Gun Fight: Victory for Conservatives in Colorado Recall

UPDATE 12:56 AM EST — 

(AP) Colo. lawmakers lose recalls over gun laws support
By COLLEEN SLEVIN
Associated Press
DENVER
Two Colorado state lawmakers who backed gun-control measures in the aftermath of the mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut last year have been ousted in recall elections.

Pueblo voters in Democratic Sen. Angela Giron’s district approved her recall, with results coming in late Tuesday. Returns earlier showed Democratic Senate President John Morse also lost his seat in Colorado Springs.

In Giron’s race, voters chose Republican George Rivera, a former Pueblo police officer, to replace her.

The firearms legislation package Giron supported this year included size limits for ammunition magazines and expanded background checks for private and online gun purchases.

Her working-class district favors her party but includes Democrats who are big supporters of the Second Amendment.

UPDATE 12:26 AM EST — Senator Angela Giron is now down 60 to 40 with over half the votes counted and FOX31 Denver predicts she will follow Morse out the door.  Giron says she is not conceding yet and will wait for more votes to be counted before speaking.

UPDATE 11:37 EST — Morse has conceded. Morse said, “It has been an honor to represent the 11th Senate District. It’s been hugely rewarding.” He is the first Colorado legislator ever successfully recalled. He vowed that Democrats will continue the fight for gun control.

UPDATE 11 pm EST — With 75% of the vote in, Morse is now down 52 to 47.  

Kurt Bardella, a communications consultant for the Colorado recall effort, told Breitbart News: “If the early voting trends hold steady, history will be made in Colorado tonight that will reverberate throughout the country. After tonight, no one should underestimate the political potency of the gun-control debate. Democrats have targeted Colorado in recent cycles and have had some real success turning the state from red-to-purple. The fact that the sitting State Senate President is on the cusp of being the first-ever recalled state official in Colorado’s history should give anyone who is considering moving forward with additional gun control legislation real pause.”

With early voting results in, it looks as though Colorado state Senator Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) may be able to hold her seat, but Senate President John Morse (D-Colo. Springs) is in trouble.

Early voting was 52% to 48% against Morse. 

Ironically, it was Morse who not only ignored the voice of his constituents on gun control but actually went on television to say “he was proud he ignored [them].” 

At 10:20 PM EST, Basic Freedom Defense Fund Spokeswoman Jennifer Kerns told Breitbart News: “Early results indicate a four point lead in favor of the recall effort. While it is still early, the majority of the votes are in at this hour and it will be very difficult for Morse to overcome this margin.”

Giron said that if either she or Morse lost a recall election it meant NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gun control group “might as well fold it up.”

Breitbart News will update this story as more information becomes available. 

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.