Candidate · November 3, 2026
Erik Underwood
On the ballot for Governor · Colorado
- issues with public statements
- 8
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | Governor · Colorado1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Approval Voting Party1 |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Erik Underwood grew up in public housing, raised by a single mother.2 He is chairman of Illmatic Ventures and chief executive of My24HourNews.Com and Vurbil, and he has worked in the U.S. Senate.2 His campaign website says he spent eight years pursuing a fraud case against Bank of America in federal courts.2
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running because Colorado families face a system that works for the wealthy and powerful while working people pay the bill, pointing to housing and health care costs.2
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websiteerikunderwood.com3,
4 - Facebookfacebook.com/Erik4CO4
- Instagraminstagram.com/erik_underwood4
- X (Twitter)x.com/ErikMUnderwood4
- TikToktiktok.com/@erikmunderwood4
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@erikmunderwood4
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Family and Social Policy
His campaign website says he would create a child care fund for income-eligible families paid for by an optional 25-cent donation shoppers could choose to add at store checkouts.5
His campaign website says he would write marriage equality into state law and defend it.6
- Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
- Let each state decide whether to allow it
- Recognize only marriages between one man and one woman
Education
His campaign website says he would provide free tuition at Colorado's public universities, community colleges and trade schools, paid for through new revenue sources.7
- No free tuition program
- Free tuition at community colleges
- Free tuition at public colleges and universities
Health Care
His campaign website says he would give all Coloradans free health care, or at most $50 a year per family member, through a pool with neighboring states funded in part by an employer payroll tax and an income tax on earnings over $50,000.8
- One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
- Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
- Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
- Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
His campaign website says he would protect gender-affirming care for adults and, in consultation with families and medical professionals, for minors.6
- Ban these treatments for minors
- Allow some with limits, such as minimum ages, waiting periods or no surgery
- No legal limits; leave decisions to patients, parents and doctors
Energy and Climate
His campaign website says he would order a 180-day pause on new data center approvals, and require data centers to pay their share of grid upgrades without raising utility costs for families.9
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
Housing
His campaign website says he would fund Housing First placements at scale and push local governments away from camping bans toward outreach and housing.10
- Provide permanent housing first, without requiring treatment or sobriety beforehand
- Provide housing that comes with requirements, such as treatment, sobriety or work
- Enforce bans on public camping and move people into shelters or treatment, including court-ordered treatment for some
His campaign website says that if the need arises he would freeze rents to keep people from becoming homeless.10
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.
Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: TRACER campaign finance search — Colorado Secretary of State.11