DENVER — Heidi Ganahl, the Republican nominee who will face Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in November, has chosen Danny Moore, an election denier, as her running mate and would-be lieutenant governor.
Moore, a Navy veteran from Colorado Springs, previously served as chair of the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission that redrew the Colorado congressional map. He was removed from that position — though not from the commission altogether — by his colleagues in April 2021 due to controversial comments he’d made on Facebook. Among his posts: falsely claiming that President Joe Biden was not “elected by the people,” but rather “elected by the Democrat steal”; claiming without evidence that mail-in ballots can increase fraud; and calling on Republicans to use the court system to “erase those gains” made by Democrats in 2020.
The selection of Moore is the latest example of Ganahl embracing far-right conspiracists. She’s now working on this campaign with top associates of former President Donald Trump, Brad Parscale and Boris Epshteyn, and she recently appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast, "War Room." Ganahl, an elected University of Colorado regent, has consistently declined to condemn John Eastman, the former CU visiting professor who was central in the plot to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election.
At many points during her winning primary campaign, she refused to say whether she felt Biden was legitimately elected and chastised journalists for asking her about it.
Ganahl is the only Republican elected to statewide office in Colorado, and she defeated primary challenger Greg Lopez last month. She had previously said on conservative talk radio that her choice for running mate would be a Latino from a rural area. Colorado Politics reported July 7 that she had chosen Felix Lopez, a Las Animas County commissioner, but the outlet later pulled down its article because, it said on Twitter, “(Ganahl’s) campaign says Lopez is not her pick.” 9News reported later that Lopez confirmed he’d indeed been asked to serve in the role.
In an emailed statement on Monday morning, Moore said he was “honored” to be chosen.
Ganahl, he said, “is a ‘Mom on a Mission’ and successful CEO who is ready to restore leadership and ensure our state gets our children back on track, creates an economy that does not strangle hard-working Coloradans, builds neighborhoods that are safe, and stands up for and respects our rural communities.”
The two of them are set to make their first joint appearance at noon Wednesday at the Aurora restaurant JJ’s Place.
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