Glenwood Springs resident Cole Buerger has entered the race for Senate District 5.
The seat, currently held by incumbent Perry Will (R-New Castle) after he was appointed in early 2023 when Bob Rankin resigned, is up in the November 2024 elections. Buerger, 40, is running as a Democrat. Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum is the only other Democrat so far entered. Will has also filed with the state and confirmed with the Post Independent on Monday that he is running.
For Buerger, his new campaign emphasizes that the Western Slope has essentially been addressing the same issues for the past decade without yielding enough results. This includes finding solutions for Interstate 70 infrastructure through Glenwood Canyon, affordable housing needs, water conservation, mental health resources and more, Buerger noted.
“What that shows me is that the same old way of thinking, whether that’s the Republican way of thinking, or the Democratic way of thinking in certain respects, is not answering our questions, it is not solving our problems,” he said. “We’ve got to have people who are willing to rattle the cage a bit and take a different path than we’ve taken before.”
So what kind of candidate will Buerger become for SD5?
Buerger, raised on a ranch south of Silt, spent his formative years showing steers, pigs and sheep at the Garfield County Fair. He also runs a small communications company in Silt and a growing recreation-centered events business with his partner.
“For me, the biggest thing about being involved in 4-H and growing up where I did and how I did is that we can never forget the revolution of where we’re going and the ever-more-complex world,” he said. “It’s really just a reminder of what our communities are rooted in.”
Buerger’s campaign has already elicited public support from Former Lt. Governor and Gunnison County resident Mike Callihan, former District 57 Rep. Roger Wilson and current Glenwood Springs Mayor Pro Tem Marco Dehm.
“I am supporting Cole because he understands the challenges that families and small businesses face here in Western Colorado, and he has the knowledge and experience to make sure communities like Glenwood Springs have the tools we need to prosper,” Dehm said in a news release.
