This morning, a new KUNC article dropped a bomb – that Democratic State Rep. Faith Winters, along with eight other staffers, lobbyists and legislators, were accusing Democrat State Rep. and candidate for State Treasurer Steve Lebsock of ongoing sexual harassment. Here is an excerpt about his behavior:
“Winter, a Democrat, said she repeatedly refused Lebsock’s advances, but he wouldn’t stop and instead got angrier and more aggressive. She said he was standing over her and grabbing her elbow and she didn’t feel safe.”
Following the accusations, Speaker Crisanta Duran suggested that Lebsock should step down. Despite an informal mediation process between Winters and party leadership and legal staff that resulted in Lebsock claiming he would stop drinking and get therapy, Lebsock initially responded that he was unaware of any incident that occurred, according to the KUNC report.
It’s safe to say that Lebsock’s State Treasurer’s race is over. He was the more moderate of the two Democrats running in the Democratic primary for state treasurer. That leaves Dave Young, a teachers union pet, to run for the position currently held by Walker Stapleton, who is term limited and running for Governor.
So, the only question left is – will Lebsock step down?