurately. We need to repeal the law that put all the power into the hands of the Secretary of State and ensure policies are in place where voters have a voice and feel confident in our voting system and practices. We need take a hard look at how effective mail in ballots are, eliminate automatic voter registration, implement voter photo identification and ensure our voter rolls are consistently cleaned up, to include automatically removing deceased individuals.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
The FBI and even the President of the United stated that white supremacy is the biggest threat to safety and democracy in the U.S. This is contrary to the FBI crime statistics and detracts from the real issues that affect our safety, such as soft on crime policies. Additionally, current crime and violence in major cities has no statistically significant correlation to race related events.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The general purpose of government is to provide safety and sovereignty to its citizens and to preserve our constitutional rights.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www.longmontleader.com/local-news/republican-candidate-for-house-district-11-wants-to-focus-on-safety-affordability-5270670 https://www.longmontleader.com/letters-to-the-editor/lte-locally-the-items-that-matter-most-are-hitting-home-5804076 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0vAU-ghiA&t=27s
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
I was raised in the south and now call Longmont home. I grew up with a mother impacted by addiction and know firsthand the challenges poverty and substance abuse have on families and children. I am a mom to 6 children. My husband and I have a small start-up aerospace company and I substitute teach. I am passionate about helping people. My work experience includes sales, administration in a hospital cardiac pulmonary unit, and managing intellectual property for an engineering firm. I was a single mother until I met my current husband, Matt, a retired Naval combat aviator from Colorado. We have been married for 16 years. I was again a solo parent while he was deployed to Afghanistan for a year. As a military spouse, I volunteered as a doula and mentored incoming military wives. My dream was to become a midwife, but God had other plans for me. I hope to take my passion for advocacy and action to the state legislature where I can make a difference in today’s divisive political culture. My ability to objectively consider different opinions, beliefs, and motivations can unite people from different backgrounds and bring balance back to Colorado’s politics. I enjoy mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and the incredible food and wine of Colorado. My legislative priorities include taking crime seriously with the goal of getting drugs off our streets and ensuring hardened criminals are fully prosecuted while seeking solutions to address root causes of rising crime, such as mental health and addiction. Keeping costs low for citizens, their families, and local small businesses. I will work to ensure homeowners and renters don’t get pushed out of their communities due to regulations and high taxes. Supporting legislation for school choice, homeschool protections, parental rights, and more transparency in Colorado's state education curriculum. Children belong to their parents, not the government and the state’s policies need to focus on education, nothing else.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Strongly Agree
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
Not only do we need to ensure our police departments are adequately funded, we need to fund mental health and addiction programs to help ensure a safer community.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Ensure those with severe mental health problems that have resulted in previous criminal and domestic violence convictions and criminals with felony convictions are not able to purchase guns. Ensure gaps in the current laws are closed and agencies that don’t properly document felonies or violence in background checks are held accountable for incidents that occur as a result in their failure to properly report. We also need to focus on efforts to support programs that help educate tenants of that safety.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
