2026 Regional Candidate Forum

Description

The Colorado River Valley Chamber and Glenwood Springs Chamber are proud to host a Regional Candidate Forum on Monday, September 28 from 6 to 8:15 p.m. at The Ute Theater, 132 E 4th St. in Rifle. The public is invited to attend in person or via RifleTV livestream. Spanish interpretation will be available, and a recording will be shared after the event.

Candidates Participating (listed in alphabetical order by last name): 
All candidates have confirmed attendance. 

State Senate District 8 Candidates: 
Corey Marshall
Dylan Roberts (incumbent) 

State House District 57 Candidates:
Russ Andrews
Elizabeth Velasco (incumbent)

Garfield County Commissioner Candidates:
Jonathan Godes
Eric Rudd

Community members can submit questions in advance by Wednesday, September 23 at 5 p.m.

Our communities are closely connected and share many of the same opportunities and challenges. By coming together to host a regional forum, our chambers are creating a space for candidates and community members to engage in a broader conversation about the issues that impact our region. We believe this type of collaboration is important and reflects the value of working together across our communities. 

Event Format (may be subject to change): 

• Candidates will participate in Q&A groups based on the office they are seeking. A Q&A will only be held if both candidates for the office are present. 
• Candidates will give a two-minute opening and two-minute closing statement. 
• Candidates will answer the same questions in alternating order with each response limited to 90 seconds. A timer will provide cues. 
• Ron Milhorn, KMTS News Director, will moderate. 

Questions: 

• No live audience questions will be taken. Questions will be sourced from both community members and a media panel. Community members can submit questions in advance by Wednesday, September 23 at 5 p.m. 
• Submitted questions will be reviewed in advance to eliminate duplicates and ensure a broad range of topics. Not all submitted questions are guaranteed to be asked. 

This event is being presented to the community in collaboration with KMTS; Rifle TV; Recinos Language Services; and CoWest Noticias Collaborative, a cohort of local media outlets meeting the need of Spanish-language news, including Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, The Aspen Times, Post Independent, La Tricolor Radio, KDNK Community Access Radio, The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle.