Marilyn Harris, a Republican political newcomer, is making a play – and throwing a few barbs along the way – for incumbent Democrat Barbara McLachlan’s seat in the Colorado House of Representatives this November.
McLachlan has represented House District 59, which includes six southern Colorado counties, for four years. While her opponent has never held public office, Harris has spent years close to politics through Republican women’s associations. The two candidates differ in experience and policy, but on a few issues, they have similar ideas.
“Stopping the one-party rule in Colorado, by restoring balance in our Legislature, is the No. 1 priority and that starts with making a change in House District 59,” Harris wrote in an email to The Durango Herald after declining a phone interview.
The Democratic Party controls the governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature.
“The disagreements in the Capitol are not between Democrats and Republicans, they are between urban and rural residents,” McLachlan said. “Denver might be doing very well, but our little counties down here, if we’re short $1,000 in the budget, that’s a big deal.”
McLachlan, a Durango resident, is a former Herald journalist and teacher at Durango High School. Her husband, Mike McLachlan, has previously held the House District 59 seat.
In the last legislative session, she served as chairperson of the House Education Committee. She proposed 11 bills, six of which became law. She casts herself as a rural Colorado advocate who works across the aisle. Last session, 10 of her proposed bills had bipartisan support.
Harris, a Pagosa Springs resident, has served in a national leadership role as state president coordinator of the National Federation of Republican Women. She worked across the country to increase the effectiveness and relevance of women in government, according to an announcement in The Pagosa Springs Sun. She said she is a business owner, owning a Texas restaurant from 1976 to 1980, and has handled multimillion-dollar budgets while working for ZZ Top’s management company.
She also has been president of the Colorado branch of the National Federation of Republican Women and was chairwoman of the Archuleta County Republican Party.
Harris cast herself as a candidate who will balance power in the state Legislature and bring new ideas to a seat long held by the McLachlans. She also said she was pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and pro-responsible government spending.
When it came to issues, such as the economy, education and health, McLachlan described specific policy tools and legislation proposals that will further her goals.
Harris offered broad goals on her campaign website, in emailed responses to the Herald and during a recent debate held by Club 20 Colorado, a community organization representing Western Colorado. (Harris joined in person; McLachlan sent a video message.)
Harris did not outline strategies she would use to achieve her goals, even when prompted multiple times by the Herald.
Harris’ website calls for a “clear concise plan” for reopening the economy but offers no suggestions for that plan.
Harris wants to support small business and increase school funding. When asked how she would do so given state budget cuts, she did not respond.
Club 20 asked how Harris would represent the diverse district, given the differing needs among its constituencies. Harris listed the top issues she has heard voters mention, like the economy, education and freedom of speech.
After watching the Club 20 event, McLachlan said Harris needed specific strategies.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been in office, but you need some specific ideas, not just, ‘Let’s do better,’” McLachlan said of her opponent in an interview after the debate. “How are you going to do better and inspire people to take a deep breath and hold in their buckles until we can get through this together?”
Both candidates prioritized supporting small businesses, boosting the economy and taking an individualized, community-specific approach to managing the coronavirus.
McLachlan said she would not consider another economic shutdown in response to the pandemic. But the state budget was heavily cut during the 2020 session in response to the pandemic.
That means the state does not have funding for tools like tax incentives to support businesses, she said. Instead, she would support bills that encourage people to buy and trade locally, like past legislation she supported that got food from local farmers and ranchers into schools.
“Any kind of incentive to keep our local industries thriving,” McLachlan said.
A free way to prioritize the outdoor industry is to give the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office a line item in the state budget, McLachlan said. That way, the Legislature would have to evaluate the office’s budget every year. She proposed a bill last year to do that, but it did not progress because of the pandemic.
In her email to the Herald, Harris said her top priority is first being elected and removing the “radical Democrat politician, Barbara McLachlin (sic),” then she would focus on the economy.
She supports removing any burdensome taxation and regulations that would harm recovery for small businesses. During the Club 20 event, Harris also said she would support the recreation industry and bring back oil and gas jobs.
McLachlan’s top priority was reopening schools slowly and safely during the pandemic. She said resource access is a big issue, particularly broadband and technology access.
“If we get some federal money, that is absolutely a priority for where that money can go,” McLachlan said.
Harris said she would give schools more funding. The 2020 Legislature cut more than a billion dollars in school funding in response to the coronavirus pandemic. She did not describe how she would increase funding, given those cuts.
Harris also said parents need more choice in schooling options without state legislators forcing their own viewpoints upon their children.
“For too long, radical Democrat politicians, like my opponent, have stopped parents from being able to place their children in customized learning environments so they can escape failing schools,” Harris said.
Both candidates want affordable, accessible health care. McLachlan supports expanding Medicare but keeping private insurance options for specialized care.
On her campaign website, Harris simply advocates for “a variety of choices.” In her written response to the Herald, Harris also supported requiring full billing cost transparency to patients before services are provided.
The candidates also support increasing health insurance competition in Southwest Colorado. Harris suggests allowing insurance providers to sell to patients across state lines while McLachlan focuses on encouraging the expansion of existing small insurers.
“I’m bipartisan, I listen to my constituents, and I think I do a lot for Southwest Colorado,” McLachlan said.
McLachlan had raised about $82,500 in contributions and had $63,091 on hand, as of Wednesday. La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff and Durango Mayor Dean Brookie each donated to her campaign, $150 and $300, respectively.
She said her greatest strength is listening to her constituents.
“It can’t just be people who agree with me. I need to listen to people who don’t agree with me because they often come up with good ideas,” McLachlan said.
Harris had received $10,795 in contributions as of Wednesday. With the help of $6,400 in loans, she had $10,269 on hand. She also received contributions from Archuleta County Commissioner Steve Wadley and former state Rep. J. Paul Brown, who gave $100 and $400 respectively.
“I want the district to have a voice,” Harris said during the Club 20 event. “My opponent and her husband have had this district for eight out of the last 10 years. I think it’s time for new ideas, new energy, new face, new blood. Take that message to Denver to make a difference.”
The McLachlans have represented District 59 for six out of the last 10 years.
smullane@durangoherald.com
