As a mother of four, I strive to teach my kids the importance of truth and honesty— something I wish our current governor would learn, too.

Jared Polis’ 2022 State of the State address is the height of hypocrisy.

During his first three years in office, he told us that more regulation, higher taxes (under the guise of fees), and greater government control were necessary. Not only that, but he acted on his desires, ignoring the will of the voters and signing more than 500 executive and public health orders. Now that it is an election year, Polis is campaigning against the same policies that he enacted.

Don’t be fooled, Colorado! It’s Jared Polis’ far-left, out-of-touch policies that are to blame for our soaring crime rate, our out-of-control cost of living, and the mental health crisis plaguing our kids and families.

Three years of Polis’ far-left agenda cannot be corrected in one or two speeches. I’m sorry, Jared, but delaying your gas tax until after the election is not going to help Coloradans put food on their tables. You don’t need a pat on the back for saving small businesses a $10 reporting fee, you need a swift kick out the door for the billions of dollars in taxes you already signed.

This year’s speech was filled with references to crime. But yelling about crime in an election year doesn’t make up for being silent about it for three years. It’s as if Polis just saw reports showing our state’s violent crime rate is the highest it has been in decades and we have the highest car theft rate in the nation. Someone should inform Polis that it’s his offender focused policies that have led to this surge in crime.

Much like crime and economic relief for Coloradans, mental health has been a notably minimal focus for Polis — up until now. There was no mention of mental health in his 2019 address, while his 2020 and 2021 addresses barely touched on our state’s growing epidemic. But wait for it. His 2022 election year address mentioned mental health over 20 times. And it’s no surprise why.

Polis’ school closures, mask-mandates, and business restrictions have sucked the life out of Coloradans. Children have been unable to attend Polis’ highly advertised all-day kindergarten because of COVID closures. Teachers have struggled to read their students’ expressions because they are hidden behind masks.

We must be able to trust our elected officials. Polis lost our trust when he told us it was okay to lie to our families about the COVID shot.

My fellow Coloradans, you can believe me when I say safety is a priority for me. I will crack down on crime starting on day one in office. I am the daughter of a police officer who taught me the importance of law and order. The parole board better start circulating their resumes now because I’m giving them all pink slips. There will also be truth in sentencing and bail reform that does not allow for the release of repeat offenders.

You can believe me when I say that I will make Colorado affordable again by slashing unnecessary taxes and red tape, creating policies that encourage job creation, and replacing mandates with trust in Coloradans to do the right thing.

You can believe me when I say that I will work with parents and teachers to protect our kids. We will address the huge gaps in learning by funding the student, not the system. We will boost fundamentals like reading, writing, and math rather than spend time on controversial concepts like critical race theory.

And you can believe me when I say I will respect rural Colorado and the issues that matter most to them. Denver may be our capital city, but I will spend many days on the road to the Eastern Plains, Western Slope and everywhere in between.

Polis is attempting to run away from his mandates, school closures, and tax increases. But we’re smarter than that. The state budget has increased by $10 billion over the last five years. Every aspect of our lives is now touched by the state government. We see the hypocrisy.

Like I said, I’m a mom on a mission. My mission is to fight for the Colorado way of life that is slipping away in front of our children’s eyes. When I am governor, I will trust you to make good decisions about your lives and you can trust me to keep my word.

Heidi Ganahl is a Republican candidate for governor of Colorado. She was elected in 2016 as an at-large member on the University of Colorado Board of Regents.