Republican state Rep. Scott Tipton said Wednesday that he intends to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. John Salazar for the 3rd Congressional District seat.
The Cortez lawmaker said he decided to get in for certain after Saturday’s U.S. House vote on the health-reform bill, which he called “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and which Salazar supported.
Tipton would be the third Republican in the race, joining Garfield County District Attorney Martin Beeson and Bob McConnell of Steamboat Springs.
Salazar, who was first elected in 2004, beat back a challenge from Tipton in 2006, winning 67 percent of the vote in the 3rd District — which includes Pueblo, southern Colorado and the Western Slope.
Tipton said he believes the ground has shifted significantly since January, as the Democrat- controlled House began passing major legislation that greatly expanded the national debt, including the $787 billion economic- stimulus program. The Denver Post
