Q&A with Jason Crow, candidate for U.S. House, 6th District

Party: Democrat

Residence: Aurora

Campaign website: jasoncrowforcongress.com

What makes you the best choice for this office?

I'm fighting to bring a new generation of leadership to Congress. As your representative, I've worked to restore trust in the government, held over 26 town halls and reject corporate PAC money. I'm also one of the few members of Congress to post my daily congressional meeting schedule publicly. I cracked down on price-gouging by Big Pharma, enacted into law my plan for the Pentagon to tackle climate change and stood up for small businesses that are struggling during the pandemic. In these turbulent times, CD6 deserves a servant leader who will work for the people, not special interests.

If you're elected, what single issue will be at the top of your agenda?

The COVID-19 crisis is the greatest public health and economic crisis we've faced in generations. We need to rebuild our economy and invest in testing, contact-tracing and a vaccine. Since the onset of the pandemic, I worked to pass coronavirus relief packages that provide critical (personal protective equipment) funding for our frontline workers, increase the availability of testing and contact-tracing services, and support small businesses. I will continue to fight to keep families and small businesses afloat throughout the crisis and will advocate for evidence-based policy solutions to ensure the health and economic security of my constituents and all Americans.

If you're elected, what must you accomplish in order for you to consider your term a success?

If reelected, I promise I will honor my oath and work tirelessly for the people of the 6th Congressional District. In my first term in Congress, we helped return over $2 million to CD6 residents. We secured millions of dollars in grant funding to invest in our roads and schools. We launched a boots-on-the-ground effort to support our community with weekly ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention center oversight inspections, a virtual job fair and mobile office hours. And we helped over 1,000 Coloradans solve problems they were having with the federal government.

What role should Congress play in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic that you feel it has not fulfilled so far?

Over four months ago, I voted for — and the House passed — the HEROES Act. The bill would provide unemployment benefits to Americans impacted by this recession, fund the United States Postal Service, and expand vote-by-mail efforts. It would also establish a heroes fund so our frontline workers can get the hazard pay that they earned and provide the necessary funding for PPE, contact-tracing and testing. The Senate hasn't even debated the bill yet (as of Sept. 21). Congress needs to come together to pass much-needed relief to help this country through the months ahead.

After intense wildfires on the West Coast and in Colorado, what action should Congress take to mitigate the danger of future wildfires?

When my kids can't go outside to play and people with asthma can't leave their houses because of the air quality, we know that there is a problem. We need more support for our first responders who confront these fires every year. More than that, we need a Congress and president that will act decisively on climate change. Climate change is making wildfires bigger and more frequent, and it will take federal, state and local collaboration to protect our communities. We need to transition our economy to rely more on renewable energy to ensure that we are addressing this crisis.