While El Paso County remains a stronghold for conservative Republicans, local politicians and voters woke up in a “blue” state and nation Nov. 8.According to the Rocky Mountain News, Bill Ritter won more than 56 percent of the vote to become Colorado’s next governor, and the Democratic Party gained control of both houses of the state Legislature “for the first time since JFK was President.”Republican Doug Lamborn won his bid for the 5th Congressional District against Jay Fawcett by a large margin, but his plans to be appointed to the Armed Services Committee in Washington D.C. may be in jeopardy now that the House and Senate are controlled by Democrats. As a member of the minority party, Lamborn said, “It is now going to be harder to get the attention of the leadership in Washington. I remain hopeful that I will be able to accomplish my goals.”Sen. Wayne Allard’s press secretary, Laura Condluci, said he’s not concerned about Colorado’s military. “The senator is not worried that funding for military installations in Colorado will be cut, because those missions are important to worldwide security,” she said. In a Nov. 14 news release, Allard announced that the U.S. Senate passed the fiscal year 2007 military construction funding bill, which includes “$50.1 million for improvements at Fort Carson and $62.8 million for construction projects at other Colorado Springs installations.”However, Condluci said Allard is concerned the National Missile Defense system may be cut now that Democratic Sen. Carl Levin is set to head the Senate Armed Services Committee. Levin has always been opposed to the NMD system.Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar’s immediate response to the election was shock. His press secretary, Andy Nannis, said the senator was taking a few days to gather his thoughts concerning bills he will propose in the upcoming session. In November, Salazar helped push through a $52 million appropriations bill for construction of a new VA hospital at Fitzsimons.Locally, newly elected Republican State House District 19 representative Marsha Looper said she is already seeking a seat on the Natural Resource Committee. Looper wants to take an active role in protecting Colorado’s water. “There are a number of state Democrats who have the same concerns that I do, and I don’t believe I will have any problem working with them,” she said.Looper’s other interests include proposing tighter legislation that will stop the taking of private lands by way of eminent domain for use by private companies.While voters statewide turned to the Democratic Party for leadership, election results for referendum and amendment issues reflect a more conservative trend on social issues. Referendum I, written to grant partner benefits to same sex couples, was defeated by 53 percent. Amendment 43, defining marriage in Colorado as a union between one man and one woman, passed by 55 percent, and Amendment 44, legalizing the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, failed by 59.5 percent.Other issues in November’s election included Amendment 38, the Petition Rights Amendment, which went down to defeat by 68 percent in El Paso County, a stronghold for the amendment’s main sponsor, Commissioner Douglas Bruce. Bruce said he had “no comment” about the election.The Falcon Fire Protection District bond question also was defeated by 58 percent. According to a recent KKTV report, home insurance for homeowners living along the Highway 24 and Constitution Boulevard corridor has skyrocketed because their homes are more than six miles from the nearest Falcon fire station. “Obviously, the need for the bond didn’t go away,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Petersma. “The fire district board will be discussing the issue in December, and we are waiting for a precinct by precinct breakdown of the vote from the county.”According to the El Paso County Election Department, more than 49.8 percent of voters cast their ballots in this election, one of the highest voting rates in recent history for a non-presidential election.
