Meet Kevin Biehl, an Independent for Colorado House District 37

Kevin Biehl is an independent candidate for District 37 in the Colorado House of Representatives. He will challenge the incumbent officeholder, Democrat Chad Clifford, during the general election on November 5, 2024. District 37 includes the cities of Centennial and Greenwood Village, southeast of downtown Denver.

Biehl’s campaign is rooted in grassroots advocacy, transparency, and a commitment to consensus building. As a GoodParty.org Certified candidate, he has pledged to run an independent, people-powered, and anti-corruption campaign.

Biehl shared with GoodParty.org why he believes he is the alternative District 37 needs to move forward.

A Grassroots Campaign Born from Local Advocacy

Biehl has spent the past two decades working in various community building capacities, both in the United States and around the globe. He said his campaign for the Colorado House of Representatives began with a focus on local issues in District 37.

“This campaign for me really started with a lot of grassroots engagement,” he said. “Initially, there was a public safety issue in my community that connected to what was essentially a dangerous street crossing for parents and older folks getting to daycare facilities in an open space.”

After spending the better part of a year advocating for local government intervention to build a crosswalk and traffic signal structure, Biehl saw his efforts pay off.

“Amazingly, they've broken ground on it. Every day I drive through or walk past it, I'm like, ‘This is amazing.’ I always appreciate the people-powered elements of what we can all do together,” Biehl said.

Around the same time, Biehl began to get a closer look at the inner workings of local and state government. As a member of Centennial’s election commission for the past two and a half years, he came to doubt how well the people were truly represented in government.

“Out of that, I couldn't put back some of those feelings about making sure that representation was real and that it connected to meeting with real people throughout my community, taking that feedback, collectivizing it, and doing something about it,” Biehl said.

Biehl decided to run for office as an independent candidate because he saw that the current two-party system was not resulting in real progress.

“There's so much common ground if you're willing to have a longer conversation with someone. Unfortunately, the two-party system really polarizes a lot of what is consensus and is common ground,” Biehl said. “I’m looking to be a candidate that represents everyone and gets back to [the idea that] even if we disagree, there's an opportunity to find something that does work for different sets of folks, and to continue to listen and to continue to persist for better and better change in the community.”

An Independent Alternative for District 37 in Colorado

The incumbent representative in District 37, Chad Clifford, assumed office earlier this year, on January 3, 2024. He was appointed by a Democratic committee in Arapahoe County to replace the previous officeholder, Ruby Dickson. 

Biehl said that along with many other community members, he felt disappointed that the vacancy election was not put to the people.

“It's the opposite of my beliefs in what democracy should be, in terms of inclusion, access and transparency,” he said.

Going into the November election, Clifford and Biehl are the only two candidates on the ballot to represent District 37. The candidate who won the Republican primary election, Danny Moore, withdrew from the race.

Biehl said he is running his campaign differently than his opponent — in his approach to both campaign finance and Colorado’s biggest challenges.

“Any donation that I'm taking is a small donation from someone where there's no influencing component whatsoever,” Biehl said. “It's someone that I know, or it's someone I'm getting to know. At the end of the day, there's nothing about them giving me $10 or $50 or something that's going to change that I'm their representative and they have the opportunity to talk to me or persuade me. There's no favoritism that's going on in those relationships.”

By contrast, Clifford has already accepted $38,815.03 in campaign contributions, according to the Colorado TRACER database. Unlike Biehl, Clifford has not accepted voluntary spending limits.

Biehl’s commitment to transparency extends from campaign finance to the way he approaches Colorado’s top issues, such as climate and gun control. He said he wants to be open and transparent with voters about his stance on each issue. Voters can visit Biehl's campaign website for a full list of his positions on key issues.

Overall, Biehl is committed to consensus building and providing more meaningful representation for Colorado.

“I'm someone that is by nature a conflict resolution practitioner and a consensus builder. Any time you take a personality test, group harmony is kind of my M.O.,” he said.

Next Steps for Colorado Voters

Voters in the Centennial area have an important decision to make this November. They will choose between reelecting the incumbent state representative and ushering in a new era of transparent representation.

Want to learn more and get ready for election day? Visit Kevin Biehl’s campaign website for more information about his candidacy and how you can get involved.

You can also support Biehl and other independents running for office by joining GoodParty.org’s volunteer network. GoodParty.org is proud to empower independent candidates in Colorado and across the United States with free campaign tools and support.