Background

Question: Can you briefly tell us a story that impacted the way you feel about animals?

Answer: I have always cared deeply for animals but when I was in 4th grade I remember meeting neighbors across the street from us who sheltered greyhounds that had been involved in racing and were needing support to transition to having a loving home and not living in horrible conditions. Seeing that someone could treat animals that poorly and have it lead to lasting problems in their life resonated very deeply with me and made me want to understand animals more and see them as impacted by the same things we are.

Save Our Bacon Act/Farm Bill

Question: The EATS Act — now included in the House Farm Bill (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026) as the ‘Save Our Bacon’ provision — would strip state and local governments of the authority to set animal welfare standards, gutting hundreds of laws nationwide and preventing our organization from working on effective animal welfare legislation, as our efforts would be undermined by out-of-state producers who would crowd our compliant farmers out of the market. Would you publicly oppose efforts to preempt animal protection laws, whether through the EATS Act, the current Farm Bill, or future versions of this legislation?

Answer: I strongly oppose this legislation. We have set a standard in Colorado and we are not going back because of outside interests. Colorado used to be a consistent policy leader and now more and more I see us reacting constantly to outside attacks rather than being proactive to ensure we protect the vulnerable in our state.

Climate-Friendly Food & Fair Competition

Question: The federal government spends billions annually subsidizing animal agriculture, with little regard for how that food is produced. Would you support policies to create a more level playing field between factory-farmed products and higher-welfare or plant-based alternatives — for example, reforming crop insurance and commodity support programs to reduce incentives for factory farming, directing federal procurement toward food produced to higher welfare and environmental standards, or supporting grant programs for farmers transitioning away from factory farming?

Answer: I would. I also think that it is important to talk to those that are affected. In the same way we are starting to ask labor organizations how we can protect them from modernization and automation I think it is important to talk to farmers about WHY these changes are important and a way to help them to stay relevant and be able to continue farming the land without needed big agriculture to take advantage of them.

Pain Relief

Question: The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends pain relief for common agricultural practices like castration, dehorning, teeth clipping, and tail docking; polling consistently shows that the vast majority of Americans support the same. Several countries, including the UK and members of the EU already require or incentivize pain relief for these procedures. Would you support requiring pain relief during painful procedures performed on farmed animals?

Answer: Yes. Any procedure that I would want pain relief for as a patient is something that animals deserve. It would be very difficult for someone to convince me otherwise. We have to be humane and good stewards of our lands and animals.

Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds Act

Question: Pro-Animal Colorado has qualified the Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds Act for the 2026 Denver ballot. Would you endorse it?

Answer: Yes. This process is disgusting and should not be allowed to continue.

Other

Question: What else would you like to share? Please add anything else that might be helpful regarding your past or current support for pro-animal policies.

Answer: I am an advocate of adopting animals and not shopping through breeders. I also believe that it is important we are educating the public about ethical treatment and why these policies matter.