Major shake-up in crowded Republican primary for Colorado governor as one candidate leaves race, another leaves GOP
The Colorado Sun••nation
Key Points:
- State Sen. Mark Baisley has exited the crowded Colorado Republican gubernatorial primary to run for U.S. Senate, citing a better fit for his skills despite facing fundraising challenges and limited national GOP support.
- Former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, another Republican gubernatorial candidate, left the GOP to become unaffiliated but continues his run for governor, aiming to ease ballot access requirements and distancing himself from party politics.
- Lopez’s shift to unaffiliated status reduces his signature collection threshold for the general election ballot, and he has a history of party changes, previously serving briefly as a U.S. representative and running unsuccessfully in past Republican primaries.
- Despite these departures, the Republican gubernatorial field remains competitive with candidates including state
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-22400154171-19eb2573d96647f8894478942b5721be.jpg)
