Debby Burnett

Debby Burnett was born in Colorado. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1992, a graduate degree from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1995, and a degree from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. Her career experience includes working as a veterinarian. She is also a licensed physical therapist, certified veterinary acupuncturist, and sometimes tractor driver for her small hay baling business.[1]

Burnett has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

Girl Scouts of America

American Veterinary Medical Association

International Sled Dog Veterinary Association

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lot of things--a veterinarian, a physical therapist, and a tractor driver for our small hay baling business. I have a lot of letters after my name, but the most important are MOM. Everything I do is because I want to ensure a world for my daughter in which she feels secure and happy, and fulfilled. I want my daughter to enjoy a Colorado like the one I grew up in. My family history is entwined with Colorado's 3rd District. My great-grandfather, Erwin Francis Burnett, had his optometry business on Main Avenue in Durango. My Grandpa Burnett was born in Salida, went to school in Alamosa, and had his optometry business in Pueblo. We learned how to ski at Geneva Basin and spent summers on Independence Pass, back when it was a road less traveled. Colorado is my home, and helping the people of the 3rd District thrive, not just survive, would be an honor.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must address our water crisis. We can do this by working to upgrade water storage/collection sites, removing lead pipes, improving irrigation efficiency and addressing forest health to improve watersheds.Rural healthcare needs to be accessible and affordable. There is no reason why the same care is cheaper in urban areas than in rural parts of the state. Prescription drugs and health care costs should not threaten bankruptcy.Veteran programs including healthcare, job training and general life assistance should be priorities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about leaving our children a functioning planet. We need to invest in alternative energy sources, such as putting solar panels on every roof in America.

We must address our water crisis. This includes updating storage sites, improving irrigation efficiency, and protecting watersheds by improving forest health.

We must discuss food independence, ensuring our farmers and ranchers can continue to feed this nation.

We must protect and care for our veterans, including health care, job training, and post-deployment programs.

We need to focus on affordable, accessible rural healthcare.

We need to preserve public education and ensure that children in rural districts, such as Colorado's 3rd, have the same access to quality education as those in urban centers.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

President Obama had the audacity to hope for a better way of "doing politics." He never gave up on that and, at least in the public eye, didn't let detractors get him down. I don't believe that we cannot get to the vision he had for this country. This book touched my soul and made my heart happy for its purity, for its belief in the indomitable American spirit that says we can do anything if we do it together.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I value teamwork and collaboration, welcoming input from others. I am compassionate and empathetic, understanding the need to meet people where they're at instead of bullying them into accepting my opinions or thoughts. I embrace science, data, and research, yet understand the necessity for the arts and humanities.

I am a good listener--born out of years spent working in the hospital as a human physical therapist and working with the elderly population.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

As crazy as this is, I remember the landing on the moon. I was almost 2 years old. It is a memory that exists at the periphery of my conscious mind as if seen from the side. I hear the excitement of my parents and maybe one or two other adults. It is in the house on West 6th Street in Greeley. The television set was brown with those wooden legs on the bottom. It was a gray fuzzy screen, but again, just out of sight, in my peripheral vision. I remember a big commotion.

Because this left an indelible impression on my mind, I knew that it was possible for memories to be etched deeply. When my daughter was almost 2 years old, Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. That evening, as he spoke in Grant Park in Chicago, my daughter had woken up. I held her close and whispered to her, as he was speaking, that this was going to change her life. That she would grow up in a beautiful new world.

We sat together on the couch when he was inaugurated in January 2009, again with me telling her this would change the world. We'll see, someday, if the images are as indelibly printed on her mind as the moon landing was on mine.

What is your favorite book? Why?

All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot

I read this book in 5th grade. The first page of the first book in the series--the first paragraph of the first chapter had me hooked. I desperately wanted to be that veterinarian, laying on the cold, stone floor of the barn on a frigid winter's night, straining to deliver a calf. I couldn't imagine anything better than the little veterinary practice in rural England. I dreamed of being James Herriot.

That dream was dashed by a science teacher in high school who told me I had no mind for science and I should do something else. I gave up my childhood dream--for a time. A journalism major gave way to a study in all things "ski bum," which eventually took me to an undergraduate degree in athletic training and biochemistry! Then a master's in physical therapy before one day walking alongside a horse and remembering that long-buried childhood dream. I went to veterinary school, and for graduation, my father gave me a 1st edition set of the All Creatures Great and Small books. I had come full circle.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone by Jimmy Cliff

It is a perfect allegory for how to live life.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe our representatives should come from all walks of life. I think, in order to have fair representation in our government, people who are in public service should have some idea of what life is like for their constituents. Better decision-making and thought processes occur if one has experienced the same issues as those one is legislating for.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I think term limits are important tools to ensure that ideas and thoughts are fresh, that they do not stagnate. Our population, our country is ever-changing and we need representation that reflects that. Having people in office that have been there for decades does not allow new thought processes or ideas to emerge.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Of course, compromise is essential for policymaking. Without compromise, this country would edge closer to authoritarianism. There is never one right way of doing something. When we begin to impose our will on others, we become bullies. That is no way to govern.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Debby Burnett is a veterinarian, physical therapist, small business owner, and mom on the Western Slope of Colorado, who is running to defeat the seditionist Lauren Boebert in 2022.

As a fourth generation Coloradan and a veterinarian of 18+ years, she's worked with farmers and ranchers across our district to improve their lives and their livelihoods. She understands the importance of the livestock industry to Colorado’s economy and the necessity of farmers and ranchers having a voice in Congress.

As the mother of a 14-year old, she knows how to get twenty things done at once.

As the owner of a small agriculture business, she knows that two of the most pressing issues facing Colorado today are sufficient water and a stable climate.

And as a lifelong Coloradan, she understands what Colorado's 3rd District needs — and is stepping up to give them a real voice in Congress.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want our kids to grow up in the same beautiful, colorful Colorado we did 30-40-50 years ago. That means sustaining our rural economy and protecting our environment.Colorado’s 3rd district deserves responsible, honest, effective leadership; a representative who doesn't peddle conspiracy theories about stolen elections.It is time to modernize our infrastructure - not just roads and bridges, but rural broadband, accessible healthcare, and renewable energy too.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

WATER, FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. "Water is a sacred resource," the Secretary of the Interior said recently. Colorado is in a mega-drought, and the impact on our forests, farmers, ranchers, and communities is devastating. We need to work together to find ways to survive and even thrive during these trying times when water is under such stress. I will help find that path as your representative in Congress, to ensure a healthy, colorful, thriving Colorado.

INFRASTRUCTURE: REBUILDING OUR STATE. Infrastructure encompasses so much more than roads and bridges.

It means public health infrastructure to ensure fair and equitable, affordable health care for all Coloradans.

It means reliable rural broadband so business can relocate here, people can work remotely, and students can access the education they need.

It means funding, education and support to drilling and mining communities as we inevitably transition to renewable energy.