An El Paso County Republican vacancy committee Saturday appointed Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Bill Cadman to fill the seat of retiring state Sen. Ron May.
Cadman’s move to the Senate leaves his House seat open, and anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce is hoping to fill it.
Cadman has represented House District 15 since 2000 and has filed paperwork to run for May’s Senate seat in 2008.
Cadman won’t resign his House seat until the Colorado secretary of state certifies his appointment, said Steve Hasbrouk, a member of the vacancy committee.
The committee will then pick a replacement. Cadman couldn’t be reached for comment.
The party’s vacancy committee will have to decide whether Bruce gets the House seat.
Hasbrouck, the owner of a muffler shop, is also vying for Cadman’s seat.
Bruce said Saturday he is confident that the committee will choose him. “I already have a decisive majority of the committee members’ commitment to vote for me.”
Bruce ran against May in the 2000 Republican primary, losing by 112 votes in a close race.
Currently an El Paso County commissioner, Bruce said he plans to resign from that post.
Hasbrouk, an active Republican, said he isn’t convinced that a bulletproof majority of the committee favors Bruce.
“It is not over until it is over and everybody votes.”
May, R-Colorado Springs, is leaving the Senate one year before his term expires. Term limits barred him from running for re-election.
The vacancy committee had 10 days to fill his seat or the appointment would have fallen to Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter. Ritter would have been required to appoint a Republican because the seat was in GOP hands.
May, who has served 15 years in the House and Senate, will become a senior fellow at Digital Government Technology magazine, writing articles, giving talks and sitting on panels.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
