Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lens Gina Ganda, Good morning.
A University of Colorado regent with deep political roots in
Colorado is hoping to unseat the state's longest serving Congresswoman.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Wanda James, has announced a primary challenge against Representative Diana
de Gett in Colorado's first congressional district. To get has
held the Denver based seat since nineteen ninety seven. Joining
us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline is
the regent and candidate for the first district. It's Wanda James. Wanda,
thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Absolutely, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Let's start with your elevator pitch. Why did you decide
to win for Congress?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I know it wasn't a difficult decision to do that.
We have been looking at the Democratic Party. The brand
has been has been diminished. It's not being upheld the
things that Democrats stand for. It seems that folks are
afraid to actually speak about it and to uphold those
(00:55):
things that mean a lot to us. So when we
looked at all of the different polling that has been
out there for you know, over the last few months
of what the Democrats feel about the people who are
leading our party. Quite frankly, it's dismal. And that goes
because folks are afraid to fight for what is right,
fight for what this party has believed in, and to
(01:15):
stand up to what is happening in Washington. You know,
there are human values that are important to this party
and it's time that we have people in leaderships that
aren't afraid to stand up for them.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
What would you do different than congress women to get
with District one?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
So you know, it's really interesting that you brought that up.
And I have a team of people who are looking
at all of the possibilities of the things that we
can bring to the Congressional floor. But the things that
I want to stand up for are the things that
I've always stood up for, and those things are fighting
for small businesses, fighting for the middle class, allowing education
(01:50):
to take front and center. To me, I'm a first
generation graduate at the University of Colorado Boulder. I'm the
first black woman to be commissioned through the Naval ROTC
unit at the University of Colorado. So I value education,
I value opportunity, and I want to make sure that
we are standing strong to make sure that pell grants
are available for anybody that wants to go to college.
(02:13):
Also looking at strengthening the ideas of trade schools and apprenticeships.
All of those things are important so that the American
people have opportunity. And on top of that, I'm an entrepreneur.
You know, my husband and I for the last oh
my goodness, thirty years. You know, we have owned restaurants,
we have owned consulting companies, and we're also the first
(02:35):
African Americans legally licensed in America to open up a
cannabis dispensary. And that dispensary and the work that we
have done around cannabis wasn't just about money. It was
about people's freedom to be able to ensure that we
ended the mass incarceration due to a plant, that we're
ending slave labor to our prison systems, and really creating
(02:58):
opportunities for community of color that had been decimated by
the war on drugs. So the difference between me and
Diana to get is huge. I bring lived experience to
the table, not a thirty year politician that's been sitting
behind a desk.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Wanda, we don't have to tell you this that it's
going to be challenging because congresswoman to get to whether
people like her priorities or not, just has the name
recognition when it comes to just being such a long
standing a congresswoman. So what do you do? How do
you fight that? How do you challenge that when people
might just go to the ballot box, see the name
that they see all the time and say, Okay, I'll
(03:34):
vote for her.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So there's a reason that you are all talking to
me this morning. Why is that? It's because you all
know my name. So this is going to be the
first time in thirty years, quite frankly, that Diana has
had a real challenger. This is the first time in
thirty years that Diana has somebody whose name recognition may
be as high or higher than hers in CD one.
So I'm not an unknown entity. Like I said, I
(03:58):
have not sat in car I was for thirty years.
But that doesn't mean that I am not unknown to
this district. Like I said, my husband and I have
been extremely popular in this district for the last twenty
twenty five years. I mean, there are very few people
in this district who do not know who we are,
what we stand for, and what we do. So the
name recognition is definitely there. The political know how is there.
(04:22):
I'm one of the people in Colorado that knows politics
inside and out. I was Congressman Derreck Poulis's first campaign
manager in two thousand and eight. I worked on the
Obama National Finance Committee and the Colorado Finance Committee. I
work on the Kamala Harris National Finance Committee. As a
matter of fact, we have hosted the Vice president at
(04:43):
our home. So I'm bringing political know how, We're bringing
the ability to raise money and name recognition. So you know,
it's a trifecta, and we feel really good about, you know,
not just the chances of unseating Diana to get but
we feel really good that we're absolutely going to do it.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wanda. It's a primary, but a lot of those people,
the credentials you brought forth of you work for, there's
a segment of Colorado I have to tell you this
that don't think those are credentials, but actually think those
are reasons why they shouldn't vote for somebody like you.
So how do you coalesce people that maybe don't see
the world through your political eyes to get to work.
This isn't that? What's paralyzing not only the state to
(05:20):
some degree. You bring up the cost you've run businesses.
A lot of people say businesses are closing because it's
too costly to do business here, and they blame people
politically on your side of the aisle. So how do
you coalesce and make those changes and build bridges and
try to get Colorado in your sense, moving forward again
where it's less political but more business like in getting
things done.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
So two parts of that, let's be realistic. CET one
is a D plus twenty nine district, so we are highly,
highly highly a democratic state, So I mean a democratic
district and congressional district. Line could not be more proud
once again of being a Democrat, right because when you
get down to it and we talk about what those
(06:00):
democratic values are, that's what people want to hear us
in this district. That's what people want to see in
this district. And you're absolutely correct. It's time for the
Democratic Party to understand that small business is a backbone
of America and what small business. The definition of small
business is anybody that has five hundred or less employees.
In my mind, five hundred employees, that's a big business.
(06:23):
So you know, I'm going to look forward to being
able to bring the idea of micro business and being
able to support the micro businesses that are out there.
The plumber that you call every day, the restaurant that
you love to go to on the corner, the people
that dry clean your clothes. We're going to show that
democrats also care about them and their employees, you know,
(06:46):
making sure that we're able to support you know, living wages,
and that the people who want to work for small
business instead of working for a big corporation have the
opportunity to choose small business because you know what, it
would be great if we could fee you're out of way. Finally,
in America, to ensure that every American had health care. Look,
my mother, who's no alarmed with me and it makes
(07:07):
me sad sometime all the time. But my mother was British.
Half of my family is British. My cousins in England
are completely confused as to why America does not have
health care. It's time to start that conversation. Every country
on this planet that is a G seven country has
health care for its people. We need to make sure
(07:29):
that's happening, and that's not just for the American public,
but that also supports small business owners when people can
choose to work for a smaller company, be a part
of developing a smaller company, not having to work for
a big corporation because they work for a big corporation,
because of the benefits that you get from a big
corporation that we can't offer at small businesses. So once again,
(07:53):
different kind of democrat, right, military officer, small business owner,
somebody that believes in in development, somebody that believes in
fair housing, somebody believes in people being able to own
homes and believe that we can also be good humans
and make sure that people are supported.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
See you, regent in Canada for the first congressional district.
It's Wanda James
It is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lens Gina Ganda, Good morning.
A University of Colorado regent with deep political roots in
Colorado is hoping to unseat the state's longest serving Congresswoman.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Wanda James, has announced a primary challenge against Representative Diana
de Gett in Colorado's first congressional district. To get has
held the Denver based seat since nineteen ninety seven. Joining
us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline is
the regent and candidate for the first district. It's Wanda James. Wanda,
thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Absolutely, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Let's start with your elevator pitch. Why did you decide
to win for Congress?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I know it wasn't a difficult decision to do that.
We have been looking at the Democratic Party. The brand
has been has been diminished. It's not being upheld the
things that Democrats stand for. It seems that folks are
afraid to actually speak about it and to uphold those
(00:55):
things that mean a lot to us. So when we
looked at all of the different polling that has been
out there for you know, over the last few months
of what the Democrats feel about the people who are
leading our party. Quite frankly, it's dismal. And that goes
because folks are afraid to fight for what is right,
fight for what this party has believed in, and to
(01:15):
stand up to what is happening in Washington. You know,
there are human values that are important to this party
and it's time that we have people in leaderships that
aren't afraid to stand up for them.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
What would you do different than congress women to get
with District one?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
So you know, it's really interesting that you brought that up.
And I have a team of people who are looking
at all of the possibilities of the things that we
can bring to the Congressional floor. But the things that
I want to stand up for are the things that
I've always stood up for, and those things are fighting
for small businesses, fighting for the middle class, allowing education
(01:50):
to take front and center. To me, I'm a first
generation graduate at the University of Colorado Boulder. I'm the
first black woman to be commissioned through the Naval ROTC
unit at the University of Colorado. So I value education,
I value opportunity, and I want to make sure that
we are standing strong to make sure that pell grants
are available for anybody that wants to go to college.
(02:13):
Also looking at strengthening the ideas of trade schools and apprenticeships.
All of those things are important so that the American
people have opportunity. And on top of that, I'm an entrepreneur.
You know, my husband and I for the last oh
my goodness, thirty years. You know, we have owned restaurants,
we have owned consulting companies, and we're also the first
(02:35):
African Americans legally licensed in America to open up a
cannabis dispensary. And that dispensary and the work that we
have done around cannabis wasn't just about money. It was
about people's freedom to be able to ensure that we
ended the mass incarceration due to a plant, that we're
ending slave labor to our prison systems, and really creating
(02:58):
opportunities for community of color that had been decimated by
the war on drugs. So the difference between me and
Diana to get is huge. I bring lived experience to
the table, not a thirty year politician that's been sitting
behind a desk.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Wanda, we don't have to tell you this that it's
going to be challenging because congresswoman to get to whether
people like her priorities or not, just has the name
recognition when it comes to just being such a long
standing a congresswoman. So what do you do? How do
you fight that? How do you challenge that when people
might just go to the ballot box, see the name
that they see all the time and say, Okay, I'll
(03:34):
vote for her.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
So there's a reason that you are all talking to
me this morning. Why is that? It's because you all
know my name. So this is going to be the
first time in thirty years, quite frankly, that Diana has
had a real challenger. This is the first time in
thirty years that Diana has somebody whose name recognition may
be as high or higher than hers in CD one.
So I'm not an unknown entity. Like I said, I
(03:58):
have not sat in car I was for thirty years.
But that doesn't mean that I am not unknown to
this district. Like I said, my husband and I have
been extremely popular in this district for the last twenty
twenty five years. I mean, there are very few people
in this district who do not know who we are,
what we stand for, and what we do. So the
name recognition is definitely there. The political know how is there.
(04:22):
I'm one of the people in Colorado that knows politics
inside and out. I was Congressman Derreck Poulis's first campaign
manager in two thousand and eight. I worked on the
Obama National Finance Committee and the Colorado Finance Committee. I
work on the Kamala Harris National Finance Committee. As a
matter of fact, we have hosted the Vice president at
(04:43):
our home. So I'm bringing political know how, We're bringing
the ability to raise money and name recognition. So you know,
it's a trifecta, and we feel really good about, you know,
not just the chances of unseating Diana to get but
we feel really good that we're absolutely going to do it.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wanda. It's a primary, but a lot of those people,
the credentials you brought forth of you work for, there's
a segment of Colorado I have to tell you this
that don't think those are credentials, but actually think those
are reasons why they shouldn't vote for somebody like you.
So how do you coalesce people that maybe don't see
the world through your political eyes to get to work.
This isn't that? What's paralyzing not only the state to
(05:20):
some degree. You bring up the cost you've run businesses.
A lot of people say businesses are closing because it's
too costly to do business here, and they blame people
politically on your side of the aisle. So how do
you coalesce and make those changes and build bridges and
try to get Colorado in your sense, moving forward again
where it's less political but more business like in getting
things done.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
So two parts of that, let's be realistic. CET one
is a D plus twenty nine district, so we are highly,
highly highly a democratic state, So I mean a democratic
district and congressional district. Line could not be more proud
once again of being a Democrat, right because when you
get down to it and we talk about what those
(06:00):
democratic values are, that's what people want to hear us
in this district. That's what people want to see in
this district. And you're absolutely correct. It's time for the
Democratic Party to understand that small business is a backbone
of America and what small business. The definition of small
business is anybody that has five hundred or less employees.
In my mind, five hundred employees, that's a big business.
(06:23):
So you know, I'm going to look forward to being
able to bring the idea of micro business and being
able to support the micro businesses that are out there.
The plumber that you call every day, the restaurant that
you love to go to on the corner, the people
that dry clean your clothes. We're going to show that
democrats also care about them and their employees, you know,
(06:46):
making sure that we're able to support you know, living wages,
and that the people who want to work for small
business instead of working for a big corporation have the
opportunity to choose small business because you know what, it
would be great if we could fee you're out of way. Finally,
in America, to ensure that every American had health care. Look,
my mother, who's no alarmed with me and it makes
(07:07):
me sad sometime all the time. But my mother was British.
Half of my family is British. My cousins in England
are completely confused as to why America does not have
health care. It's time to start that conversation. Every country
on this planet that is a G seven country has
health care for its people. We need to make sure
(07:29):
that's happening, and that's not just for the American public,
but that also supports small business owners when people can
choose to work for a smaller company, be a part
of developing a smaller company, not having to work for
a big corporation because they work for a big corporation,
because of the benefits that you get from a big
corporation that we can't offer at small businesses. So once again,
(07:53):
different kind of democrat, right, military officer, small business owner,
somebody that believes in in development, somebody that believes in
fair housing, somebody believes in people being able to own
homes and believe that we can also be good humans
and make sure that people are supported.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
See you, regent in Canada for the first congressional district.
It's Wanda James
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