Eric Mulder

Eric Mulder served in the United States Army from 2010 to 2016. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. His career experience includes working as a security guard and small business owner. He has been affiliated with the Libertarian Party of Arapahoe County.[1][2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a veteran of the US Army and currently serve on the Aurora Civic Engagement Commission, and previously served on the Aurora Veterans Affairs Commission. I am a small business owner and have lived in Aurora actively since 2016.

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?

Transparency- ensuring all governing bodies in Colorado comply record keeping requirements, also promoting remote access for governing body meetings so that all constituents have the chance to actively participate in all levels of governance.Democracy- shifting the Overton window back towards acceptable political discourse that promotes human dignity by offering voters more choices than just two parties. By amplifying other parties besides the two major parties, we give voters more opportunities to be heard and increase the chances of getting more perspectives in government working toward consensus versus "my-way-or-the-highway" politics.

I also support ranked choice voting as a means of giving voters better representation by allowing more candidates to run and helping communities find representatives that more people can agree on.Opportunity- Colorado faces housing challenges that contribute toward homelessness and lack of affordable housing options for residents already negatively impacted by inflation and the soaring cost of living. We must promote and encourage the development of alternative and mixed development housing so that more people have more options for housing that fits their needs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice Reform, Drug Policy Reform, Voting Reform, Civil Liberties

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Governor Jared Polis, former US House Rep Justin Amash are elected officials (who I don't always agree with) who's examples I think are worth following- work with others while standing by what you believe in and doing so in a way that respects others.

Hunter S. Thompson, Vermin Supreme I admire their gonzo approach to politics- willing to use theatrics and satire to bring attention to important issues.

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

"Democrips and Rebloodlicans: No More Gangs in Government" by Jessie Ventura really sparked my interest in political activism. It motivated me to seek out alternatives to approaching political problems besides "join the Democrats or join the Republicans", and encouraged me to look deeper at proposed legislation and political positions put forward by elected officials, which could sometimes be horrendous towards civil liberty protections enshrined in our constitutions and laws.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The most important principle an elected official should have is accountability and integrity- every vote an elected official casts they need to be prepared to explain to their constituents.

If an official changes their mind on a set of issues they have to be willing to acknowledge that they view things differently (as opposed to flipflopping where they pretend they never held their previous views).

Integrity means an elected official doesn't attempt to bury their past by deleting tweets and blocking followers, but acknowledges and learns from past mistakes (where made) in order to be a better representative and person overall.

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

Private Security Guard. As a security guard I have had first hand experience in de-escalation and working with persons who are angry or confrontational, remaining calm under pressure. This experience will serve me well in dealing with potentially angry legislators and promoting a more harmonious general assembly floor.

Governance. I have served on at least two citizen advisory boards in the city of Aurora, composed of fellow citizens of all different backgrounds and even political views. During my tenure on these boards we've all managed to work together towards common goals. I am very good at operating within the confines of the limits of government in general and achieving goals with people from different backgrounds.

Army Veteran. As a veteran, much like being a citizen commissioner or private security guard, I have had to work in difficult environments with people I don't get to personally choose to work with. This has taught me how to make the best out of any situation I am put into and see a goal through to its completion.

Small business management. I have my own small business and as a business owner I have extensive experience in long term economic planning to ensure that any ideas or pursuits that I am following can be sustainably funded.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Restraint- being cognizant of the policies they support and their words on public communication. Able to think before the speak.

Accessibility- as best as possible, an state legislator needs to be responsive to their constituents, answering emails and other means of communication whenever possible, even if its not to give a constituent the answer they were hoping for.

Consensus- an elected official isn't going to get along with or agree with every legislator, but they must be able to work towards consensus when appropriate and above all not resort to personal attacks or degradation of their colleagues, and must never stoke irrational fears or misinformation for political gain or to gain "brownie points" with their social media followers. The best way to promote an effective legislature that is a productive place to work is through leading by example and being the legislator they want their colleagues to strive towards.

What legacy would you like to leave?

If elected, I would love to leave behind a legacy of people thinking "here was someone who was willing to be reasonable but wasn't afraid to stand up for their principles." If I never get elected, I hope what I campaign and advocate for gets implemented by those who do- it doesn't matter who gets the credit as long as the end result creates a better quality of life for the people we represent (or seek to represent if we aren't elected).

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

The September 11, 2001 attacks was easily the most impactful of the time for me. I was almost 11 years old and I will never forget how to devastated the nation to its core, nor will I forget the response afterwards (flags everywhere, the war on terror, etc).

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was at a grocery store, bagging groceries and wrangling shopping carts. I worked at that company for three years, moving up to cashier and working in different departments afterwards until I joined the army.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Watchmen" by Alan Moore. I have always enjoyed comic books and as an adult I find Watchmen contains a thrilling story that successfully deconstructs super heroes within the context of the 1980s and the Cold War. It's a book that I can pick up time and again and notice something new every time.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

A Green Lantern from DC Comics. I have always enjoyed art and a power ring that the green lanterns wield would allow me to tap into my creativity to help the world, while also giving me the ability to fly, which is a power I feel would help me overcome my fear of heights and make commuting a breeze.

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

"Hot and Cold" by Katie Perry

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have often been afraid of the uncertainty that comes with failure, and with it the fear of letting people down who are counting on me. I have learned that failure can happen even if you plan for every contingency and who you are isn't a matter of how often/little you fail, but how you react to failure- integrity means you don't pass the buck and own up to what was in your power to control.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The ideal relationship between the governor and the legislature is one of mutual respect for each other and for constitutional limitations on governance. Both the governor and legislative leaders should have a clear understanding of one another's vision for the state while working towards ensuring that vision does not infringe on the rights of the people. The governor and the legislature are not rivals or subordinate to another, but equals that must set aside any personal differences to work together to do what is best for the people.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Colorado has experienced tremendous growth and with it comes growing pains: water is a commodity more precious than gold in our state and finding ways to use it wisely and responsibly will only become a greater challenge as time goes by. TABOR is in need of reform that respects right of the people to choose and approve proposed tax increases, while ensuring that unnecessary restrictions are severely cut back or eliminated.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No- it is certainly helpful and useful in drafting bills that meet legal formatting requirements, but elected office should not be solely restricted towards persons with extensive experience solely in governance. The idea behind a part-time legislature was that it would only meet part of the year so legislators could spend the rest with their constituents and tend to their personal affairs (usually agricultural since the US was largely agrarian when it was founded).

Much like juries, I believe legislatures need to have a variety of perspectives from people of different backgrounds in order to create legislation that best serves the interests of the people.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes- Legislators regardless of party are going to be spending substantial amounts of time together in session and/or committee. Legislators need to be able to develop professional relationships with one another in order to understand their colleagues and how their colleagues intend to vote. Politics is the act of advocating for a set of interests, and legislators are not effective advocates if they intentionally alienate their fellow legislators.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Current governor Jared Polis of Colorado and former US House Rep Justin Amash of Michigan I believe are the ideal legislative examples to follow- both having strong individual convictions while working towards consensus with like minded colleagues regardless of partisan affiliation. Both have a strong desire to respect individual rights as outlined in the constitution.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes- If I feel there is a need to do so.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

While waiting to testify in favor of the Right to Rest act, I heard from countless persons experiencing homelessness how devastating the effects of sleep depravation are. While I was already in favor of said legislation, hearing these first hand accounts motivated my position of supporting "housing first" approaches to helping people who are experiencing homelessness, while it drives me to anger when political figures do not recognize these people as human beings.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Two guys walk into a bar. The third ducks under it.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Emergency Powers should not be considered lightly and need to come with clear expiration dates. Under no circumstances should governments attempt to suspend basic constitutional rights (voting, right to a trial, etc), and the use of national guard troops or police should be severely limited to prevent misuse. Any political figure calling for emergency powers should be treated with suspicion and intense scrutiny.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Ranked Choice Voting for general elections.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I am proud to have received the endorsement and nomination of the Forward Party. As a brand new party I have been entrusted to help carry their mission and values into electoral politics, and having previously been a member of Libertarian Party the Forward Party asked me several questions about my previous party and my desire to work in a new party. At the end of the day, I am a Forward party member because I agree with their mission to remove violent actors from the political arena and create a system of governance that promotes consensus and cooperation.

What committees interest you?

If selected for a committee assignment, I would be most interested in committees relating to veterans affairs or methods of voting.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Colorado has various sunshine laws that compel legislators and government officials to maintain records of their correspondence and votes for public review. Legislators need to be accountable for their voting record and must not attempt to needlessly obstruct requests for that information.

In terms of accountability, elected officials must view themselves as the stewards of the people's money, and they have an obligation to spend it wisely and based on their needs.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

Oppose- we should not place further restrictions on the state ballot initiative process. It is an important stop gap so that if the people feel their legislators are not listening to them, they have some recourse to govern themselves.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a veteran of the United States Army. Libertarian Party of Arapahoe County since 2018. Graduate of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Former citizen commission with the City of Aurora Veterans Affairs Commission (2017-2019). Former vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado.

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?

End the War on Drugs- repeal the Controlled Substances Act, decriminalize the possession and use of all substances, release everyone incarcerated solely for use or possessionWage Peace, Not War- abolish selective service, close all foreign bases, withdraw from all countries the US no longer wanted in, reduce military spending and size by 50%Dignity for all- protect government whistleblowers, allow more immigration/asylum seekers, close detention centers, abolish prison slavery

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice Reform, Drug Policy, Prison Reform

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jessie Ventura former governor of Minnesota. He was one of the first political figures I ever heard of who rejected working through the two major parties, recognizing the serious flaws in both.

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

"Democrips and Rebloodlicans: No More Gangs in Government" by Jesse Ventura. The book is several years old now but many of the underlying themes and principles that drove its publication are still relevant today.

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

My first-hand understanding of the struggles many veterans and working class people face to get by on a regular basis and how more often than not government makes that harder than it has to be.

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

Quiet the opposite. It certainly doesn't hurt to have experience in governing bodies to have an idea of how parliamentary procedure works and understand what it's like to work with dozens of people with their own competing interests and ideologies. That being said, there comes a point where years or decades of exposure to the political process starts to rub off on individuals and some of the longest tenured members of a governing body often have the greatest personal stake in ensuring the boat doesn't get rocked and that reformers and shakers are "put in their place".

My district understands this principle all too well when they chose an unexperienced army veteran to replace a multiple termed entrenched incumbent who had served at nearly every level of politics in this state since the 1980s. There is an appetite for new ideas here and I am looking forward to being given the chance to put them forward in a district that demonstrated quite clearly that "incumbent" isn't the only factor in deciding who their representative is.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our greatest challenge is going to be changing the way we approach justice and incarceration. A multi billion dollar industry is dependent on mass incarceration, "three strikes" rules, and ensuring that prisons are overflowing, creating an artificial overcrowding of prisons, necessitating "contractors" to fill the gaps. This in turn creates a steady supply of incarcerated labor that is susceptible to near slave like conditions or mandates to work under the 13th Amendment. This industry produces a wide range of products while paying laborers next to nothing (and sometimes nothing at all).

Many in congress have a vested financial interest in the prison industrial complex, and laws exist that mandate certain institutions must buy prison made products. Several members of congress receive contributions from the private prison lobby or even own stock in prison companies. Pushing for divestment from this miscarriage of justice is not going to be easy and many will not have the will to see it through. Those who run for/serve in congress and are willing to take on this challenge will help to create a far more just place to live, and prevent hundreds of thousands of lives from being totally obliterated by our system of incarceration.

Tell us your favorite joke.

"Two guys walk into a bar. The third one ducks under it."

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

Ultimately as a Libertarian I understand too well that I am part of a small but vocal contingent that is unlikely to command any legislative majority. For any legislative proposal I have in mind to even have a prayer of getting seen by a committee (or even the house floor), that will necessitate being diplomatic with my legislative peers. If you take a "my way or the highway" approach all the time with people, the law of diminished returns inevitably means over time people will just simply stop caring about what you have to say. A little common courtesy and listening can go a very long way.

Compromise does not mean you must abandon your principles or convictions, but it does mean that you have the prudence and long term vision to understand how to pick and choose your battles so that you not only maximize your words and actions but that you also save your strength for when it really counts- and that you have the wisdom to understand who to not waste your time with.

Campaign website

Mulder's campaign website stated the following:

WAGE PEACE

Peace cannot be achieved through a foreign policy of aggression and "acceptable" civilian casualties. Every innocent person killed in "strategic bombing" leads to more people turning against the United States.

The War on Terrorism is approaching nearly 20 years of operation, and in that time trillions of dollars have been spent and thousands of innocent civilians have died- and the world is no safer than when it was started.

I am against the use of nuclear weapons, I oppose broad sanctions without due process, I will not support the establishment of "No Fly Zones" (often little more than a pretext for war), and oppose the use of conscription in any form.

Congress has delegated its responsibility to vote on and declare wars to the President of the United States in the name of "getting things done", when in reality it allows legislators to wash their hands of the consequences of warfare. As a veteran I am demanding that Congress take back their responsibility and duty to oversee acts of war done in the name of the United States, not sit back and let one person make all the decisions.

SUPPLY CHAIN

The Federal government has consistently aggravated supply problems by imposing destructive barriers on free trade.

We face major Commercial Driver shortages in our mass transit and trucking industries due to pointless federal restrictions on personal recreational consumption of substances while off duty. Lifting these restrictions will open the door and allow more people into this critically short staffed profession.

Continuation of tariffs has been equally destructive- hurting the American consumer through the higher cost of importing goods, in a vain effort to prop up industries that no longer exist here. Tariffs are sanctions on your own people and must be abolished appropriately. Shortages of countless goods can be traced back to the United States punishing purchase of foreign made goods. In an age where economics and trade involve the entire globe, this practice no longer works.

The Jones Act harms our gas prices as well as oversees states and territories by overwhelmingly raising the cost of doing business within the borders of United States. It is time to stop treating our own people as second class citizens and repeal this harmful barrier to free trade.

FEDERAL SPENDING

Multi-Trillion dollar deficits have caused the national debt to spiral out of control, placing us at the mercy of lenders and debt purchasers who could use that leverage to make greater demands that threaten our sovereignty and ultimately our national security.

We can cut down on our defense spending by as much as 50% and STILL maintain the largest military in the world capable of defending the US from attack. Any surplus from reduced spending should be used towards the national debt, reducing the interest payments on it and ultimately bringing down the true principle of said debt.

COST OF LIVING

The Cost of Living has skyrocketed, and people all over District 6 and the nation are feeling the pinch.

Every dollar Congress spends from borrowing is a dollar borrowed against everyday people just trying to make ends meet. This weakens our dollar through inflation, which in turn means higher grocery bills and the devaluation of money we try to

save for emergencies.

The dollar is backed by "full faith and trust" in the United States' ability to pay its debts, and Congress must do everything in its power to protect that trust by controlling our spending and not borrowing against future generations.

Pending defaults must be prevented at all costs- a dollar worth nothing means money that can't pay for groceries or rent.

We must allow individuals to embrace and accept alternative currencies, including cryptocurrency.

END THE DRUG WAR

The War on Drugs has been ongoing for decades and much like the War on Terror has completely failed in its objectives. Thanks to this senseless domestic policy, the United States has incarcerated more people than the Soviet Union ever threw into the Gulags, the black market demand for drugs remains at an all time high, and a symbiosis of government and prison contracting has given rise to the school-to-prison pipeline and the prison industrial complex.

The fentanyl crisis is largely due to the fact people are overdosing on drugs because they don't know they've been laced with fentanyl (a powerful synthetic opioid often cut into other drugs as a cost saving measure for underground market trade). Decriminalization is not about glamorizing drug use, it's about enhancing consumer safety by bringing all substances into the same category as alcohol- a substance we acknowledge has harmful effects, but by allowing people to openly and safely purchase it we deprive criminal enterprises of a lucrative market, hitting them right in the wallet.

We must decriminalize the possession and use of all substances, abolishing the US Controlled Substances Act. Any and all persons incarcerated for drug use should be immediately released and have their criminal record expunged.

DEFEND OUR RIGHTS

Your personal medical decisions (including abortion, gender reassignment, and more) are none of the government's business.

I oppose attempts to ban personal medical procedures. Any attempts to collect data on these procedures must have strict safeguards to prevent them from becoming "hit lists" for dystopian-friendly politicians.

Government spends millions on warrantless bulk surveillance of the American people, invading our privacy all while failing to protect us from active threats. This form of mass spying needs to stop.

Consenting adults should be free to love one another, and leaving that up to the whims of the Supreme Court puts the rights of countless people at risk. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I am willing to codify marriage equality into law- your right to marry anyone you choose shouldn't depend on what state you live in.

We live in a dangerous world, and counting on the government defend us from harm has led to countless deaths in a system that has ruled time and again government has no positive duty to keep you safe. We cannot deprive people of the ability to defend themselves from harm while allowing our government to arm itself to the teeth- this is a recipe for an even worse event than January 6.[3]

—Eric Mulder's campaign website (2022)[4]

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What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Reevaluate all training and standard operating procedures to ensure our tactics are done to deescalate violence as much as possible and that all tactics are done in ways that minimize harm, damages, and are done in an efficient and timely manner.

Partner with community organizations involved in police and criminal justice reform in order to develop policies that promote alternatives to jail, educate the department in working with marginalized communities.

Implementing procedures that e