June 7, 2023 - High Country Politics - Government and Elections News from the American West

Mike Johnston wins Denver mayoral election | All 36 CO DMV offices can now issue driver licenses to undocumented immigrants and international students who qualify | Colorado Democrats and Gov Jared Polis pass statewide ban on ghost guns | AZ State Senator says she was not aware of her flag's neo-Nazi ties. She is now though, and she's keeping it | Talented field of Arizona Democrats compete in primary for Rep. Ruben Gallego's seat in Congress 

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Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday.

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Alright! Let’s get into it: 

Looks like we’ve got a winner! As of recording, it looks like Mike Johnston will be the next Mayor of Denver. After 12 years under the leadership of Mayor Michael Hancock, in which Denver has experienced rapid growth and a booming economy, the growing pains are catching up with us and Denver’s new mayor will face crisis-level homelessness, addiction, and gun violence.

Mike Johnston is a boyish Ivy League boy who has run for lots of things and served as lots of other, different things. Jokes aside though he seems to have the respect of a lot of people I deeply respect, and I’m excited to see what he can do. 

COLORADO NEWSLINE:

All Colorado DMVs now offer driver’s licenses to undocumented residents

BY: SHANNON TYLER - JUNE 6, 2023 3:10 PM

Every driver’s license office in Colorado will now offer license and ID card services to undocumented residents and international students, Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday.

In 2013, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, which made obtaining a standard driver’s license accessible for undocumented immigrants and international students. At the time, only four offices in the state actually provided the service.

Now, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the bill, the DMV announced all 36 of the state’s driver’s license office locations will offer appointments for immigrants and international students to get a standard license or ID card. 

Gov Polis said  “Here in Colorado, we know that our immigrants strengthen the fabric of who we are. In the last 10 years over 250,000 Coloradans have been able to get their driver licenses and insurance, making all of us safer on the roads.” 

The law allows all Coloradans to obtain a standard driver license or ID card regardless of immigration status if the applicant can provide proof of identity and Colorado residency. 

The DMV works with several volunteer nonprofits around the state as a part of the I Drive Coalition to help provide Road and Community Safety Act services for undocumented immigrants to obtain standard license or identification cards. Organizations help to schedule free appointments for people who come to them. 

Henry Gomez with Grupo Esperanza de Colorado Springs, one of the organizations that supports and provides resources for immigrants, said the legislation is necessary for immigrants in Colorado to do essential daily tasks like driving to a doctor’s appointment or taking their children to school. 

When the bill first passed, it was difficult for people to actually use the service because they had to travel long distances to the few places that offered it and wait hours to schedule an appointment, Gomez said. 

1 of 20 states

Colorado is one of 20 states, along with Washington D.C., to offer driver’s licenses to undocumented residents. 

DMV spokesperson Stephany Garza said “Colorado has come a long way since the program launched in originally starting in a handful of locations. We’ve been able to grow it throughout the state, thanks to strong demand and a dedication to partner with community organizations and leaders.” 

“The DMV’s mission is to provide motor vehicle, driver and identity services that promote public safety, trust and confidence, and having trained and licensed drivers on our roads is critical.” 

COLORADO NEWSLINE: I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost - guns. Because now they’re banned in Colorado. 

BY: SARA WILSON - JUNE 2, 2023 1:48 PM

Senate Bill 23- 279 makes the sale, manufacture and possession of ghost guns a Class 1 misdemeanor on the first offense and a Class 5 felony on subsequent offenses.

bill sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat, said “Ghost guns are untraceable, unserialized weapons that anyone can make or assemble in their own home – and they’re extremely dangerous. We worked hard this session to make Colorado safer and prevent gun violence, and this new law is a big step towards reaching that goal.”

The legislation was also sponsored by Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver, Rep. Andrew Boesenecker of Fort Collins and Rep. Junie Joseph of Boulder, all Democrats. Every Republican voted no.

Law enforcement say ghost guns are being used more often in crimes across the state. The shooters involved with last year’s attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs and the March shooting at Denver’s East High School both possessed and showed an interest in ghost guns.

Ghost gun kits are easily available online for anyone to assemble or 3D-print at home. Because that process bypasses serialization and necessary background checks, the guns can be nearly impossible to trace when used in a crime. 

Current ghost gun owners have until Jan. 1, 2024 to get the blank firearm, frame or receiver serialized by a licensed dealer. Serialization includes a background check. Going forward, people can still make their own firearms as long as they get them serialized.

Eleven states already regulate ghost guns.

The Colorado Legislature passed four other bills regulating firearms during this year’s legislative session, which wrapped up in early May. That includes a minimum age restriction and three-day waiting period for gun purchases, expansion of the state’s extreme risk protection order law to include groups other than law enforcement and a repeal of the state’s legal liability protections for the firearm industry.

Hats off to Colorado Democrats. They take so much abuse as well as threats from thousands and thousands of extremely aggressive gun rights activists. These gun groups create extremely dishonest and aggressive attack ads, and they do everything they can to show their strength. It takes real guts to pass gun safety laws in the West, and the Colorado Democratic legislators have some serious guts. Congratulations on a great session everyone.  

ARIZONA MIRROR:

AZ GOP senator proudly flies flag adopted by ‘fringe’ far-right extremists

BY: JEROD MACDONALD-EVOY - JUNE 5, 2023 11:20 AM

The desk on the Arizona Senate floor for Republican Sen. Janae Shamp, displays the “An Appeal to Heaven” flag, which has been adopted by Christian nationalists and other extremists in recent years. Shamp says she displays the flag because of its historical ties to the American Revolution, and says she is unaware of its use by far-right extremist groups. But that, of course, is bullshit. 

The white flag with a pine tree on it and the phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” was originally used by George Washington and the Continental Army. It was later adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as its naval and maritime flag until 1971, when the copy was dropped, leaving only the image of the pine tree. 

In recent years, the flag has been adopted by Christian nationalists, who see the flag as a rallying call. Christian nationalists believe that the United States is Christian nation that should base its laws and practices around the teachings of Christianity.

The flag has also been embraced by far-right extremist organizations like the Proud Boys and other neo-Nazi groups.

Shamp did not respond to questions about whether she embraced the beliefs of Christian nationalism, and said she doesn’t know anything about Christian dominionism, a closely related belief system.

To investigative journalist, author and researcher David Neiwart, who has written extensively about the far-right, the lines between groups have begun to blur into an entire “universe” of far-right groups from QAnon, militias, white supremacists, and other extremist groups who have gained political influence among conservatives. 

Most of them share a few things in common, including beliefs in “right-wing authoritarianism” and the alleged supremacy of Christianity.

After looking at the various people and causes Shamp has supported over the years, including various extremist and Christian nationalist figures and causes, Neiwart said it’s clear to him that Shamp ascribes to those beliefs.  

“She is definitely a Christian nationalist, she is definitely QAnon, and a fully enraptured Trumpite,” Neiwert said.  

While a surge in Christian nationalism in recent years has garnered media attention — due in part to high-profile conservatives like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who explicitly declared herself a Christian nationalist, and the backing of influential leaders like white nationalist Nick Fuentes — Christian dominionism has similarly been on the rise, though with much less fanfare. 

One of the more popular Dominionist beliefs is in the so-called “Seven Mountain Mandate,” which draws from the biblical book of Revelations and requires Christians to invade the “seven spheres” of society: family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. In doing so, American life can be reshaped to hew to conservative Christian values. 

The idea has been embraced and promoted by people like Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk and Paula White, the televangelist who served as a “spiritual advisor” to Donald Trump while he was president. 

According to David Neiwart, the key difference between Christian dominionism and nationalism is that dominionists want everyone under Christian rule, while nationalists think everyone should convert to Christianity.

“Christian nationalists take it a step further than Christian Dominionists,” Neiwart said, adding that a dominionist wouldn’t care if a Muslim was present, “they just want them under the thumb of Christian leaders.”

One of the biggest promoters of Christian nationalism and dominionism has been disgraced Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, who has claimed that he is waging “spiritual warfare” and building an “army of God.” Flynn is also known to associate with other extremist groups. 

AZ Sen Shamp is a fervent supporter of Flynn’s, and has posted praise of Flynn often on social media. The recent COVID-19 special committee she co-chaired was sponsored in part by an organization that Flynn co-founded. 

“I get goosebumps every time General Flynn talks about our great Nation!” Shamp said in a December 2021 post accompanied by a video of Flynn. 

At a Trump rally in Florence in January 2022, Shamp told Business Insider that the “No. 1 person standing up for ‘we, the people’ is probably Gen. Michael Flynn.” 

Shamp, a conservative from Surprise, has also been found to have shared a number of QAnon posts on her Facebook linked to Neo-Nazis and antisemites. 

The flag, which Shamp displays on her desk and in her Twitter banner image, has also been connected to extremist groups and violent events. During the violent events of Jan. 6, the flag was seen being carried by a number of individuals.  

“I would say Christian nationalism as a phenomenon is one of the real undergirding movements involved in the insurrection,” Neiwart said, adding that the militias and other groups such as the OathKeepers all had underlying Christian nationalist roots or beliefs. “All these Christian patriots that formed these militias are Christian nationalists as well.”

ARIZONA MIRROR:

Meet the Dems vying for Gallego’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives

BY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - JUNE 2, 2023 1:33 PM

So far, four candidates have already launched campaigns to represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Laveen, Maryvale and part of Glendale. The district is considered a Democratic stronghold, with left-leaning voters outnumbering Republicans three to one. The winner of the Democratic primary is virtually guaranteed to capture the seat in November.

First, Laura Pastor.

The most recent entrant into the race is the daughter of Rep. Gallego’s predecessor, Ed Pastor, who held the seat from 1991 until his retirement in 2015. The younger Pastor has a long career in elected office herself, with three terms on the Phoenix city council representing areas recently drawn into the 3rd District.

Prior to her position on the council, she was a classroom teacher who worked with at-risk students. Ms. Pastor also serves on the governing board for Phoenix Union High School. 

In a launch video on Wednesday, Pastor invoked her family’s political legacy and promised to continue it. 

“For five generations my family has worked for a better Arizona. From my grandfathers - who organized workers in the copper mines - to my mother - who lived with strength and integrity in a time of discrimination - to my dad. My dad taught me that lots of politicians can talk, but what matters is what you deliver.” 

“I am running to put my experience to work on behalf of Arizonans – to take care of our veterans, to have someone looking out for family budgets, and to protect all of our access to health care, including reproductive care,” 

Ylenia Aguilar

If elected, Aguilar would be Arizona’s first formerly undocumented congresswoman. Her family moved to the U.S. when she was just a toddler, and suffered repeated housing and food insecurity. Aguilar attended as many as 20 different schools. The single mother of two credits her early adversity with inspiring a personal imperative to voice the struggles of others. 

Aguilar spent more than a decade as a translator before becoming the first Latina elected to the Osborn School District Board, where she’s still a member. During the Trump presidency, Aguilar helped author a resolution prohibiting ICE agents from entering schools. She also serves on the state’s Central Arizona Water Project Board and as the business development manager for SOURCE Global, a Scottsdale-based renewable energy company that helps tribal and rural communities access clean drinking water via hydropanel technology. 

Water conservation is among her policy priorities, as well as immigration reform, and access to education and reproductive health care. At the top of her list is representing Arizona’s diverse communities where past politicians have failed. 

“My story is your story,” she said, at her campaign kickoff. “I know what you go through. I know how hard you work, how much you love your children, how difficult it can be to get ahead and how often politicians leave our community behind, or worse — how politicians attack our communities trying to take away our rights. In Congress, I will be your voice, because your voice matters.” 

Yassamin Ansari

Phoenix’s Vice-Mayor was one of the first to throw her hat in the ring after Congressman Gallego announced his challenge to U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Ansari’s election as the city’s youngest council member in 2021 followed a career in climate change advocacy that included a stint as a policy advisor for the United Nations. Her work on the Phoenix council includes helping to draft and pass a citywide resolution that deprioritized abortion-related arrests and spearheading efforts to electrify Phoenix’s public transportation. 

Those concerns would follow her to the federal level, with more ambitious climate change legislation a key part of her priorities. The country’s as-yet unfulfilled pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050 is of particular importance to Ansari, who vowed to lead an effort to remedy that. Also high up on her roster is gun violence prevention, housing affordability and a living wage. 

A daughter of Iranian immigrants, Ansari’s election would be a first for the district, whose population is 51% Hispanic and has supported Hispanic candidates since 1991. But Ansari’s council district, which spans from southwest to downtown Phoenix and has a similar population makeup as CD3, resoundingly backed her in 2021. 

She said, “As a daughter of immigrants, I very much understand the challenges that our community faces. My constituents know that I don’t just represent one community, I represent all communities. And whether you’re Latino, White, Black or any other background, representation is about listening to the community and making sure that you’re surrounding yourself with people in the community so that their experiences and challenges are represented in the legislation you support.” 

She said “It’s time to have leadership that is young and hungry and ready to take on some of these bigger crises.”

Hector Jaramillo 

Jaramillo traces his activism back to two pivotal incidents that happened at very different times in his life. When he was 4, his father was deported, which he said “opened (his) eyes to the injustices of our current system.” Then, in his early twenties while protesting the killing of George Floyd in 2020, a gun was pointed at his head. Jaramillo was disappointed to find not much had changed after the nationwide movement against racial injustice, and realized that things would only improve if more people were allowed at the decision-making table. 

The 26-year-old Phoenix native, who currently serves on the governing board of the Glendale Elementary School District, would be among the youngest in Congress if elected. He noted that what he lacks in experience he makes up for in community engagement and personal, real-life knowledge. 

He said “Legislative experience is important, but so is lived experience – being somebody who’s experienced the injustices of our system.” 

His goals include improving education funding, affordable health care for all and a complete overhaul of the current immigration system. That includes a pathway to citizenship, opening up government assistance programs for undocumented Americans, and shielding victims of crimes from having their undocumented status used against them. 

Jaramillo also wants to abolish ICE and Customs and Border Protection. He says their duties can be effectively carried out by their predecessor, the country’s Immigration and Naturalization Service, as was the case before post-9/11 policies created the Department of Homeland Security. 

Jaramillo, who called himself an anti-establishment candidate, is hoping voters who are tired of the status quo will support his bid. 

He said “If you’re happy with the way things are, keep electing the same people. But if you want real, progressive change, try someone new.” 

Raquel Terán

With a 17-year-long career in Arizona politics, tenures in both the state Senate and House of Representatives and the title of Democratic Party Chair under her belt, Terán is perhaps one of the most experienced candidates in the race to capture Gallego’s seat. Born and raised on the Arizona border in Douglas, she attributes her passion for politics to the anti-immigrant rhetoric she grew up around. 

That motivation resulted in helping to organize a recall campaign against former state Sen. Russell Pierce, who authored Arizona’s notorious 2010 ‘show us your papers’ law, and working to defeat Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County. 

Teran said, “I have been a fighter at the state legislature, and I’m ready to take on the extremists in Congress. We have a lot of work to do and I intend to bring my ‘si se puede’ attitude to Washington DC”.

Terán’s top priorities include immigration reform, affordable housing, reproductive rights, holding corporate polluters accountable, and requiring wealthy corporations to pay their fair share are key goals for her. 

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly endorsed Raquel Terán in her bid for Congress. 

He said “Raquel has spent nearly two decades helping bring together a diverse coalition of voters that turned our state blue.”

Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from Colorado Newsline, Colorado Sun, ABC News, Arizona Mirror, and Denver’s Westword.

Thank you for listening! See you next time.

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