Michael Pierson

“Good policymaking begins with reliable evidence. I will regularly consult scientists, researchers, technical experts, and the people directly affected by a policy. That includes seeking guidance from Colorado’s universities, public-health agencies, nonpartisan legislative staff, professional scientific organizations, and experts working in our communities.

For legislation involving complex scientific or technical questions, I will encourage early expert briefings and stakeholder roundtables before positions become entrenched. I will ask what the strongest available evidence shows, where genuine uncertainty remains, and whether the research is independent and applicable to Colorado. I will also look for conflicts of interest and distinguish peer-reviewed findings from unsupported claims or industry talking points.

Whenever practical, legislation should include clearly defined goals and measurable outcomes so we can determine whether it is working. I support transparent reporting, independent evaluation, and regular legislative review of major programs. If new evidence shows that a policy is ineffective or causing unintended harm, lawmakers should be willing to revise it.

Science will not always dictate a single policy choice; elected officials must also weigh costs, competing needs, community values, and fairness. But those choices should begin with an honest understanding of the evidence. Coloradans, especially working families whose health, safety, and livelihoods are affected by our decisions, deserve policies grounded in facts rather than ideology.”

“My district is largely suburban, and I would not pretend to be an expert on agriculture. My responsibility as a legislator would be to listen to Colorado’s farmers and ranchers, consult agricultural scientists and water experts, and make decisions based on evidence and practical experience.

Agriculture still matters greatly to the working families I hope to represent. Drought, rising production costs, and disruptions in imported supplies eventually affect the prices families pay at the grocery store. Water decisions made elsewhere in Colorado also have consequences for our communities, economy, and long-term growth.

I would support research and voluntary programs that help producers use water, fertilizer, and other resources more efficiently while maintaining productive farms and ranches. Colorado State University, its Extension offices, and agricultural research stations can play an important role in identifying which approaches actually work under Colorado conditions. State assistance should be practical, affordable, and accessible to small and midsized producers.

I would also be careful about policies that sound good in theory but shift costs onto farmers, consumers, or rural communities. Farmers and ranchers should have a meaningful voice from the beginning, and programs should include measurable goals so legislators can determine whether they are protecting water and soil, strengthening our food supply, and reducing costs.

Putting working families first means recognizing that affordable food, responsible water management, healthy natural resources, and a strong agricultural economy are closely connected.”

“Colorado should welcome AI innovation and the economic opportunities it can create, but new AI data centers must be treated as the heavy industrial facilities they are. Their demands for electricity, water, and infrastructure can be enormous, while the number of permanent local jobs may be relatively small. The right balance is growth with clear, evidence-based guardrails that put working families first.

My first principle is that residential and small-business utility customers should not subsidize these projects through higher electric or water bills. Data centers should pay the full cost of the substations, transmission upgrades, grid connections, and other infrastructure they require, backed by long-term contracts and financial guarantees.

Before approving projects or granting incentives, state and local decisionmakers should have reliable, publicly available information about projected electricity use, water consumption, infrastructure costs, permanent jobs, and community benefits. Water-intensive projects should provide verified long-term water plans, with preference given to air-cooled or closed-loop cooling systems.

I oppose blank-check tax incentives. Any incentive should undergo a transparent cost-benefit analysis, produce enforceable benefits such as local hiring, apprenticeships, and use of local vendors, and include clawback provisions if promises are not met.

Responsible siting, emergency planning, and ongoing public reporting should also be required. Colorado can be pro-innovation and pro-business while remaining firmly pro-taxpayer. AI growth should strengthen our economy and infrastructure. It should not shift corporate costs onto working families or strain the water and energy resources upon which every Colorado community depends.”

“Living with a pediatric nurse has given me a close-up appreciation for the importance of prevention, vaccination, and clear communication with families. My wife’s work has also reinforced that public-health policy must be grounded in medical evidence and delivered with compassion, not politicized or shaped by misinformation.

I support making recommended vaccines easy and affordable to obtain through doctors, pharmacies, schools, community clinics, and mobile programs. Colorado should maintain appropriate vaccination standards for schools and childcare settings, accurately track immunization rates, and focus outreach on communities where gaps leave children and medically vulnerable people at greater risk.

We also need well-funded state and local public-health agencies capable of identifying outbreaks quickly, conducting laboratory testing and disease surveillance, notifying people who may have been exposed, and providing communities with timely, understandable information. Waiting until an outbreak becomes a crisis is both more dangerous and more expensive.

Preventive health extends beyond infectious disease. Working families need affordable access to primary care, routine screenings, maternal and pediatric care, mental-health services, and reliable information about environmental threats such as unsafe air or water.

I will rely on qualified medical professionals, public-health experts, and credible scientific evidence when evaluating these policies. Putting working families first means giving people the information and access they need to protect themselves, while maintaining the public-health safeguards that protect children, seniors, and neighbors whose medical conditions make them especially vulnerable.”

“Science literacy is increasingly important, yet many people have difficulty distinguishing reliable evidence from misinformation, especially on social media. Science education should do more than teach students a collection of facts. It should teach them how to ask good questions, evaluate sources, interpret data, understand probability and uncertainty, and change their conclusions when better evidence becomes available.

Colorado’s K-12 standards should continue to include strong instruction in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, climate science, and health. They should also place greater emphasis on hands-on investigation, practical problem-solving, statistics, and media literacy. Students should learn how scientific knowledge develops through testing, review, replication, and constructive disagreement. Understanding that process can build trust without asking students to accept every claim uncritically.

Standards alone, however, are not enough. We must fully fund public schools, maintain manageable class sizes, provide modern laboratory materials, and give teachers the training and freedom needed to bring science to life. Schools should also be encouraged to partner with Colorado’s universities, museums, research laboratories, healthcare professionals, conservation organizations, and science-based employers so students can meet scientists and see how their work affects daily life.

Those opportunities must be available in every school, not just wealthy districts. Putting working families first means ensuring that every child can develop the skills needed to make informed decisions about health, technology, the environment, and civic life, while also preparing for the science and technology jobs that will help power Colorado’s future.”