U.S. House, Colorado 7th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 7th Congressional District?
Brittany Pettersen has the strongest record in Colorado's 7th Congressional District. Brittany Pettersen scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tim Bennett at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Brittany Pettersen's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Tim Bennett's highest marks are relevant experience. Lawrence Kyle Clark (1 of 15 criteria), Susan Hall (1 of 15 criteria), Joe Krzeczkowski (6 of 15 criteria) and Dan "Kilo" Sallis (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Tim Bennett
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
American Constitution Party
Lawrence Kyle Clark
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Unity Party
Susan Hall
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Unaffiliated
Joe Krzeczkowski
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Brittany Pettersen
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 56
Libertarian
Dan "Kilo" Sallis
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Tim Bennett
- On the record2026-09-25
Told CPR that 76 percent of Coloradans had contemplated leaving the state over costs; CPR said it could not find that statistic and cited a poll that 76 percent worry about affording to live there.
- On the record2025-10
Funding for a Palmer Lake committee opposing a 2025 recall, about $19,900, was first reported as his and later amended to show it came from Freedom First Colorado, the nonprofit he founded.
Sources: KOAA, Oct. 16, 2025, Colorado Public Radio voter guide, Sept. 25, 2026
- On the record2025-11
Was the only candidate on the 2025 El Paso County ballot for the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 board, District 1 seat, which he won.
Sources: KOAA, 2025 El Paso County ballot, KRDO, El Paso County 2025 election results, Nov. 4, 2025
Lawrence Kyle Clark
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Susan Hall
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Joe Krzeczkowski
- On the record2026
Pledged on his campaign site to limit himself to no more than three terms in Congress.
Source: Campaign site, Values
Brittany Pettersen
- On the record2025-04-01
Led, with Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a discharge petition for proxy voting by new parents; on April 1, 2025 a leadership move to block it failed 206 to 222.
Source: PBS NewsHour, April 2025
- On the record2025
Missed 65 of 85 House roll call votes from January to March 2025, after giving birth; her lifetime missed-vote rate is 5.8 percent.
Sources: GovTrack, missed votes by quarter, The 19th, March 11, 2025
- On the record2024-07-12
Became the first Colorado member of Congress to call on President Joe Biden to end his 2024 reelection bid.
- Credit2025-12-01
Original cosponsor and Democratic co-lead of H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, signed into law Dec. 1, 2025.
Sources: GovTrack, H.R. 2483 (119th Congress), GovTrack, H.R. 2483 cosponsors
- Credit2025-03-08
Held an open town hall at Lakewood's Alameda International School on March 8, 2025.
- Credit2023
Ranked 57th among House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for the 118th Congress (2023).
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Dan "Kilo" Sallis
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Tim Bennett. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Brittany Pettersen. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed July 27, 2026 after an extension. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077057, House Committee on Ethics site search for Pettersen, FEC administrative fines search
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Voted against all three House Democratic leaders on several significant measures: Yea on disapproving D.C.'s revised criminal code (2023) and the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act (2024), and Nay on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 119, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 204, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, Colorado Public Radio, July 12, 2024
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Holds open in-person town halls, including one at Lakewood's Alameda International School on March 8, 2025. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Tim Bennett. A retired Army officer who says he served nearly 30 years, retiring in 2018, and a school board member since 2025. No formal conduct finding found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Served a decade in the Colorado legislature and in the U.S. House since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, House Committee on Ethics site search for Pettersen
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Tim Bennett. Served as a U.S. Army officer, per his own account to CPR, and holds an elected school board seat. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Has held sworn House office since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count, and served in the Colorado legislature. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: GovTrack, Colorado members, House Committee on Ethics site search for Pettersen
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Tim Bennett. Retired U.S. Army officer with nearly 30 years of service by his account; elected to the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education in 2025.
Sources: Colorado Public Radio, 7th District voter guide, Sept. 24, 2026, Colorado Public Radio voter guide, Sept. 25, 2026
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. A technology executive who leads software teams and has led a community council in Lakewood. Has not held public office.
Sources: Colorado Public Radio, third-party candidates guide, Campaign site, About
Brittany Pettersen. In the U.S. House since January 2023, now completing her second term, after serving in the Colorado House and Senate for a decade.
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. Small business owner; lists his profession as CEO at Cynch and says he has never held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Tim Bennett. States priorities on lowering costs, law enforcement, domestic energy and government accountability, in general terms, with some specifics such as expanding Medicare drug price negotiation.
Sources: Colorado Public Radio voter guide, Sept. 25, 2026, Campaign site, home page
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. Publishes positions on campaign finance, term limits, ranked choice voting, health care and energy, mostly in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, Values, Colorado Public Radio, third-party candidates guide
Brittany Pettersen. Serves on the Financial Services Committee and its Housing and Insurance and Digital Assets subcommittees, and is vice ranking member of a subcommittee. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, Biography
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. Publishes Libertarian positions on limited government, education, drug policy and foreign policy in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Colorado Public Radio, third-party candidates guide
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Tim Bennett. Publishes campaign platform pages and gave CPR an interview for its voter guide. Did not return the Denver Post questionnaire and has not completed Ballotpedia's survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Lawrence Kyle Clark. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 as a lieutenant governor candidate. No 2026 House questionnaire or campaign materials found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lawrence Clark (Colorado), Colorado Public Radio, third-party candidates guide
Susan Hall. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey as a 2024 candidate. No 2026 questionnaire or campaign materials found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Susan Hall, Colorado Public Radio, third-party candidates guide
Joe Krzeczkowski. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026, publishes issue pages and offers a newsletter.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Joe Krzeczkowski, Campaign site, Values, Campaign site, home page
Brittany Pettersen. Answered the Denver Post's 2026 candidate questionnaire, offers an email newsletter, and holds town halls.
Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Office site, home page, KUNC, Aug. 5, 2026
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. Answered the Denver Post's 2026 candidate questionnaire and publishes a platform page.
Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Campaign site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Tim Bennett. Has lived in Monument since 1973 and files from Palmer Lake; both are in El Paso County, which is not among the counties in the 7th District. About 63 percent of itemized contributions are from Colorado.
Sources: Colorado Public Radio voter guide, Sept. 25, 2026, FEC Form 2, Statement of Candidacy, Jan. 21, 2026, Colorado Public Radio, 7th District voter guide, KOAA, 2025 El Paso County ballot, FEC contribution totals by state
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. Lives in Lakewood, in the district. FEC by-state totals show $1,066 of $1,566 in itemized individual contributions from Colorado.
Sources: Campaign site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Brittany Pettersen. Born in Colorado and has lived in Jefferson County nearly her entire life; lives in Lakewood. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 50.1 percent of itemized individual contributions from Colorado.
Sources: Office site, home page, Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Tim Bennett. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Brittany Pettersen. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.216 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, below expectations. Raised under E14: original cosponsor and Democratic co-lead of H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT reauthorization, signed into law Dec. 1, 2025.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 2483 (119th Congress), GovTrack, H.R. 2483 cosponsors
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Missed 112 of 1,917 roll call votes, 5.8 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026, including 65 of 85 from January to March 2025.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Runs district offices in Lakewood and Canon City and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.48820 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 57, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Tim Bennett. No public record found.
Lawrence Kyle Clark. No public record found.
Susan Hall. No public record found.
Joe Krzeczkowski. No public record found.
Brittany Pettersen. No public record found.
Dan "Kilo" Sallis. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 7th Congressional District?
Brittany Pettersen has the strongest record in Colorado's 7th Congressional District. Brittany Pettersen scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tim Bennett at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Brittany Pettersen's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Tim Bennett's highest marks are relevant experience. Lawrence Kyle Clark (1 of 15 criteria), Susan Hall (1 of 15 criteria), Joe Krzeczkowski (6 of 15 criteria) and Dan "Kilo" Sallis (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Colorado's 7th Congressional District in 2026?
Tim Bennett (Republican), Lawrence Kyle Clark (American Constitution Party), Susan Hall (Unity Party), Joe Krzeczkowski (Unaffiliated), Brittany Pettersen (Democratic, incumbent), Dan "Kilo" Sallis (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Tim Bennett a good candidate for Congress?
Tim Bennett scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Lawrence Kyle Clark a good candidate for Congress?
Lawrence Kyle Clark has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Susan Hall a good candidate for Congress?
Susan Hall has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Joe Krzeczkowski a good candidate for Congress?
Joe Krzeczkowski has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Brittany Pettersen a good candidate for Congress?
Brittany Pettersen scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Dan "Kilo" Sallis a good candidate for Congress?
Dan "Kilo" Sallis has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Colorado race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Colorado 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.