Issues

What I’m Fighting For

When all of our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable among us, have the resources and support they need to thrive, we create more resilient communities where opportunity and growth flourish. As your representative, I’ll fight for policies that make our home affordable and allow our families to not just survive but thrive. 

I am a progressive advocate who delivers, not because I’m chasing a title, but because families in our community can not afford big ideas without follow through.

Issues

  • A row of suburban houses with porches, trees with green and yellow leaves, parked cars on the street, and a sidewalk. The sky is clear and sunny.

    Affordability

    For Homeowners and Renters: Too many Coloradans are struggling to afford their homes because out of state investors are pricing out families. I’ll fight for policies that expand affordable housing options, protect renters from predatory practices, and help families stay in their homes.

    For Childcare: Parents shouldn’t have to risk their jobs or paying their bills because childcare costs are out of reach. I’ll fight to make quality, affordable childcare accessible to every family.

    When Accessing Healthcare: No one should have to face bankruptcy when they need to see a doctor. I’ll fight to protect affordable health care programs, reproductive care, fight for universal coverage, address prescription drug prices, and take on corporations that harm patients.

    For Utility Bills: I’ll push for policies that protect families from skyrocketing energy bills and ensure utility companies prioritize affordability and sustainability.

    Fair Wages: Hardworking Coloradans deserve to be paid more than a living wage, they deserve a fair wage. I’ll support increasing the minimum wage and creating pathways for economic stability.

  • A man with glasses and a beard carrying a young child on his shoulder, and another young child standing beside him. They are outdoors, with a white picket fence and trees in the background, enjoying a sunny day.

    Safety

    From Gun Violence: Gun violence is a public health crisis. I’ll fight for reforms like universal background checks, safe storage laws, and investments in mental health services to keep our communities safe.

    Via Reproductive Justice: This includes the right to bodily autonomy, to choose how you create family, and a safe environment to raise children.

    For Our Most Vulnerable Neighbors: We must ensure seniors, people with disabilities on fixed incomes, undocumented families, and those at risk of homelessness can access resources and safe spaces. I’ll prioritize policies that protect vulnerable residents and promote safety for everyone.

    For Immigrants and Their Families: Colorado thrives because of its diverse communities. I’ll expand protections for immigrant families, increase access to legal resources, and support pathways to citizenship.

    For LGBTQIA+ Members of Our Community: Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected. I’ll advocate for stronger protections against discrimination and harassment and ensure access to gender-affirming healthcare and resources.

  • Person wearing a light blue denim jacket with orange ladybug patches, holding several notebooks and a pink folder, with a gray backpack, standing on a paved outdoor surface.

    Opportunity

    TABOR: Colorado’s restrictive TABOR amendment is holding us back, preventing critical investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. It’s time we put our communities first—not outdated fiscal policy.

    To Start Your Own Business: I’ll make it easier for small businesses to compete with corporate chains, and create resources to help entrepreneurs succeed.

    To Learn New Technology: In today’s fast-changing world, we need access to tech education and training. I’ll support investments in workforce development and programs that prepare Coloradans for the jobs of the future.

    To Access Higher Education Without Debt: I’ll fight for tuition-free community college, expanded scholarship programs, and student loan relief so everyone has a chance to succeed.

    To Build Wealth Through Homeownership: I’ll support policies that make sure renters and communities historically locked out of homeownership can buy home where they live and create generational wealth.

    To Unionize: Coloradans should have the freedom to form unions. Our economy and workers benefit from higher wages and safer workplaces.

  • A woman loading two bicycles onto a white bus labeled 'RTD The Ride' with a route number 32, parked on the street in a neighborhood with houses and a car in the background.

    Climate Action

    Clean Air and Water: Protecting Colorado’s natural beauty is about more than aesthetics—it’s about public health. I’ll fight to preserve our air and water now and for future generations.

    Reducing Pollution and Transitioning to Clean Energy: It’s time to move toward a renewable energy future. I support policies to cut pollution, invest in clean energy, and protect our environment.

    Stronger Controls on Oil and Coal: Fossil fuels are polluting our communities, destroying ecosystems, and posing significant health issues to residents. I’ll fight for stricter regulations on oil fracking and coal-powered plants to protect public health and our planet.

    Support for Workers in Transition: As we shift to clean energy, we must ensure no one is left behind. I’ll advocate for job training and opportunities for workers transitioning out of the fossil fuel industry.

    Indigenous Rights: To be a partner in environmental decisions that impact indigenous communities, including conservation, education and sustainability practices.

    Accessible Public Transit: Affordable, safe, and reliable public transportation should be available to everyone, reducing commuting costs and greening our communities.

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A smiling woman holding a large prescription pill bottle cutout with a handwritten note that reads, 'I love my family and neighbors who rely on Medicaid! - Monica, Denver, Colorado.'
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Monica has the skills, and the grit, to make House District 9 a place where people from all walks of life can feel safe, can afford to live, and can thrive.

  • If you mean someone who has the receipts from taking on corporations and has made real progress for working families? Then yes, she has 20 years experience writing laws that make progressive values real for working families.

    These include the Colorado Option which provides free primary care, preventive care, and prenatal care. Tax Time Enrollment which proactively helps people learn their eligibility for tax credits while filing. And the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise which helped backfill the 2025 federal cuts to health insurance - which was funded because Monica’s bill charged fees to health insurance companies that Trump was going to cut.

    That’s why she earned the Working Families Party endorsement. They endorse people who do more than talk the talk, they endorse candidates who have proven they will walk the walk.

  • I am the only parent in this race, the only small business owner, the only LGBTQ+ person, and the only person born abroad (I am Belizean born and moved to the US as a small child to work in agriculture and chose my US citizenship at the age of 18). But more importantly, I am the only person who has written and implemented bills.

    I helped create the Colorado Option used by 140,000 Coloradans. It gives them free primary care, 12 free mental health visits, free prenatal care, and free diabetes equipment like glucose monitors.

    I wrote and built Omnisalud, the only program in the country that gives people ineligible for ACA subsidies (like some immigrants), a path to affordable coverage.

    She also helped write and implement the bill that changed our state tax forms to make it easier for families to learn about credits they are eligible to receive. (called Tax Time Enrollment.)

    Now I’m running to defend that work and the millions we could lose in healthcare coverage from inside the state house.

  • In addition to going down to the capitol to publicly testify in committee 11 times over 8 years, a lot of the policy protecting working Coloradans right now has Monica's fingerprints on it. The Colorado Option. The Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, which subsidizes coverage for people who fall through the federal cracks. OmniSalud, for non-ACA eligible residents. Standardized Health Plans, so consumers can actually compare what they are buying. Tax Time Enrollment, which proactively shares tax credit eligibility to people when they file taxes. As Chief Policy Officer at Connect for Health Colorado she oversaw a 26% increase in marketplace enrollment.

  • That’s right, the Colorado Option gives free $0 primary care visits to the thousands who have it, which is why it’s growing so quickly in popularity. And it was designed alongside patients.

    Which is why it also gives access to specialty care. Primary care access alone can be an unethical fast track to bankruptcy. Because a diagnosis without coverage is not prevention.

    Imagine if you learned you had cancer or diabetes or liver disease, or something as simple as a concerning test result. Without coverage for treatment, you’re facing the most expensive parts of healthcare alone.

    The patients who informed the Colorado Option designed it to be a healthy balance between prevention and primary care, but also careful coverage for those of us with chronic disease who need lower cost drugs and medication too.

  • She has done it before. During the first Trump administration, Monica wrote and implemented the Colorado policy that protected healthcare access, expanded coverage to immigrants, and kept families enrolled when federal subsidies were under attack due to Congressional inaction in 2025. Monica is running to defend that work from inside the Capitol, and to extend the same protection to immigrant families, LGBTQ+ neighbors, seniors, and renters who are being targeted right now. As a queer, Belizean-born mom, this is not abstract for her. This is close to home.

  • Ballots drop in the mail on June 8th, 2026. They are due back via mail or in a ballot drop box by 7pm on Tuesday, June 30th, which is Election Day. HD9 covers Virginia Village, Glendale, Four Mile, Goldsmith, Holly Hills, Hampden Heights, Virginia Vale, and Cook Park. If you are registered unaffiliated in Colorado, you can pull a Democratic ballot for this primary, and most unaffiliated voters do. Monica's race is the last one on the ballot, underneath Emily Sirota’s unopposed race for the State Senate, so vote all the way down. Check your registration or find your nearest drop box at GoVoteColorado.gov.