A month ago, we wrote about various efforts underway around the state to undo the outcome of the 2018 elections (“
We spoke then of Rochelle Galindo, a Democrat from Greeley, who was elected to the state House from District 50 last fall, beating Republican Michael Thuener 53% to 47% in a race that set a record for district midterm turnout.
Galindo, a former Greeley city councilor who had worked on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, was as liberal as she appeared to be. Unsurprisingly, she voted with the Democratic majority in the House to further regulate oil and gas, which spurred a recall effort in her district. Galindo was “poised to do irreparable damage,” one of the recall backers said.
On Sunday, with the recall effort proceeding in signature gathering, Galindo abruptly resigned her seat. This happened “amid sex assault allegations,” the Greeley Tribune reported, referring to a sealed complaint filed with Greeley police.
“The allegations against me are false,” Galindo said in a news release. “That said, they will make my fight against the pending recall effort untenable.”
“We agree with Rep. Galindo’s decision to step down at this time and allow someone else to serve the people of House District 50,” House Speaker KC Becker and House Majority Leader Alec Garnett said in a joint statement.
Democrats will choose a replacement for Galindo. We do not think this marks the success of the recall effort or that it should. We hope it is, rather, an unfortunate coincidence.
