Stan VanderWerf
Stan VanderWerf sits on the County Commission and now he wants to represent us in the Legislature. But how can we expect him to fight for our families at the Capitol when, here in El Paso, he's never looked out for us?
The Facts about Stan VanderWerf
Fact
As an El Paso County Commissioner, VanderWerf took lavish trips that he billed to the taxpayers. But when it came to basic benefits for county workers, he hung them out to dry.
- VanderWerf led the fight to prevent middle-class workers in El Paso — like street repair crews and snow plow operators — from getting paid time off if they got sick or needed to care for a sick family member. [El Paso BOCC Resolution 22-416, 11/29/22]
- Over the same period, VanderWerf collected over $800,000 in taxpayer-funded salaries, and charged taxpayers over $40,000 for travel to other cities — even on lavish trips that he took on a private jet. [El Paso BOCC data]
FACT:
VanderWerf has a long record of opposing abortion rights in Colorado — even in cases of rape and incest.
- VanderWerf backed a ballot measure that would have made abortion a criminal offense in Colorado, without exceptions for rape or incest. [Prop. 115, 2020; Colorado Public Radio, 11/3/20]
- VanderWerf has pledged to roll back Colorado’s laws protecting abortion access, and has also pledged to defund Planned Parenthood. [VanderWerf iVoter Candidate Questionnaire; Richard Randall show, 9/29/23]
- Extremists who want to ban abortion in Colorado are among the biggest financial backers of VanderWerf’s campaign. [TRACER]
FACT:
VanderWerf’s extreme anti-LGBTQ agenda is way out of Colorado’s mainstream.
- VanderWerf tried to strip funding from a nonprofit organization that provides basic services to help homeless LGBTQ youth. [Colorado Springs Business Journal, 7/19/23; Colorado Times Recorder, 7/19/23]
- VanderWerf says gay couples should not have the right to get married. [VanderWerf iVoter Candidate Questionnaire]
- VanderWerf was a featured speaker at an event devoted to anti-LGBTQ views. [Colorado Times Recorder, 11/21/22]
FACT:
VanderWerf’s plans would take funding away from El Paso County’s public schools.
- VanderWerf supports policies that would divert funding from our underfunded public schools to fund private and religious schools. [VanderWerf iVoter Candidate Questionnaire]
- Nonpartisan experts agree that these policies would result in lower teacher pay, fewer resources for children, and larger class sizes in the schools that 95% of our kids attend. [Private School Review, 8/27/24; Texas AFT, 2/15/24]
And he’s way too extreme to represent us.
Stan VanderWerf has gotten plenty — but he hasn’t got our backs.