A Solidly Blue District is Now Competitive: Erik Aadland and Brittany Pettersen Compete for Colorado’s 7th District

On Nov. 8, voters in Colorado have a choice to make. They can elect political newcomer Erik Aadland, a Republican, or vote for State Sen. Brittany Pettersen (D-CD22) to represent Colorado’s 7th district in Congress.

Indeed, 2021 redistricting, plus the retiring of long-time Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, made what was once a solidly blue district competitive. That’s drawn the nation’s eyes as political hawks wonder, “will it flip from blue to red?”

Republicans need to flip a net of five seats to gain control of the House, but conversely, Democrats only need to hold that same number to retain power. As such, races like CD7 are high-stakes for Republicans and Democrats.

Aadland Versus Pettersen

On June 28, Colorado voters took to the polls in the state’s primary election to choose a candidate for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District.

Republicans chose Aadland, who received 48 percent of the vote, defeating Tim Reichert (36 percent), and Laurel Imer (16 percent).

Pettersen did not have a primary challenger, guaranteeing her spot as the Democrat nominee for the November general election.

Now, Aadland and Pettersen are battling each other with opposing policies and ideas on how best to represent CD7.

Republican candidate Erik Aadland. (Courtesy of Erik Aadland for Congress)

While Aadland may be a political newcomer, that doesn’t mean he’s inexperienced with serving people. Aadland was born into an Army family, the son of Major General (Ret) Anders and Sandra Aadland. Moving more than 21 times, Aadland saw the world and decided that he, too, wanted to serve his country.

In 2002, Aadland graduated from West Point and began his career as an Army officer. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and received two Bronze Stars for his service. He said his experiences as a soldier would inform how he serves if

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