I’m Ron Hanks, running for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. I spent 32 years in the military as an Arabic linguist and intelligence officer. I retired at the end of 2017, ran for a seat in the Colorado Assembly, won in 2020 and served until 2022. 

I’m running for CD3 to be a consistent conservative vote and to move the America First agenda forward during President Trump’s final two years.  

To that end, I would, for example, support President Trump’s use of tariff negotiations as an instrument of foreign policy. We are currently experiencing a massive global economic reset, and I believe President Trump has used the tariffs masterfully and put us in a stronger negotiating position.  

I see most issues through a national security lens, and I believe we need to expand our power production capabilities throughout the nation. Colorado can be a significant power producer for the American energy grid. We have clean, high-energy coal, and we should utilize that abundance. Oil and gas should be part of our energy mix. I also support the small modular nuclear reactors that are being proposed for commercial power production. Solar has a place in the energy grid, but primarily on private rooftops and property. I have grown alarmed by the huge “black lakes” I’ve seen while traveling roads throughout the district that turn out to be thousands of acres of solar panels out on agricultural land.   

Manufacturing is a national security issue, and we need abundant, consistent energy to bring it back to the United States. That would include heavy industry manufacturing, high tech and even pharmaceuticals.

Agriculture is national security, and we need to secure our land and water rights from foreign purchase. We should use our expanded energy capacity to desalinate seawater and reduce the demand of the downriver states by a few million acre feet and start filling Colorado reservoirs. 

I believe we have massive fraud in our federal budget, and the U.S. Congress should be more dedicated to rooting it out. I believe in zero-based budgeting: each federal department and agency should start their fiscal planning at zero, and build it from there, allowing spending only on programs deemed constitutional. There is massive waste and fraud, and frankly, we don’t even know where much of the approximately $7.5 trillion annual budget is going.

We should be thoroughly auditing each department. Each bill introduced should be single-subject and have an expiration date. If the law is worth keeping, Congress can renew it. If not, it expires and goes away. 

We should be enhancing the public trust in our election process. 

My commitment to western and southern Colorado — 27 counties and nearly 50,000 square miles — is simply this: I will represent our district in Washington, D.C. and advocate for our shared interests. I will meet regularly with constituents and provide clear and objective updates. I will listen closely to your concerns, while seeking your ideas for solutions. 

It was a blessing to serve in the U.S. military for so long, and to meet Americans from all parts of the nation, so dedicated to our common cause. Serving in Washington, D.C. is an extension of my military service, not a career. As a citizen-legislator, I’d like to help this president conclude his term, help the next president get started on his first term, and then, I’d like to salute the flag and come home. 

You can read more about my positions and background at HanksForColorado.com. Thank you for your interest, and I’d ask for your vote. 

Former State Rep. Ron Hanks is a candidate in the Republican primary for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.