Tonight, Republican State Senator Randy Baumgardner officially announced that he was stepping down from his seat following accusations of sexual harassment. To that we say, it’s about damn time. Look, we weren’t there when Baumgardner allegedly behaved inappropriately. A committee found the allegations to be credible. At the very least, this was a major distraction. At the worst, it allowed a man who behaved badly to continue in his position.

We think that our elected officials should represent the best in society, not the worst. It was time for Baumgardner to go. See his resignation letter inserted below.

Colorado Politics tonight reported that Republican State Rep. Bob Rankin was eyeing the seat. While we don’t know who else might be considering a run (via vacancy committee) for the seat, Rankin would be a solid choice and, as far as we know, scandal-free.

Kudos to Baumgardner for doing the right thing, or kudos to whomever convinced him it was time. Either way, we’re glad to move on.