As a former Marine himself, as well as the brother of an Army Captain, the son of an Army Nurse Major, and the grandson of two World War Two veterans (one a West Point officer, the other a Jewish Army Air Corps pilot), Ike McCorkle says service is in his blood.
In recent years, he has tried to translate that predisposition into elected public office; this is his third consecutive attempt to win the 4th District Congressional seat. McCorkle faced off against former congressman Ken Buck in 2020 and 2022, losing each time by double digits in this solidly red district.
After qualifying this time by petitioning on to the ballot, McCorkle said he’s running to “represent and fight for working families.”
On his campaign website, McCorkle said “trust and confidence in government must be restored… He will listen to Colorado’s citizens, will turn aside improper and immoral financial offers, and will fight for what is best for Colorado, America, and the world.”
McCorkle recently responded to questions from CPR about his position on issues of importance to residents in the 4th District.
On democracy and good governance
When CPR News asked McCorkle how he feels about running amid a divisive political climate, he harkened back to his time in the military.
“When I speak to voters all across the fourth, they tell me that they are extremely concerned about the foundations of our democracy and the threat posed by extremists like Lauren Boebert. The nation I fought so hard to defend is under attack from political extremism, and what we saw on Jan. 6th can never happen again.
“But it's not just the insurrection that we should be alarmed about,” McCorkle continued, “it's extremism from the Supreme Court stripping rights and freedoms away from women. It’s a Congress that has proven to be the least productive in American history, and all of these concerns stem from a broken system where paid-for politicians pander to the financial interests that line their pockets.”
On his website, McCorkle said he supports public funding of elections and the push for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizen’s United. He would also like to see high school freshmen take a mandatory class on civics and voting, as well as an expansion Colorado’s system of all mail ballots and automatic voter registration nationwide.
On the economy and cost of living
Citing a current Congressional Representative from the state, McCorkle said, “I agree with my friend Joe Neguse that we must extend and expand upon legislation like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a federal tax credit that incentivizes developers to build affordable housing units.”
“When it comes to feeding a family, both ranchers and consumers suffer from the agricultural monopolies that put small farms out of business and drive up the cost at the dinner table,” he continued. “We must pass legislation like the bipartisan Meat Packing Special Investigator Act to bring fairness to the market and drive down food costs.”
As for healthcare, McCorkle said he supports expanding Medicare to provide universal coverage because it “would be the most cost-effective and just system to ensure that the American people don't go broke from getting sick.”
He also supports a $15 federal minimum wage that rises with inflation and the creation of a new Works Progress Administration to hire people to work on infrastructure projects as well a to pay artists and scholars.
On climate, the environment and natural resources
Should he be elected, McCorkle said he would “work with my colleagues to leverage subsidies and incentives to support a more rapid transition to a renewable energy sector and companies that demonstrate the capacity to transition. That said, we can not allow progress to out-pace the livelihood of many families in CO-4 who are currently employed in the energy industries. We must invest in these workers just as we invest in new technology.”
On his website, McCorkle describes climate change as a national security issue. He wants to see more emphasis on addressing the security challenges brought on by a warming planet, as well as to get the Defense Department more involved in researching approaches to combat climate change.
With regards to natural resources, McCorkle added, “With so much growth on the Front Range, we must implement policies at a federal and state level that make it easy and inexpensive for homeowners and businesses in the suburban and urban areas to conserve water, maximizing the amount available for our farmers downriver.”
“As for public lands and spaces, I spend a lot of time in our wild places with my kids, just like many families across the District. I will be a fierce defender of our public lands and will work to ensure their preservation for generations to come.”
