{"id":24195,"date":"2024-12-30T23:23:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T06:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-leaders-react-to-death-of-former-president-jimmy-carter\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:50:19","slug":"colorado-leaders-react-to-death-of-former-president-jimmy-carter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-leaders-react-to-death-of-former-president-jimmy-carter\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado leaders react to death of former President Jimmy Carter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Egyptian
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the north lawn of the White House after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel on March 26, 1979, in Washington. (Bob Daugherty\/Associated Press file)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Several Colorado politicians have released statements memorializing former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away Sunday at the age of 100.<\/p>\n

Leading the way were members of Carter\u2019s party, many of whom said the Democrat set an example for others.<\/p>\n

Gov. Jared Polis said Carter \u201cadvanced the American ideals we cherish most; human rights, international cooperation, compassion, and treating every American equally.\u201d He also shared his gratitude for Carter\u2019s \u201cleadership, service, and deep dedication to our strong and resilient nation during his time in office and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others highlighted Carter\u2019s lifelong commitment to public service from serving in the Navy to state senator to governor to president.<\/p>\n

\"Bennet\"
Bennet<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cPresident Jimmy Carter campaigned on telling the truth to the American people, and he kept his promise. He was a devoted family man, principled statesman, and champion for rural communities. His post-presidency set a global standard for dignity and selflessness,\u201d said Sen. Michael Bennet.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Hickenlooper said Carter was \u201cas good as it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hickenlooper\"
Hickenlooper<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cJimmy Carter was first and foremost a good man, in the purest sense of the words. A champion of human rights. A trailblazer for affordable housing. A veteran. And a President who never forgot his roots as a peanut farmer,\u201d Hickenlooper said.<\/p>\n

Rep. Jason Crow, a fellow veteran, said the United States and the world were better because of Carter\u2019s work, highlighting Carter\u2019s partnership with Habitat for Humanity, building homes across America and the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe leaves behind a life-long legacy of moral integrity, leadership, and dedication to peace and human rights,\u201d Crow said.<\/p>\n

\"President-elect
President-elect Jimmy Carter leans over to shake hands with some of the people riding the \u201cPeanut Special\u201d to Washington on Jan. 19, 1977. They will travel all night, arriving in Washington in time for Carter's inauguration as president on Jan. 20. (Associated Press file)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rep. Brittany Pettersen added Carter\u2019s \u201ccompassion and humility will inspire future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said Carter \u201cexemplified the best of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs President, he helped us move on from an era of American history punctuated by the Watergate scandal with his positivity, grace, and calm,\u201d Murib said. \u201cHis life and his service to the United States reminds us that we are bigger than our politics and his reminder that \u201cto be true to ourselves, we must be true to others\u201d is a lesson we should hold close as we enter the new year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colorado Republicans also praised Carter, even as the party in the past had used Carter as a political foil.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis lifelong commitment to humanitarian efforts, particularly through Habitat for Humanity, demonstrated his enduring dedication to uplifting others,\u201d the Colorado Republican Party said in a statement. \u201cWhile we may have had differing political views, we honor his legacy of service, faith, and compassion. President Carter\u2019s deep commitment to his values and his tireless work to make the world a better place will be remembered by generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

GOP Rep. Greg Lopez described Carter as \u201ca dedicated civil servant, who strove to do what he thought was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hurd\"
Hurd<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd said he mourns \u201cthe loss of President Jimmy Carter. He was a man of faith and compassion, whose commitment to humanitarian efforts helped change the course of history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Rep.-elect Gave Evans said, \u201cPresident Carter\u2019s legacy carried long beyond his time as our 39th president. It is appropriate we honor and acknowledge his service in the U.S. Navy, efforts with Habitat for Humanity, and his lifetime of public service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette put it simply.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Carter lived a life of kindness and public service,\u201d she said, \u201cMy deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. May they find comfort in knowing his legacy will live on for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Former
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, stand for the national anthem before a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres on June 10, 2015, in Atlanta. (John Bazemore\/Associated Press file)<\/span>dur-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Federal lawmakers and the public will get to pay their respects. Carter is expected to lie in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in January, ahead of a state funeral. Biden declared Jan. 9, a National Day of Mourning and ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days.<\/p>\n

Congress passed one honor for Carter earlier this month: a bill to rename the post office in Carter\u2019s hometown Plains, Georgia, as the Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter Post Office. The bill passed the Senate unanimously and the House, 381-15. Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert was one of the Republican lawmakers who voted against renaming the post office for the Carters.<\/p>\n

The bill is currently with Biden, who has yet to sign it.<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sen. John Hickenlooper said Carter was \u2018as good as it gets\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,1126],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-politics-general"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24195"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78437,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24195\/revisions\/78437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24195"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}