House District 59 Rep. Barbara McLachlan, a Democrat, has twice won re-election and aims to do so again this year.

McLachlan, a longtime Durango resident and former Durango High School teacher, will run for a fourth two-year term in November’s election. McLachlan has yet to hit the campaign trail as she serves in Colorado’s 73rd General Assembly, but she thinks the work she has done in Colorado’s Legislature over the last five years shows a record that will garner widespread support from voters in the district.

“I think I have a very good track record,” she said. “I’m a moderate, I’m not far-left. I work across the aisle. Most of my bills are bipartisan because I represent Republicans as well as Democrats and independents.”

McLachlan was first elected to represent House District 59 in 2016, defeating Republican incumbent J. Paul Brown by a slim margin of 675 votes. Since then, she has been re-elected twice in 2018 and 2020, defeating independent and Republican challengers by at least 10 percentage points.

Over the last decade, House District 59 has included La Plata, San Juan, Ouray, Archuleta, Hinsdale and part of Gunnison counties. However, statewide redistricting maps approved last year will shift the district to cover all of La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties and much of Montezuma County in January 2023.

McLachlan filed her affidavit to run in September 2021, but has been tied up in the Colorado Legislature’s annual proceedings, which began on Jan. 12 and will adjourn on May 11.

“The campaign goes slowly when you’re in session and that’s just all I can do,” she said. “I’m trying to visit my district when I do come home, but we’re done in May and then I’ll get back in the saddle again.”

McLachlan currently makes it back to Durango from the Capitol two or three times per month, she said.

Unable to campaign early in the election cycle, McLachlan views her work in the Legislature as a display of both her priorities and what she can accomplish if re-elected.

As the chair of the House Education Committee the last two years, she has overseen much of the legislation on education that has passed through the House while sponsoring her own bills.

“I think we’re doing a lot for education,” McLachlan said. “We’re doing some really good stuff and (there are) a lot of bills coming up and my committee is full. We’re listening to a lot of great ways we can help our educators in Colorado.”

McLachlan pointed to two bills signed into law this month by Gov. Jared Polis she sponsored to tackle teacher shortages.

Under law, retired public schoolteachers can work only 110 days per year before their retirement benefits are reduced. One of McLachlan’s bills removes that limit and allows teachers across the state to work as substitutes, while the other allows teachers in rural communities to work full time without risking their retirement.

“We think that could save (the) lives of teachers who have to give up their planning periods to be a substitute teacher. We might have enough teachers and enough subs to give everybody a little break,” she said.

McLachlan has also sought to address health care in the region. She is working with rural hospitals and their trade groups to fund a study that examines how Colorado’s rural hospitals can attract more professionals.

The goal is to survey both what hospitals need and what they and their rural communities offer so doctors and nurses can get a better sense of the area and employers as they apply to positions.

“Rural hospitals are really excited about that,” she said. “They can’t always pay the most, but they offer a lot more than just a pay scale.”

During the current legislative session, water has remained a priority for McLachlan, who serves as the vice chair of the House’s Water Resources Review Committee.

The interim committee has been preparing bills this year that funnel money from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into water projects in Colorado.

“We’re always fighting the Eastern Slope and making sure that we keep our water,” she said.

McLachlan hopes her efforts this legislative session and her track record can carry votes come fall as she currently faces challenges from two Republican candidates for the district seat.

Shelli Shaw, a former Texas teacher and school district administrator who operates Blue Spruce BnB northeast of Durango, and Alexander “Skinny” Winkler, who represented Adams County on the Front Range during the 2018 regular legislative session, are vying for the Republican candidacy for House District 59.

McLachlan holds the lead in fundraising, pulling in more than $14,000 in contributions from October to December 2021, while Shaw and Winkler have yet to disclose financial filings and will not be required to do so until later this year, according to state campaign finance records.

McLachlan said she was confident she would retain her seat and voters would show up for her campaign in November. She highlighted her bipartisan work and her willingness to compromise to get legislation done.

“I try very hard to be a representative of the district. I work hard and listen, and I’m not afraid to go into areas where people need to be heard,” she said. “I’m feeling good about the race. I’ve had a lot of good support in the past, and I suspect I’m going to have good support going forward as well.”

ahannon@durangoherald.com