The American West Is Shifting to the Left

The following article is Sponsored by The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University and written by Jeff Hunt.

The American West has always exuded a spirit of rugged individualism, united by the common bonds of hard work and dedication to faith, family, and freedom. However, that spirit is quickly disappearing as political ideologies shift to the left, threatening the very essence of what makes the West great.

The change began on the coast, with California, Oregon, and Washington – once the very definition of the great American West – falling to leftist ideologies. At first it seemed like a joke; we dismissed it as the “Left Coast.” Yet, in the 2020 Presidential Election, Democrats not only won the Left Coast, they also won Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by nearly 7 million votes in the West, and that’s when you include Texas. Where is our Western Conservatism? And how can we fight to return the Spirit of the West to the United States?

The Western Conservative Summit is not in the business of getting any political candidates elected. We work on ideas and policies, and the American West’s leftward trajectory has serious consequences for these states and the nation.

Attacks on the energy industry, for example, directly threatens the energy independence our country achieved. In Colorado, regulators are doing everything they can to stop new gas and oil drilling permits. Our governor touts shutting down the state’s coal plants. These actions cost our state thousands of jobs, tax revenue to our schools, and a bright future for many Coloradans. By the way, a recent study demonstrated that marijuana growing operations cause more problems for global warming than coal plants do, a fact ignored by the leftists in Colorado.

The states are also seeing attacks on our 2nd Amendment rights. Colorado already has high capacity magazine bans, red flag laws, and now lawmakers will allow counties to come up with their own gun laws. Imagine a mom traveling a few counties over to take her daughter to a soccer game, violating multiple gun laws simply by driving while trying to keep her family safe. The West without any guns? That’s the direction our states are heading.

The American West can’t develop its land because the Federal government owns over 50 percent of the land. The people closest to the land, who work the land, rely on the land, have to defer to the decisions made by people in suits in Washington, D.C, who have never set foot in the Western United States.

What are we to do to fight back against the Leftist surge in America’s West? First, we organize. You need to attend or watch the Western Conservative Summit, June 18-19, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. At the Summit, you will learn about the issues facing the Western United States: energy independence, federal land ownership, wildfires, the 2nd Amendment, illegal immigration, religious freedom, and much more. Even if you don’t live in this part of America, the decisions made here will directly affect you.

Second, we need action. The Western Conservative Summit will not only help educate you on these issues, but will also encourage you to take action. Connect with some of the many organizations working to bring about a better America. They will give you the tools necessary to advocate for change in your community.

I believe one of God’s greatest creations is the Western Conservative. Faith is the bedrock of all we do. We serve our communities, we develop our lands, we love our families, we are proud of our country. At this year’s Summit, you will see the Western United States in a way never fully depicted. We spent months traveling America’s West to meet the people producing our energy, protecting our wildlife, and growing our food. The Summit will showcase our values on the national stage. These values will inspire America to embrace our theme this year, Frontier Freedom. I hope you’ll join us.

Jeff Hunt is the co-chairman of the 12th annual Western Conservative Summit.