Brittany Pettersen: The Authoritarian Political Establishment’s Pick for Congress

Continuing Series on Colorado’s 2022 November General Election:

Colorado’s Congressional District 7 seat is up for grabs since long-time Congressman Ed Perlmutter announced he is not seeking re-election.

Colorado’s Democratic Establishment must have been well-aware, because they wasted no time in announcing their chosen replacement.

It’s no surprise their pick is State Senator Brittany Pettersen, who is the very definition of establishment.

Some good news: Politico reported in August that Pettersen is polling much worse than the margin of victory that Biden achieved in the 2020 election.

Pettersen may be the darling of the Democratic Establishment, but she sure isn’t capturing the voters in her Congressional District.

Who is Brittany Pettersen?

Pettersen won her first election in 2012 for the State House (HD28), where she spent six years.

Before running for office, Pettersen worked for Democratic-supporting organization New Era Colorado.

Founded in 2006 by current State Senate Majority Steve Fenberg, State Representative Leslie Herod, Congressman Joe Neguse, and Chief of Staff for Governor Jared Polis Lisa Kaufman.

Two leaders of the Colorado Authoritarian Class

New Era Colorado is one of the many groups at the center of Colorado’s Authoritarian Political Leadership. (I’ll have more information for you on New Era in a future article)

Pettersen has been described as “a sue-happy community organizer who doesn’t pay her bills and trashes her parents in her campaign literature,” by Colorado Peak Politics.

For someone who just turned 40, Pettersen has spent nearly half her adult life as an elected politician.

Most recently, Pettersen won her election to State Senator (SD22) in 2018.

Pettersen is also married to Democratic Insider Ian Silverii.

According to his Linkedin Profile, Silverii worked for the Democrats in the State House in 2014:

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-silverii/

Importantly, Silverii was Executive Director of ProgressNow Colorado for nearly four years.

Currently, Silverii is a writer for the Denver Pest.

ProgressNow is associated with the Blueprint model, in which a variety of single-issue advocacy groups coordinate in support of specific candidates.

No doubt Silverii’s connections have lead to big opportunity for Pettersen.

Pettersen’s campaigns have netted over $800,000 in contributions over ten years. (source)

Pettersen’s career is built on Authoritarianism

When you consider Pettersen has served in the Legislature for 9 Years, previously worked for a Political Activist Group, and before that studied Political Science at Metro State, there is no doubt she is part of the establishment.

Pettersen’s Voting Record:

Being front and center of Colorado’s Democratic Political Class, Pettersen’s voting record might be a good reflection of how Colorado’s Democrats view Colorado.

What does Pettersen’s voting record look like?

In her first year at the State House, she opposed the repeal of the Death Penalty.

The Colorado Liberty Scorecard gives Pettersen an F score in 2021, another F in 2020, and an F in 2019.

According to their website, “The Colorado Liberty Scorecard is an annual measure of how our elected State Representatives and State Senators vote according to the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government.”

https://libertyscorecardco.us/#/

Pettersen is one of the lowest ranking State Legislators from the Colorado Union of Taxpayers (CUT) with only a 5% score.

CUT describes themselves on their website as:

CUT was established to advocate for the rights of families and individuals to keep their hard earned dollars.
The mission of CUT shall be to educate the public as to the dangers of excessive taxation, regulation, and government spending, thereby en­couraging the reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability.
Founded in 1976, the Colorado Union of Taxpayers (CUT) is Colorado’s longest-serving advocacy group for taxpayers.
” (source)

Pettersen is a Threat to Your Liberty

Pettersen’s voting record was so bad, it inspired a efforts to recall the legislator in 2018.

The reasons for the recall are listed here:

Just last year, Pettersen sponsored HB21-1321 which is a “blatant attack on the citizen initiative process regarding tax issues,” according to the Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

Pettersen has also attacked Parental Rights, sponsoring SB21-016 which allows injections of medications WITHOUT parental consent!

CUT said this about Pettersen’s bill SB21-016:

Violates parental rights! Medical mandates that will increase premiums and fund family planning services (Planned Parenthood). Included in this bill are “family planning services,” as well as the ability for minors to receive treatment, medications, and preventative services (vaccines) for sexually transmitted infections without parental consent or knowledge.”

Pettersen also voted in favor of the controversial SB20-163 School Entry Immunization bill, which removes exemptions for Colorado students, forcing them to take unwanted vaccines

Since 2018, Pfizer contributed $600 to her campaign.

https://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionSearch.aspx

Pettersen also sponsored HB21-1322 to increase taxes on gasoline.

She also voted for SB21-260 that will raise the cost of gas for Colorado drivers.

Pettersen also sponsored HB15-1346 which would have stolen more tax money from Colorado businesses.

Pettersen is said to have “vote(d) to raise taxes amid inflationary concerns,” in the Washington Free Beacon.

The Washington Free Beacon article continues, “In June 2021, state legislators Brittany Pettersen and Yadira Caraveo voted for legislation that increased Colorado’s gas tax and imposed new fees on deliveries and Uber and Lyft rides. The vote came as inflation surged in the Centennial State under President Joe Biden.”

Anti-Gun History

Brittany Pettersen has no respect for your right to keep and bear arms.

Pettersen voted for all five anti-gun bills in 2021:

SB21-256: Local Regulation of Firearms (allowing strict gun control in Colorado towns and counties)

SB21-256 led to the 2022 June 7th Anti-Gun Attacks by Local Governments in Boulder County!

HB21-1106: Safe Storage of Firearms (preventing legal firearm access inside your home)

SB21-078: Lost or Stolen Firearms (forcing gun owners to report missing firearms to the police)

HB21-1298: Expand Firearm Transfer Background Check Requirements (weakening the right of an individual to legally buy or sell firearms)

HB21-1299: Office of Gun Violence Prevention (creates a new bureaucracy dedicated to anti-firearm policy)

And longtime Liberty Activists will know that 2013 was a dark year for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Colorado.

Brittany Pettersen was at the center of the 2013 anti-gun attack, cosponsoring HB13-1229 which outlawed private sales of firearms, establishing a de facto gun registration system.

And voting for HB13-1224 which criminalized ownership, and the buying and selling of magazines with capacity larger than 15-rounds.

In 2020, Pettersen sponsored HB19-1177 to confiscate firearms Coloradoans without being convicted of a crime.

Not only is Pettersen leading the anti-gun movement in the State Legislature, but she is also using divisive messaging to push her authoritarian agenda.

Pettersen is a Leader of the Authoritarian Class

Apparently, Pettersen thinks that calling someone a “mediocre white man” is an insult.

Pettersen is also pushing the delusional “Jan 6th Insurrection” narrative, echoing dangerous Washington DC Democrats:

Insiders at the State Capitol have also reported, “there is growing discontent among Democratic legislators who believe that fellow Democrat Rep. Brittany Pettersen received more attention and resources during her 2014 campaign because she is engaged to Ian Silveri, who runs the House Majority Project, an offshoot of the Colorado Democratic Party“.

Pettersen is also responsible for pushing a School Lunch funding program that grows the Education Bureaucracy and steals money from working Coloradoans to fund her scheme.

CUT said this about her school lunch bill, “Deemed the worst bill of the week! Out year expenditures $118 Million. The ultimate of “free lunch” which is not the role of government.”

Pettersen also wanted to create a “Prescription Drug Monitoring Program,” that would, “Cost to taxpayers $2+ million while expanding government. Privacy issue as well.”

Pettersen’s Authoritarian Record earned her Big Establishment money when she launched her Congressional campaign.

Campaign Money

Pettersen’s campaign raised over $200,000 in the first five days of it’s launch.

As of her June 30th FEC report, Pettersen’s campaign has raised over $1.3 million.

Here’s a look at her top donors according to Opensecrets.org:

OpenSecrets.org also shows that Pettersen’s campaign has been supported by PACs to the tune of $200,000:

In Conclusion

Pettersen is funded by DC PACs, supported by Special Interest Groups, and has spent nearly all of her adult life working in politics.

With little experience outside of the Political Machine, Pettersen can’t hope to represent the hardworking people of Colorado.

And of course, her record makes it clear that she does NOT represent the values of Colorado.

Colorado voters who believe in self-determination, personal responsibility, and economic liberty must realize that Pettersen is against these values.

What do you think?

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Author: Brandon Wark

Colorado Native, world traveler. Political operative and blogger in defense of liberty. Believer in the value of human life and the potential for consciousness. My posts are my opinion - protected by the First Amendment