If Democrats want to enact major progressive priorities such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, they’ll have to do more than just win the presidency in 2020. With the GOP holding a 53-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, Democrats must flip three or four seats to regain the majority, depending on which party wins the presidential election. The Democratic Party’s top pickup opportunity is in Colorado, where Republican Cory Gardner is up for re-election.

Though it was a swing state in the past, Colorado is increasingly blue. No Republican has won a presidential race in Colorado since George W. Bush in 2004. In 2018, Democrats swept every single statewide office as well as a U.S. House seat with Jason Crow. Cory Gardner is the last standing statewide elected Republican official in Colorado. And his 2020 odds aren’t looking great. Even in the 2014 red wave, he only unseated the incumbent Democrat by 2 points. Every poll conducted of the 2020 race shows him behind a generic Democratic opponent. His survival strategy isn’t impressive either; rather than trying to appeal to the non-conservative voters who will clearly make or break his re-election, he is sticking with Donald Trump and the far-right. According to FiveThirtyEight, in the 115th Congress, Cory Gardner voted with Trump over 90% of the time. That’s a whopping 46.5% more than would be expected of a U.S. Senator from Colorado given Trump’s 2016 margin.

Unsurprisingly, the Democratic primary to take on Gardner is already crowded. Among the current contenders is 36-year-old activist Lorena Garcia. What makes her stand out amongst the impressive field is her bold progressive platform and background of activism. Her website reads:

As the Executive Director of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, Garcia stands behind her belief that we can have a strong educational system that begins with early childhood education for all, to help prepare our next generations to successfully face the challenges we leave for them. It must start with leaders who value all people and invests in their education and health. These two commitments alone will ensure that economic status is no longer predicated on access to healthcare or higher education. Garcia operates on a belief that we can pass laws that protect the planet while also maintaining the dignity and economic impact for those who work in the oil and gas industry at the same time. As a veteran organizer, women’s rights activist and nonprofit administrator who has worked in the interest of the public good throughout her career, Garcia has led important fights for family sustaining economic policies, for adequate funding for public transportation, and civil rights protections to protect women’s reproductive independence at the State Capitol and at the ballot box.

In terms of policy, Garcia is far to the left of even most of her fellow “progressive” candidates. She supports abolishing ICE, reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans, and not only decriminalizing but also “legitimizing” sex work. In a race where many candidates will try to out-progressive each other to win the left vote, Garcia’s platform stands out and validates her as the serious left candidate for Democratic primary voters.

Garcia’s candidacy is also potentially historic, as she would be the first openly LGBTQ woman of color elected to the U.S. Senate, the first openly LGBTQ U.S. Senator from Colorado, the first female U.S. Senator from Colorado, and the first woman of color to represent Colorado in either chamber of Congress.

Lorena Garcia joined us on the podcast to discuss immigration, judicial and presidential cabinet nominations, single-payer healthcare, Venezuela, voting rights, impeaching Brett Kavanaugh, and more. Listen on iTunes or in your browser below: