Meet Cole Buerger

An Independent Leader with Deep Western Colorado Roots

It’s time for the Western Slope to send a fresh voice to the State Senate who understands what rural Coloradans face, instead of another Denver politician who will be a rubber stamp for special interests.

Cole Buerger is a different kind of leader. A fifth generation Coloradan who grew up on a local ranch, Cole is a rural small business owner, community leader, and local policy expert, not a politician. He will bring the independent mindset that’s desperately needed in Denver.

"I am not a typical politician. I grew up on a ranch in the heart of Garfield County, and I’m a small business owner with deep roots in the community."

A young Cole (right) with his prize steer

A Fifth Generation Rural Coloradan Who Grew Up on a Ranch in the Heart of Garfield County

Cole Buerger has a deep understanding of the challenges facing rural communities because his family has been living on the Western Slope for five generations. Cole grew up on a ranch south of Silt. As a kid, he showed steers, lambs, and pigs in the Garfield County fair, and he and his siblings helped their parents in the hay fields.

At times, it was tough to keep the ranch afloat. Cole’s folks still live on the place, where they have cattle, horses, and chickens.

It’s time to send a leader to Denver who will work tirelessly to create a rural economy where our ranching and farming families don’t just survive, but thrive.

Strengthening Democracy, Championing Freedom, and Fighting Corruption Abroad

After college, Cole worked for the International Republican Institute, chaired by then Senator John McCain, where he worked with freedom fighters and activists to strengthen democracy, reduce corruption, and improve government transparency in places like Burma and North Korea, and other countries around the globe. He knows that America is a beacon to those in other countries with fewer liberties who yearn to be free. In the State Senate, he will work to protect all of our essential freedoms and fight for a more transparent government that delivers for working people.

March 2009:

Cole Organizes Democratic Activists in Burma

A Small Business Owner Who Is Ready To Be a Voice for Small Business in Denver

A local small business owner, Cole is serving up a new kind of leadership for the Western Slope

Today, Cole owns several small businesses, including a local food truck and gathering space along the Colorado River and a one-man consulting shop. His small firm has worked with local, state, and national organizations on issues like educational funding equity, voting rights protections, and financial literacy.

Cole is ready to go to the Senate to fight for an economy that works for Western Colorado’s small businesses and the people they employ.

A Local Policy Expert, Nonprofit Boardmember, and Community Volunteer Focused on Strengthening Our Rural Economy and Protecting Our Water

A local policy expert, Cole serves the community as a nonprofit and government boardmember and community volunteer.

As a Garfield County Planning and Zoning Boardmember, Cole is dedicated to making sure local land use decisions put the interests of our rural communities, ranches, and farming families first. As a Middle Colorado Watershed Council boardmember, he is committed to protecting our watersheds. Cole also serves on the board of the Colorado River Valley Economic Development Partnership, where he works alongside other stakeholders to diversify and strengthen the economy of the Colorado River Valley.

Cole is a volunteer with the nonprofits Lift Up and Literacy Outreach, serving at the local soup kitchen and working as English language tutor.

As our State Senator, we can count on Cole Buerger to work to diversify and strengthen our rural economy with good paying jobs that don’t require long commutes, protect our land and water, fund a world-class school system, fix our broken healthcare system, drive down the cost of housing, and update our infrastructure–including our roads, telecommunications, and rural broadband services–for the 21st century. Cole Buerger is ready to make sure the voices of the Western Slope are heard loud and clear in Denver.

Cole lives in Glenwood Springs with his partner, Mitchell and their dog, Ellie Mae. When he is not building his small businesses or traveling the campaign trail, you can find Cole enjoying history podcasts, fishing, and taking in the beauty of the West Slope with his family.

Cole and Mitchell live in Glenwood Springs with their pup Ellie Mae.