March 06, 2020 09:32 AM UTC

Democrats Land Strong Candidate in Top State Senate Race

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• by: Colorado Pols

State Senate District 8 (Carbondale-ish) is one of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats in 2020, and now they have a strong candidate running to unseat Republican Sen. Bob Rankin.

Today Karl Hanlon announced that he will run in SD-8. From a press release:

Hanlon, a rancher, water and municipal attorney, and family man from Carbondale in Garfield County, is launching his campaign for Colorado’s Senate District 8.

“We need to need to make state government work for our mountain communities. Climate change, health care costs and attacks on public lands threaten our way of life,” said Hanlon.

Ranching, family, and respect for our land and water are the foundation of Hanlon’s Colorado heritage. He is currently the city attorney for Glenwood Springs, the town attorney for Silverthorne and is a partner at the firm Karp Neu Hanlon, P.C. Hanlon’s water law experience includes representing Glenwood Springs and Rifle in the negotiation of the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement and working on fully implementing the provisions of the CRCA for the benefit of the West Slope. His volunteer service in the community helps veterans and the developmentally disabled.

Hanlon’s name may sound a bit familiar; in 2018, Hanlon lost to Diane Mitsch Bush in a Democratic Primary in the geographically-monstrous CO-3, but he was well-received closer to his home base in the Glenwood Springs/Aspen area.

Rankin will be running for a full Senate term after being appointed in January 2019 to replace Randy “Boob Grabber” Baumgardner, who packed up his weird mustache and resigned his seat amid long-running allegations of sexual harassment. Republicans have managed to hold onto SD-8 despite several tough challenges over the last few cycles; with districts such as SD-19 in Jefferson County slipping out of reach, the GOP can’t afford to lose here in 2020.