Democrat River Gassen is a first-time candidate for office.
She has an academic background in physics and had stints at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Biofrontiers Center at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. She pitches her run as a chance to send a scientist to congress.
Born and raised in Littleton, she says on her campaign website that her family suffered economic hardships as she was growing up, including losing the family home and struggling to meet basic needs. She was a student at Arapahoe High School during a deadly shooting by a fellow student in 2013.
She said her run is driven by a passion for defending rights and liberty. She has also said she hopes to work on strengthening the essential safety nets for all Americans.
CPR News is part of Voter Voices, a statewide effort to ask Coloradans what issues matter most to them in this election. We used those responses to develop the questionnaire CPR sent to major party candidates. Archuleta’s answers are below.
River Gassen on the economy and cost of living
What would you do, as a member of Congress, to address the cost of housing?
Advocate for local communities to have community and government land grants that can control the price of housing. Federal down payment assistance for first-time home buyers and payback programs with more regulated loan rates.
What can Congress do to address inflation, particularly around the cost of food?
Enact transparency and price gouging laws to essential goods like gas and food. Have oversight to see if corporations are driving up prices beyond the necessary production costs to rake in higher profits. Monitor predatory pricing and market manipulation.
What are your views on raising tariffs on foreign goods?
Tariffs are ineffective and will raise prices for consumers all around; Tariffs will block more imports coming in which doesn’t generate revenue. If they are low, it doesn’t offer protection for domestic producers and still raises the price for consumers to obtain those goods.
River Gassen on democracy and good governance
What are your top three ideas for reforms to make Congress work better?
1 – Approving federal budgets for 2 years rather than only annually reducing the frequencies of government shutdown possibilities.
2 – Reduce the 60 vote threshold required to invoke cloture in the Senate.
3 – Impose term limits for Congress.
If control of the federal government remains divided between the parties after the election, how do you plan to be effective for your district?
Being effective requires evidence-based solutions to the problems rather than argue over ideology.
There is an initiative on Colorado’s ballot to do away with party primaries and institute ranked choice voting. How will you vote on it and why?
I will not vote in removing the party primary - there is little evidence that an overall ranked choice voting system is more representative than the current primary system. Additionally, there is a higher chance that people who do not understand how ranked choice voting works will further disenfranchise them to vote.
Do you trust the current electoral system in Colorado? What about the rest of the country?
Yes – there is no evidence of any failures in Colorado or the U.S.
River Gassen on immigration
How should the U.S. Congress address current and future waves of people crossing at the border?
The current crossing rate has dropped dramatically - to maintain this we need more funding and appropriations devoted to the border. Diplomatic relations and negotiations with all north and south American countries.
Name one aspect of the current legal immigration system the U.S. Congress should reform or abolish, and why?
Increase funding to the Refugee Act so that we can reduce the backlog and allow them to increase our workforce.
What should the U.S. do about people who have lived in the country for a long time without documentation, including so-called Dreamers?
Improve the pathway to citizenship for all nonviolent immigrants and allow them into the taxpaying population.
What do you think of former President Donald Trump’s call for mass deportations?
It is inhumane and un-American.
River Gassen on climate and natural resources
What is the most pressing environmental or natural resource issue facing Colorado?
Destructive wildfires linked to climate change have increased in CO and surrounding areas and need to be mitigated.
What are the most urgent steps the country should take to address climate change, if any?
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improve our forest management and invest in renewable energy which also will create a new economy.
Should the federal government take steps to limit new oil and gas production on public lands?
Yes – we can allocate those lands for more renewable energy solutions.
