WASHINGTON — Democratic state Rep. announced Thursday that she will challenge U.S. Rep. , R-Cortez, in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District; a seat that includes Grand Junction and most of the state’s Western Slope.
The legislator from Steamboat Springs said in a statement that her motivation to challenge Tipton in 2018 was his recent vote of a Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“The people of southern and western Colorado can no longer afford to be represented by someone who votes to take away our health care and line the pockets of rich,” said Mitsch Bush.
Unseating the four-term incumbent won’t be easy for the former county commissioner and sociology professor.
Republicans have a significant advantage in voter registration, and last year Tipton won re-election by about 14 percentage points, despite a by Democratic rival Gail Schwartz, a former state senator.
“Such an unapologetic liberal will have a hard time connecting with voters in western and southern Colorado,” said Michael Fortney, a Tipton political consultant.