If a state Supreme Court ruling is upheld, Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., won’t even be allowed to compete in the primary election to keep his seat.
Lamborn’s petition, according to the court, was wrongfully certified because signature collectors must be residents of Colorado. The use of outsiders brings his number of valid signatures below the requisite threshold. The decision, released by the Colorado’s high court Monday, was prompted by a lawsuit filed by five GOP voters in his district.
From the Associated Press:
The court determined that one circulator cited in the lawsuit did not reside in Colorado, causing the Lamborn campaign’s number of verified Republican voter signatures to fall below the 1,000 needed within the district to qualify.
Lamborn has been elected to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District for six terms, first winning the seat more than a decade ago in 2006.
According to Politico, an attorney for his campaign announced Monday Lamborn plans to file a federal appeal.
“We believe, quite frankly, denying a sitting congressman the right to participate in a primary election where the residency of the circulator denies the otherwise valid petition signatures is unconstitutional,” said Ryan Call. “We intend to file an action in federal district court, and there are a number of cases that find that the residency requirement for circulators as unconstitutional.”
