April 07, 2016 12:36 PM UTC

Gail Schwartz Challenges Scott Tipton in CD-3

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman agrees, Colorado’s CD-3 is now on radar:

Race alert: tomorrow, @CookPolitical will be moving #CO03 Tipton (R) from Solid Republican to Lean Republican. https://t.co/26G9f6Epmf

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 7, 2016

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As noted by local freelance reporter Sandra Fish:

Dem Sen. Gail Schwartz gets in the 3rd CD race vs. GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton. https://t.co/HlsyX0d79i #copolitics

— sandra fish (@fishnette) April 7, 2016

Former SD-5 Senator Gail Schwartz, who has in previous election years been mentioned as a possible CD-3 candidate to challenge incumbent GOP Rep. Scott Tipton, just this morning filed her FEC Form 1 statement to organize her congressional campaign for 2016.

Sen. Schwartz was a very popular state Senator representing a large swing Western Slope district, and arguably has better name ID entering this race than previous Tipton challengers. Tipton originally won in CD-3 by upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. John Salazar in the 2010 “GOP wave” election, and held on to the seat with somewhat better margins against lesser Democratic opponents since redistricting in 2011–including in 2014 when Tipton walloped Pueblo-based challenger Abel Tapia by over 22%.

Numbers from 2014 won’t mean much this year, however, and as readers know, forecasts of the effect of the Republican Party’s historic disarray in the presidential race include the possibility of large gains for Democrats in Congress.

As that map grows, for Democrats Colorado’s CD-3 quickly moves into the column of obtainable goals. If 2016 turns into the widespread rout for Republicans a growing number of observers predict, Schwartz may be proven wise indeed to have kept her powder dry for this moment.