A faithful and reliable conservative Republican voice in the Colorado House of Representatives, Don Lee, has announced his resignation from his District 28 seat in the minority caucus.
The following is his statement:
Many factors were considered before making this decision, the primary one being my future career. My career has taken a dramatic turn since joining the General Assembly in 1999, from a 20-year veteran in the defense-aerospace industry, to senior manager for a curriculum company, K12 Inc. I have accepted a new position with K12, which includes a promotion and additional responsibilities. This new position requires my full-time attention, which in turn, necessitates this difficult decision.
The other factors are unclear right now, but moving so suddenly from the majority into the minority to serve out his last term probably didn’t make his decision more difficult.
For those unfamiliar with arcane political procedures, the Jefferson County Republican Party’s Vacancy Committee is now in charge of selecting a replacement to fill out the remainder – well, make that serve his whole term.
Situated in unincorporated southern Jefferson County, House District 28 is pretty safe Republican territory. Representative Lee’s recent 5,000-vote re-election victory (57.6% to 42.4%) over Democrat challenger Thomas Dittemore was the closest race he has had – including his initial election to the seat in 1998. Re-districting hasn’t made a huge dent in HD28’s Republican advantage.
For those unclear on Representative Lee’s solid conservative credentials, check out his legislative scorecard. (Hat tip to Joshua.) Ratings of 70 or higher from the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, an 85 from the National Federation of Independent Business during the same time, a 92 from the pro-life Citizens for Responsible Government, and consistent 100 and A+ ratings from the National Rifle Association and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners – it adds up to a record most Colorado Republicans would be proud of.
So who will replace Representative Lee? Let the political insiders begin talking. I have my thoughts on who deserves frontrunner status, someone who should make a fine Representative for House District 28. But more on that next time.
I think you probably know this by now, but in case you have overlooked it, the picture of “Don Lee” that you have is actually Jim Kerr, the man chosen to replace Don.