UPDATE: In an email from Amy Stephens today, the battle for HD-19 is officially joined:
We recruited good candidates, fought hard, and stayed disciplined and on message. And on November 8, 2010, we won the House Majority by ONE vote! I was elected House Majority Leader by my peers to serve with Speaker Frank McNulty.
In 2010, we beat the Democrats fair and square to win that majority. But since playing fair wasn’t going to work for them, they cheated.
Few can escape the controversy over the Democrats attempt to railroad Colorado voters by redrawing legislative districts in order to overturn the voters’ decision to put Republicans in charge of the Colorado House. Monday, the courts unfortunately approved the Democrats underhanded tactics…
Democrats deliberately changed the rules and created a new gold standard of gerrymandering for the next ten years in Colorado-particularly in El Paso County…that is why the Democrats gerrymandered a new district that put me as the House Majority Leader in the same district as another sitting Republican legislator.
Thankfully, I currently represent more than 75% of this new district and look forward to getting to know the rest of the new district even better. [Pols emphasis]
Even if it is technically Rep. Marsha Looper’s district.
—–
In the reapportionment-created incumbency conflict between Rep. Marsha Looper of Calhan and House Majority Leader Amy Stephens of Monument, it would seem that there’s no peaceful resolution coming–and the primary conservatives promised Stephens well before reapportionment became an issue is at hand. From Looper’s press release last night:
Rep. Looper stands with citizens in House District 19
Looper welcomes Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest and Falcon ResidentsThe Colorado Supreme Court approved on Monday the reapportionment plan that changes the boundaries of House District 19 to include the citizens in Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest and Falcon.
“Working closely with the citizens of HD19 and El Paso County, we have made significant strides in protecting our water resources, providing vital services and benefits for our military and their family members, limiting the federal government’s power and protecting our businesses and families from intrusive regulatory burdens,” said Representative Marsha Looper, R-Calhan.
Rep. Looper said, “It has been an honor to represent the citizens of House District 19 over the past five years, and in order to continue to build on our successes, I look forward to a vigorous re-election campaign in the upcoming months.” [Pols emphasis]
“I think Marsha’s open door policy and responsiveness to her constituents has enabled her to be one of the most effective legislators in the state House,” said former state Senator Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock. “All of the constituents in House District 19 will value her hard work and attentiveness.”
Here’s one Republican not bemoaning the awful Democrats and their double-dealing maps! Marsha Looper, anyway, is making those proverbial lemons into lemonade. A poll follows: is this curtains for Majority Leader Stephens? And in comments, another subject we’ll be watching to fire up: will the House GOP caucus weep for Stephens if Looper defeats her?
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Well, I hate the new maps, but this is one development I LOVE!!!!
Prediction?
Amy Stephens will dig her heals in and run
(this is gonna be fun)
beloved Aunts.
Two women enter. One woman leaves.
Nope!
As a matter of fact, I’ll plan on contributing to our fellow Democrat (whoever runs)
Not a fan of either Stephens or Looper and I got to know both very well
She gets good marks for making lemonade out of lemons.
Let’s see if Stephens will follow suit, or whether she’ll just push more Republican whine.
Setting aside Looper, why should Stephens be happy about being undemocratically put in this position? Why should ANY OF THEM?
I applaud Rep. Looper for trying to mak ethe best of a bad situation, but you’re just trying to paper over the obvious issue: Democrat maps doing violence to Republican incumbents. It’s wrong, and even Gov. Hickenlooper can’t excuse it.
Ya sore loser.
And Colorado Un-Democrats are making it stick.
Well, that remark is a testimony to the Republican mind. Romney has been consistent since he changed his mind, and democratically is spelled with “un” at the beginning.
Ladies and gentlemen, your modern Republican Party. Up is down when they say it is.
Classic!
Even with Hick appointing a Republican to the commission and Bender appointing an unafilliated voter, you guys still couldn’t stack it your way.
I guess the Republican Hick appointed doesn’t drink enough of your Kool Aid.
There is nothing un-Democratic about the reapportionment. Anyone can run for office in their district. Seats are not assigned to people. Winning one does not mean they then own it.
What you appear to want is a republic or monarchy. At least be honest about that. Meanwhile the rest of us will celebrate the Democracy we live in.
No, “violence” is what police forces around the country have been doing to unarmed Occupy protesters. The reapportionment process has nothing to do with violence, unless the Democrats are putting Rep. Looper and Rep. Stephens in a cage and making them fight each other.
would be primarying an incumbent Republican in a Senate District. Don’t know if she just didn’t end up in that District, or if something else led to the change.
for someone to post the Air Quotes Amy gif?
I love that!
They “cheated” LOL.
“They cheated!”
“My constituents!”
It’s multipurpose.
She’s got those Bachmann eyes that just cry out “crazy”.
I got to meet and talk with Rep. Looper a few years ago when she came down to Lamar to talk with some ag groups about her ideas for reforming guest worker laws. I’m a Dem, but I found her to be a nice, friendly, intelligent, thinking individual. The GOP could use as many more people like her as they can get. I hope she walks away with her primary by a country mile!
I rarely agree with her but I think she’s tried to do what she thinks is best within the constraints of her party. And she does have strong political talent.
I know both women and not a fan of either
However – Looper, to her credit, is a real person with opinions
Stephens though? I really don’t think she has a core – she would champion anything (or stab anyone) if the advancement was big enough
Predictions – Looper will try to keep it classy but Stephens will get VERY nasty – I personally predict that Stephens will scorch the earth reminding the entire district that Looper supported a Guest Worker Program
Stephens will win the primary and it’ll be NASTY
But it probably will be very nasty – primary races tend to be so.
Sorry to see them head to head, but we have to remember there is no such thing as ‘Rep. Looper’s seat” or “Amy’s seat.” There is only the people’s seat and they will have to sort this one out.
But I will give you – you may be the only one who respects both