MEET VIVIAN
BOLD & BALANCED LEADERSHIP
Vivian Smotherman brings to SD6 proven leadership skills honed through 35 years of education, work, and travel across the globe. As a sailor, a farmer, a teacher, an oil field worker, and a non-profit organizer and volunteer, Vivian has led a life where her ability to bring divergent visions together has served to meet the needs of the group rather than just that of one faction or person. Add her formal education in both History and Anthropology and you have a woman capable of bringing all these talents to bear to find the common ground necessary to forge alliances that overcome the divisiveness that is tearing our country apart. Whether working alongside English, Romanian, or Brazilian crews, Vivian has proven herself capable of stepping into the lion’s den, surrounded by enemies, only to walk out a respected leader with the trust of those she serves.
Today, as we approach another vital election for the future of our nation, Vivian is prepared to commit her unique set of skills to serve all of Colorado. Southwest Colorado, with its mix of mountains, deserts, agriculture, tourism, indigenous and Hispanic cultures, oil, gas, and mining is a dynamic area rich with challenges and opportunities. For a representative of this diverse landscape to properly serve their community, they must have an equally diverse background informing their perspective and helping them see problems from a variety of viewpoints. To simply say “I’ve lived here all my life” is not enough, we need representation with broader vision, greater compassion, and deeper understanding. Qualities that only come from a lifetime of exposure to, and interaction with, the world at large. Vivian has this unique background.
Campaign Buzz
Durango Herald, 10/17/2024
by Reuben Schafir
Vivian Smotherman, Senate District 6 candidate, considers TABOR and balance of local control
Vivian Smotherman is running to oust Sen. Cleave Simpson in Senate District 6. She has pitched herself to voters as a louder voice on key issues, such as K-12 education funding and rural health care.
Smotherman is running in a toss-up race as she takes on Simpson, who was first elected in 2020 to Senate District 35. As a result of redistricting, both candidates are running for the first time in SD6, which spans Southwest Colorado, from the San Luis Valley west to the Utah border, and from the New Mexico border north to Saguache County and parts of Montrose County.
Vote Vivian Campaign, 10-18-2024
Thanks to a very talented new film graduate, we have this amazing commercial to share.
La Plata Dems Club Luncheon, 07/02/2024
Democrat and Republican candidates for HD-59 and SD-6 answer questions from constituents.
Vote Vivian Campaign, 03/09/2024
Introduction of Vivian Smotherman as candidate for Colorado SD-6
Valley Pod Interview 09/21/2024
Vivian Smotherman, the Democrat challenging Colorado State Sen. Cleave Simpson, talks with reporter Owen Woods about her campaign, her time in the Navy, and what she’s learned as an offshore oil and gas worker and pig farmer in Texas.
Colorado times Recorder, 09/17/2024
by Logan Davis
DAVIS: Colorado's Nicest State Senator Should Not be Re-Elected
Amid the wide and varied range of reputations on display at the state Capitol, few elected officials can outdo the favorable branding of Senator Cleave Simpson, the Republican manning a 14-county Senate district in the state’s southwest corner: he’s a nice guy, and just about everyone agrees on that front. There are 100 legislators in the state of Colorado, and Simpson is perhaps the only one who all of the others like.
It is regrettable, then, that he is such a bad state Senator – and doubly regrettable that I feel compelled to make the case that the Capitol’s nicest guy simply cannot, in good conscience, be reelected this November. read more...
Durango Herald, 01/18/2024
by Reuben Schafir
Giving voters an option, Vivian Smotherman enters Senate District 6 race
Vivian Smotherman, a farmer and a veteran who spent over 20 years working in oil and gas, has announced her candidacy for the Colorado Senate District 6 seat held by Sen. Cleave Simpson.
She said that affordable housing, school funding and safety, and rural health care are her top three priorities.
The three issues are tightly connected in many ways, she said. As a recent arrival to Southwest Colorado, a teacher’s spouse and a student herself, Smotherman says she knows firsthand how challenging the housing market is, and how it drives educators and medical professionals from the community. read more....
Durango Herald, 07/24/24
In Colorado Senate District 6, national party steps in to boost Democratic challenger by Reuben Schafit
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee will announce Wednesday morning that Smotherman will be the sole “Spotlight” candidate in Colorado, and one of 180 such candidates nationwide.
Smotherman is facing off with Sen. Cleave Simpson of Alamosa in the district, which comprises 14 counties and stretches from Costilla County west to the Utah state line, north up to Saguache and Montrose counties, excluding Hinsdale and Gunnison counties.
“We work directly with the caucus to assess which races will be most competitive, and we landed on this one as the top, most competitive race (in the state) and representing the best flip opportunity,” DLCC Interim Communications Director Samantha Paisley said.
Ouraynews.com, 01/17/2024
Durango Democrat announces Senate bid
Durango Democrat Vivian Smotherman has announced she will run against Sen. Cleave Simpson for the Senate District 6 seat this November. She becomes the Alamosa Republican’s first challenger since his district was redrawn to include Ouray County in 2023.
“It comes down to everybody has to vote their conscience. I think I offer a broader perspective on all of the issues that are going to face the citizens of Southwest Colorado, the constituents that live in District 6. I have a much better ability, a strong ability to look at problems from different perspectives and find creative solutions,” Smotherman said. “(Voters) have to look at what my values are and look at my history and background and ask if I’m the kind of person that they would trust to represent them.”
Alamosa Citizen, 01/11/2024
State legislative races draw challengers
Vivian Smotherman has filed to be a challenger to State. Sen. Cleave Simpson for the Colorado Senate District 6 seat. Smotherman is a Democrat from Durango who will take on the Republican from Alamosa. “The legislative issues I feel are central to my decision to run include improving and protecting Colorado’s education system, strengthening and expanding Colorado’s rural healthcare network and services, and finding ways to address Colorado’s critical shortage of affordable housing,” she said in her campaign announcement.
From Vivian's Farming Days
Vivian's Farm in Texas
"Farm-1-1 is a farmer assistance program based near Cedar Creek in Bastrop County that started two years ago after flooding left many area farmers with downed fences and wind-torn buildings. Directors (and farmers) Vivian and JoAnn Smotherman have since organized a network of farmers to help one another when emergencies like this strike.
Farm-1-1 is a farmer assistance program based near Cedar Creek in Bastrop County that started two years ago after flooding left many area farmers with downed fences and wind-torn buildings. Directors (and farmers) Vivian and JoAnn Smotherman have since organized a network of farmers to help one another when emergencies like this strike."