Dwayne Romero is a Pitkin County businessman and Army veteran attempting to flip a sprawling district that’s been represented by Republicans for the past 15 years.
Romero, 61, describes his beginnings as humble in southeast Texas, one of three boys with a single mom.
While some people are raised with privilege, “born on second base,” as Romero put it, “I wasn’t even on the ball field. We were barely in the parking lot.”
He would go on to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and then from Harvard Business School. When he moved to Colorado decades ago, Romero joked he had “negative net worth” but created a life for himself and his family, raising his three daughters and founding the Romero Group, a real-estate management group based in Basalt.
He describes public service as core to his identity and his family’s. He’s served on the Aspen City Council, the Aspen School Board, the Colorado Economic Development Commission and various other boards. Two of his daughters served in the military, and his wife has been a kindergarten teacher for decades.
Romero said that his background and commitment to service make him well-suited to represent “one of the most rural districts in the union,” which leans Republican but was nearly won by a Democrat four years ago.
The district’s voters are “a very, very observant bunch,” Romero said. “We are by definition homegrown, boots on the ground, no handouts.”
Affordability: Colorado voters cite affordability and high costs as a top concern, from gas and food prices to housing and childcare costs. If elected, what would you focus on first, and how would you get past the challenges that have made it difficult to bring costs down?
Romero said the first step to making life more affordable is undoing many of President Trump’s measures.
He advocates for repealing parts of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, including cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Romero would also work to repeal what he calls Trump’s “illogical, nonsensical collection of tariffs.”
Romero stressed the need to end the war in Iran.
“As a combat veteran, we see that [war] as wildly unprovoked — without direction, without strategy, without a global plan, without partners — and with an amazingly high price tag, and growing,” Romero said.
Democracy: In recent years, people have talked about how the other side is ruining or trying to destroy America. If elected, as a member of the federal government, how would you go about restoring trust in government? Do you think bipartisanship can benefit democracy?
Romero said democracy is in “a red alert” condition, with “over control” from the executive and judicial branches, while Congress “has actually been complicit.”
In order to fight this, he believes Democrats need to flip the U.S. House and Senate and fight Trump’s policies, including many he believes have made life unaffordable in his district and beyond.
“And frankly, I know I have the backbone for it,” Romero said, “and I also know that our current legislator failed to do so.”
Immigration: Many Colorado voters say they want secure borders and support deporting those who have committed serious crimes, but they have also expressed concern over tactics they’ve seen enforcement officers use along with a lack of due process. If elected, what kind of immigration policies, reforms or guardrails would you support/seek?
Romero said this topic has come up repeatedly as he has campaigned in the district. Securing the border in a "humane" way is something he believes everyone agrees on, but he stressed that the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers “have become completely out of control.” He said the agency needs to be overhauled and reformed in order to rebuild public trust. ICE should be “rebuilt in the form and the fashion of a professional federal agency at the level that we deserve,” he said.
He said he wants ICE to be “subservient to the law, not above.”
Wildfires: This has been a particularly challenging year for wildfires in your district. What can you do if elected to ensure federal money continues to support mitigation, suppression, and rebuilding when homes and businesses are destroyed?
Romero said “it’s almost inhumane” that President Trump has been spending so much money on the war with Iran and the construction of a giant White House ballroom while denying federal aid for disasters in Democratic states, including Colorado. Many affected communities “are still struggling” in the aftermath of wildfires, he said.
Romero said he’d fight for federal disaster relief funds, as well as grants to help his district become more prepared for fire in the future.
“It’s incumbent upon these communities to become more fire-resistant, more fire-resilient — in an ever-changing climate,” Romero said, adding that climate change is “obviously real.”