Republicans voters face three choices in this year’s Colorado primary. They will be picking their party’s nominees for U.S. representative, for state Board of Education member and for governor. The Herald urges a vote for incumbents U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton and Marcia Neal and for Bob Beauprez.
There are no primary races in any other parties. GOP voters can drop off their ballots at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the courthouse, at the Clerk & Recorder’s offices in Durango or Bayfield as well as at the new 24-hour drop-off box at the clerk’s Bodo Park office. Ballots must be returned – not just postmarked – by 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24.
Tipton is running for his third term representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. He has a solidly conservative voting record and has grown more accessible over time. Republican voters should endorse him.
His opponent is David Cox, a peach farmer from Palisade. On his website, he says: “Our representatives disregard and disrespect the law of the land” — but offers nothing to show how that applies to Tipton.
Vote for Scott Tipton
Marcia Neal is the Board of Education member from the 3rd Congressional District. She has an extensive résumé and a solid record of experience in education and as a small business owner.
Neal’s opponent is Barbara Ann Smith. She makes it sound as if she thinks she is running against President Obama.
Vote for Marcia Neal.
The GOP race for governor is a four-way contest that is likely benefiting Gov. John Hickenlooper’s re-election chances.
Mike Kopp is a former state senator with strong conservative stands and just about zero name recognition. Scott Gessler is Colorado’s secretary of state, but his office has had budget problems and his efforts to prevent fraud look too much like an attempt to suppress voter turnout. Tom Tancredo is a former congressman and presidential candidate whose single-minded focus on illegal immigration has left him tarred as extreme.
Bob Beauprez has an exemplary record as a farmer, banker and rancher. He served two terms in Congress and is familiar to Colorado voters. He has the endorsements of his one-time opponent, state Sen. Greg Brophy, as well as Durango’s state Sen. Ellen Roberts and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He is the clear choice for Republicans who put competence and potential success in November over ideological purity.
Vote for Bob Beauprez.
