Two Democratic lawmakers in Colorado, including the president of the state Senate, were recalled Tuesday in elections brought about by their support for tougher gun control laws.
According to unofficial results, voters in Colorado Springs favored recalling state Sen. John Morse, the body's president, by 51 percent to 49 percent. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo was defeated in her recall election, 56 percent to 44 percent.
The Colorado Republican Party called the vote results "a loud and clear message to out-of-touch Democrats across the nation" in a statement released late Tuesday. Colorado's Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, said he was "disappointed by the outcome of the recall elections" before calling on state residents to "refocus again on what unites Coloradans -- creating jobs, educating our children, creating a healthier state -- and on finding ways to keep Colorado moving forward."
"We as the Democratic Party will continue to fight," Morse told supporters in Colorado Springs as he conceded the race. Republican Bernie Herpin, a former Colorado Springs city councilman, will replace him. Giron will be replaced by Republican George Rivera, a former deputy police chief in Pueblo.
"We will win in the end because we are on the right side," Giron said in her concession speech.
The votes marked the first time in Colorado history that a state lawmaker faced a recall effort and the biggest backlash in states that passed tougher gun-control laws following two mass shootings last year – at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater and a Newtown, Conn., elementary school.
Democratic-leaning Connecticut, Maryland, and New York also passed tougher gun laws without a recall effort making a state ballot.
The states’ effort came after President Obama’s unsuccessful attempt to get Congress to pass stricter federal laws – including tighter background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines.
In Colorado Springs, the majority of registered voters are Democrats, but many are conservative-leaning. 23 percent of them, in fact, signed the petition to recall Morse, according to The Denver Post.
Read more: Colorado state senators recalled over gun control support | Fox News
"We will win in the end because we are on the right side," Giron said in her concession speech.
Spin on this is pretty funny. I've read a dozen or so articles on the recall results and have seen the phrase "gun lobby" about 50 times. The other theme is "outside money poured in for both sides" with few highlighting that the recall opponents oustpent the proponents 6 to 1. Not much mentioned that the recall was initiated by a true grassroots movements and not something kicked of by the big bad eeeeevvviiiiilll NRA.
On gun control issues, no you are not on the right side. You are on the wrong side, which is why you and the others lost.
I oppose recall elections unless they are just a flat out crook who refuses to step down. democracy is not well-served by perpetual elections.
Gosh, I almost always agree with you. Not here. I think you are dead-assed wrong. We need MORE recall elections. It's our only hope. An issue to galvanize "the people" is a Godsend.
The NRA "poured" $350,000 into the recall efforts. Others raised $150,000 more so they used $500k. Mayor bloomberg and his anti gun zealots poured $3,000,000 into and got 24,000 votes to save their beloved leftist. ($125 a vote)
I oppose recall elections unless they are just a flat out crook who refuses to step down. democracy is not well-served by perpetual elections.
You seem to define the right side as simply being the most popular on gun control, yet ignore that pesky 2A individual constitutional right. If racial or gender preference discrimination was popular then would that be right as well?
Gosh, I almost always agree with you. Not here. I think you are dead-assed wrong. We need MORE recall elections. It's our only hope. An issue to galvanize "the people" is a Godsend.
Colorado state senators recalled over gun control support
Glad to see it. Now they just need to recall the rest of them over their support of legalized marijuana.
Good luck with that.
I oppose recall elections unless they are just a flat out crook who refuses to step down. democracy is not well-served by perpetual elections.
Remember that my form or "recall" doesn't involve a ballot box.
Glad to see it. Now they just need to recall the rest of them over their support of legalized marijuana.
Absolutely! More freedom is bad, we must increase gov't control.
Freedom itself isn't a problem. Allowing people with no Morals or Values to make decisions, is.
Freedom itself isn't a problem. Allowing people with no Morals or Values to make decisions, is.
It certainly beats shooting the bastards.
Gosh, I almost always agree with you. Not here. I think you are dead-assed wrong. We need MORE recall elections. It's our only hope. An issue to galvanize "the people" is a Godsend.
I disagree immensely. We can't have short term media frenzies kicking people out all the time. The public is very susceptible to that. If Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Pennsylvania all had the same recall laws as Colorado Walker, Kasich, Snyder, Scott, and Corbett would all have been out on their asses in 2011 because of the way the media was treating them at the time, despite the fact that all of them but Corbett are even money or better to be re-elected next year. The public usually eventually figures out what they really want, but are extremely susceptible to short term fluctuations and we can't be kicking out elected officials all the time because of that.
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