Nearly every Democrat who wanted to take on U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton will get the chance, as their state assembly only eliminated one contender from the primary.
Former state Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush of Steamboat Springs earned 56.5 percent of the vote followed by Glenwood Springs lawyer Karl Hanlon with 41.4 percent.
They will face Arn Menconi of Edwards in the primary, whose petitions were approved Tuesday to be on the ballot.
Root Routledge of Durango, who never appeared to be a serious candidate but ran because he thinks Bernie Sanders told him too, is the only one going home without a primary slot — he got about 2 percent of the Democratic assembly’s support.
Menconi will make for a colorful race worth watching. His campaign platform consists of not getting arrested, again. We’d really like to see that on a bumper sticker.
Bush, a Minnesota native, is the choice of Democrats who want elect a woman and also punish energy development in the state.
She’s a committed liberal, was endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America, and the mostly likely candidate to face Tipton in the General Election.