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Reflections

GDT Lead Saigopal Rangaraj reflects on February Gubernatorial Forum

3/1/2026

This past month, GDT co-hosted a gubernatorial forum on transit and housing with YIMBY Denver. The two leading Democratic candidates, sitting U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, participated in this debate-style forum. Even before getting into the substance of the debate, I cannot emphasize enough how big a win this was for GDT. Our advocacy can feel very technical and RTD-specific; transportation, in combination with housing, is one of the most important issues facing our state. If we don’t fix how unaffordable it is to live and move in Colorado, no matter how beautiful the state is, we will not remedy the recent population decline we have seen.

The first question I get asked is who ‘won’ the debate. At the risk of your not reading further, I will state unequivocally that there was no clear winner beyond the issues themselves. Both candidates had some thoughtful answers that aligned with our positions, and others that lacked substance. We clearly learnt that the issue of housing and mobility is important, but before GDT makes its endorsement, our leadership will send out an endorsement questionnaire and delve into those technical specifics that don’t lend themselves to punchy sound bites on the debate stage… stay tuned for more on that.

Moving on to the wins, both candidates came out in support of multiple key issues we care about:

  • Building the Front Range Passenger Rail
  • Re-building trust in public transit agencies and ensuring transit is centered on rider needs (i.e., providing special event service, and doubling down on successful services)
  • Ensuring the Colorado BRT gets built
  • Building more housing near transit, and generally showing an openness to see more mixed-use development and gentle density, with Bennet and Weiser citing Lakewood and Lowry as good examples, respectively
  • Expanding access to transit in rural Colorado, Bennet specifically called out RAFTA (the system serving Aspen & Glenwood Springs) as a model to replicate
  • And using data and making changes to speed limits to ensure that we reduce the number of preventable deaths on our streets!

Unfortunately, we did get some pushback around meeting all of our goals:

  • Both candidates believed in the need to expand the number of lanes on Pena Boulevard to the airport, and both candidates also seemed to believe in widening I-270, although Weiser did show some hesitation here
  • We also saw hesitation from Bennet regarding support for the HOME Act, a practical tool that would allow transit agencies and other entities to build more housing on their land without going through lengthy administrative approval processes.

The devil is in the details, however. While our lightning round did reduce many of these topics to yes/no answers, the issues do require a bit of diving into the weeds. One area that left me feeling very reassured was the fact that both candidates acknowledged that we cannot preserve high home values while also providing housing that is affordable for working families in our state. Tradeoffs are a core part of any policy debate, but that nuance is the first thing to go when politicians seek to appease a broad base.

It is important for Colorado’s leaders to use every tool available to ensure we reverse our state’s recent population decline. Building market-rate housing, expanding the affordable housing stock, providing rental assistance, and ensuring affordable, sustainable mobility are all levers that can and should be used. RTD, Front Range Passenger Rail, and Bustang will continue to feature in political conversations. GDT will continue to champion the cause of improved mobility, as we know that investing in transit yields a 5x return and makes an immeasurable difference in the quality of life in our communities.

You can watch the full debate here or listen to a summary from City Cast Denver.

-Saigopal Rangaraj