Monica VanBuskirk

Monica VanBuskirk earned a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 2002.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I never planned to run for office. I was a rugby player, a volunteer for trail repairs, and dog foster. I was a healthcare policy expert with 20 years of work I was proud of. I was a brand-new mom.

Then Trump won his first election. That night I tucked my baby into her crib and feared the kind of world she was going to grow up in. That was the night I hung up my rugby boots and got into politics. I had to be part of the solution.

My partner and I both grew up moving around. Her family was military. Mine moved here from Belize. We chose this district on purpose. It's where I run my small business, where my kids go to school, and where I show up at the park cleanup, the food bank, and the Capitol. This is home, not a stepping stone.

My neighbors asked me to run because they've seen my work. I’ve built a career of public service that includes helping pass laws that brought $400 million back to Colorado to lower healthcare costs, securing $0 mental health visits for nearly 140,000 people, and making it easier for working families to claim tax credits.

I’ll center the people who live here with every vote. I don’t take corporate PAC money, and I don’t shy away from standing up when it counts. That includes pushing back on our governor when he’s flat wrong. That’s the power of democracy.

Together we can build a House District 9 where we feel safe, can afford to live, and can truly thrive.

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?

House District 9 is home, and that shapes how I build solutions.

With ICE raids on the rise, I helped train over 3,000 small businesses across Denver to protect workers and customers from ICE.

I've spent my career writing and passing laws that actually work for real people. That’s why our neighbors and my future colleagues are already in my corner.

State legislators from across the Democratic party have endorsed me because they've seen me do the work and deliver. Locally, I'm the only candidate endorsed by school board members, HD9 city council members, RTD leaders, and have the deepest labor support in this district. These are the people who know what truly gets done here.

I'm not here for the photo op. I'm here for the follow-through.As a senior’s water bill climbs, she neglects the yard where neighbors used to gather. A young couple saving for a home stops eating out. A family worried about money skips on sports. These challenges are connected, squeezing people across our community.

I'm running because too many families face impossible choices between housing, healthcare, childcare, and saving for the future. This isn't a personal failure. It's a policy failure. It doesn't have to be either/or.

That's what I'll bring to the affordability fights ahead: tax relief for homebuyers, affordable childcare, and utility rates that don't outpace incomes.

When people can afford life, neighbors gather, kids play, families plan. Stability builds belonging. That’s home.Protecting our families' future: When politics get chaotic, decisions at the State Capitol determine whether your family feels it at home. I believe Coloradans deserve stability in uncertain times.

I know firsthand how political decisions can shape a family’s future. I was born in Belize, gained American citizenship, and watched debates over whether I can marry the person I love. I learned that rights and freedoms should never be taken for granted. That's why I believe policy should be built with the people it impacts.

Families deserve to build a life without wondering whether the next political fight will put them at risk. I’ll work to protect our freedoms, strengthen our communities, and help build a future families can count on.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare costs aren't just my expertise. They're my fight.

They're the top reason families go bankrupt, and the biggest line item strangling Colorado's budget. Get them under control and everything shifts.

I've heard from families who finally got subsidies and could buy a crib for their new baby, or an older adult go on vacation for the first time in decades. When we lower healthcare costs, families have more room to breathe. Businesses can invest in good wages instead of skyrocketing premiums. The state can finally invest in prevention instead of crisis response.

Good policy should make everyday life more affordable, more secure, and full of opportunity. Tackling our runaway healthcare costs does that.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Endorsed across Colorado Democratic elected officials.

State: Speaker Pro Tem Boesenecker, Asst Majority Leader Bacon, House JBC members Brown and Amabile, Committee Chairs Froelich, Willford, Cutter, and Mullica, plus Lieder, Stewart, Titone, Hinrichsen.

Local: Denver Council Diana Romero Campbell; DPS Board Directors DJ Torres and Xochi Gaytan; two RTD Directors; Arapahoe County Commissioner Warren-Gully and DA Padden; four Aurora councilmembers.

Organizations: Working Families Party, AFSCME, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, LPAC, Victory Fund, BlueFlower Fund, Colorado Ceasefire, Colorado Jewish Action Alliance, YIMBY Colorado, Stand for Children, ATU Local 1001, Sheet Metal Workers Local 9, Her Bold Move.

And 35 community leaders