An Interview with Larry Don Suckla, Candidate for HD58

By Lori York

When I was asked to do an interview with Larry Don Suckla for the Cortez Chronicles, my immediate response was “as a retired veterinarian, I can ask how he is feeling, and if he has any coughing/sneezing or vomiting/diarrhea, but doing a regular interview is not my strong point.”  But I agreed to try!

So below are my thoughts on Larry Don, and his answers to some of my questions. At first I asked if I could just send him my questions and he could write his answers (a lot easier for ME) but he made the point that spontaneous answers to unknown questions are more likely to show what a candidate is really thinking, and that the procedure of knowing the questions ahead of time should be stopped.  We need honest answers to questions from our politicians today.

And that is what I got today, heartfelt opinions and honest answers to my questions.

Since my focus right now is on Election Integrity and returning to hand counting the votes, my first question was “what are your thoughts on the election system in Colorado?”  His immediate response was it’s “in all 50 states.” He believes that more than half the people "believe that it didn’t make sense that when we went to bed that Trump was way ahead, and when we woke up in the morning he was losing. "We can’t change that. But what we can change, as an elected official, if the majority of the people that you represent have concerns about our current voting systems, whether you think it is good or not, since you are the voice of the people and the majority of the voice is telling you we want something different so we can trust our elections again, then you do it. Because your job is to do what the people tell you to do.” Speaking of hand counting the votes, “we’ve done it before we had these electronic voting machines, so let’s go back to what we know that  works.”

Q:  What is your opinion of the Colorado House Republicans wanting to impeach Jena Griswold?

 A: “YES, 100%. She went against the constitution and committed election interference.”

Q: What about speaking in the House in Denver and the democrats controlling what words you can use?

 A:” I am not going to listen to them, they are not the ones that elected me.  The people that elect me are the only people that own me, and they should own me because they hired me to be their voice, and I’ll be damned if I am going to let somebody silence their voice”

Q: You have mentioned that you want to go to Denver to REPEAL laws and not make new ones. Which laws would you want to repeal?

A: “A lot. Anything that has to do with taking away our freedom, I want to repeal it, and there’s a lot.”  He mentioned the many gun laws, and how hard they are making it for parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children just in order to get them into school.

I asked then if they home schooled their daughters, and he said :”no, we were really big into sports. I believe that sports shape you, the discipline that the coaches instill in you.”

Q: And then transgender men should not be competing in women’s sports? 

A: “NEVER. They are MEN.”

Q: What do you think of the bill that Polis just signed that exempts lawmakers from the Open Records law?

A: “The dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.  It is so Anti-American. Our elected officials have to be accountable and the only way they can’t be accountable is if they are hiding everything, because you don’t know what they are doing. The first word is “Public Official”, it means that everything should be open.

Q: Do you think Colorado is really a “blue” state?

 A: No. No. When I was a commissioner 50 our of our 64 counties were Red.

And my last question, which was for myself personally:

Q: What is it like growing up on a big ranch?

A: “I think that is what kind of created my personality. You spend long hours of the day by yourself out in the outside. I am an outdoors person. What it does it creates independent thinking. You are on your own.  There is no one to ask a question. You have to figure things out on your own. All (the cattle ranchers) are independent thinkers”

“The other thing that it does, is it creates that where no one is a stranger to you, where you actually love people. When you finally get to come to town, you can hardly wait to visit with people. I love being around people.”

Also: “We (ranchers) have a pulse on the wildlife because we are living with the wildlife, running cattle. That is why this wolf deal is so frustrating.  “

He gave an example, “Wolves eat sage grouse. And in Gunnison County, they have spent millions of dollars trying to protect the sage grouse and then they turn an animal loose that is going to waste all that millions of dollars spent protecting them.  Wolves eat everything, the elk, the big horn sheep.  This idea of the fake balance that we got to reenter more predators is just irresponsible.”

My thought: I think that may be one of the bills Larry Don will want to repeal!

My thought, again: I believe Larry Don Suckla is the kind of elected official this state, even this country needs! I would vote for him for Governor.  I would even vote for him for President, (that is if Donald Trump wasn't already running.)

Below is the letter that Larry wrote to be read at his Precinct Caucus in Montezuma County:

Hello, my name is Larry Don Suckla. I am running for HD 58.

I have been watching what is going on over the last 3 years in Colorado and the rest of the United States. They are destroying our freedoms and the future of our children, and I want to do something about it by being your voice on the Western Slope… fighting back for our Conservative rural values and standing our ground!

My main focus will be fighting for our private property rights, water rights, repealing bad laws, and stopping new bad laws from passing in the Colorado Capital.

I have been a past Montezuma County Commissioner for 8 years. I was the Colorado Commissioner of the Year in 2017 out of 200+ commissioners. I am married to Julie with daughters, Smoki, 25, & Delta, 18.

We are cattle ranchers running black Angus cows and own a hay farm where we grow Crown Royal Grass, Olathe Sweet Corn, and Winter Wheat with MVI water rights we own. My family has owned the Cortez Livestock Auction since my grandfather built it in 1957. I am a professional auctioneer, selling cattle, equipment, land and estates with Altitude Auctions which my wife and I own.

I am a conservative that grew up with guns on a very remote ranch where I had my values taught to me by my 2 sets of grandparents and my Dad & Mom. I am a high energy… can’t sit still… quick on my feet, individual, that wants to put my energy towards getting back our values and freedoms…stopping the unfunded mandates, the assault on Tabor and our water rights.

I will defend our God-given rights and ask for your vote in HD 58.

If you are hearing my speech for the first time, from someone reading this letter, I want you to know even though you don’t know me, I believe we want the same thing. You will be able to reach me by phone, I will take your calls and be straight with you when you want answers.

I’ve talked to many people across the west, and we want the same thing.

The left wants us to believe that we are in the minority, and we are not.

Your state representative needs to know that you want them to stand up. You don’t want them to be nice. You want results. You want them to do what’s right.

If it seems like the way the state and the country is going… is so far away from your values, you’re right!! You need representation from someone who is not going to beat around the bush. You need someone who is going to say it like it is. I will be that voice. I need you to volunteer to be a delegate and then travel to the Caucus in Pueblo and vote Larry Don for 58.

I ask with humble gratitude,

Larry Don.

Thank you.