Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton easily defeated Democratic challenger Abel Tapia Tuesday.
Tipton received 58.8 percent or 152,415 votes, while Tapia won 35 percent or 90,873 votes, according to incomplete unofficial returns.
In La Plata County, Tipton received 11,630 votes or 52.3 percent and Tapia had 9,433 votes, or about 42.4 percent, according to unofficial final results.
“We’ve worked hard to reach out to all of our communities,” said Tipton, who was first elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2010.
This district is one of the largest in Colorado, encompassing the entire Western Slope and stretching east to Pueblo.
When Tipton heads back to Washington in mid-November, he said he plans to focus on decreasing regulation for small businesses and increasing transparency requirements for federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. He already has introduced bills in some of these areas.
“We have a full agenda that we’re ready to go to work on,” he said.
Tipton vastly outspent Tapia in the race. His committee spent about $1 million in this election cycle, while Tapia’s spent about $246,000.
Tapia, of Pueblo, identified several challenges he faced in the race, including name recognition, campaign spending and entering the race late.
“It’s been a hard race for me,” he said.
He jumped into the race after Liane “Buffie” McFadyen dropped out in March. Since then, he had few chances to meet Tipton in public debates. Tipton missed debates in Durango and in Alamosa.
“I’ve been pretty frustrated with the incumbent and his unwillingness to debate me,” Tapia said.
Tapia is a civil engineer, a former state lawmaker from Pueblo and a former director of the Colorado Lottery. When he left the lottery in January, he planned to retire. Now the election is over, he said he plans to spend time with his family. He could not say whether he has left politics behind forever. Tapia and Tipton both brought a background in small business to the race and promised to focus on improving the economy.
“We’ve had a very level campaign with him, we’ve stayed on the issues,” Tipton said.
However, Tipton’s promises to focus on deregulation clearly resonated with voters after drawing a wide majority of the vote.
Tipton, now in his third term, said he also plans to continue working on a bill that would protect the Hermosa Creek watershed. The amendment he introduced drew sharp criticism from some local residents and La Plata County commissioners. Tipton said he was aware of community reaction.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
