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Recall effort begins; Petition aims to oust McLachlan (Anti-Gun Colorado Dem State Rep.)
Durango Herald ^ | Updated: Tuesday, March 05, 2013 11:06pm | Joe Hanel

Posted on 03/13/2013 5:05:24 PM PDT by Red Steel

DENVER – Gun-rights advocates filed a recall petition against state Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango, on Tuesday.

A group called Colorado Accountability has been threatening the recall for two weeks. Organizers now have about two months to collect 10,586 valid signatures from voters in McLachlan’s House District 59.

“This is their right to petition to recall me. I look forward to a full discussion of the issues,” McLachlan said.

He didn’t want to comment further until he saw the official petition.

The secretary of state’s office will work with Colorado Accountability to make sure the petition is formatted properly. After that, petitioners will have a 60-day deadline to get all their signatures. That puts their deadline around May 7, coinciding with the last week of the legislative session.

Colorado Accountability spokesman Anthony Garcia said the group also is working on a recall of Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and it will file a recall in the next week and a half, after it finishes organizing a local committee. Other legislators could be recall targets, too, but Garcia said the group wants to “keep a lid on them” for now.

McLachlan’s votes on four gun bills spurred the recall.

The petition reads: “Representative McLachlan has betrayed the trust of his constituents, his oath to uphold the 2nd Amendment and the rights of gun owners by voting YES on gun control measures in both the Judiciary Committee and the House of Representatives.”

A recall election against a state legislator is an exceedingly rare event, not just in Colorado, but nationally.

There have been only 36 state legislative recall elections since 1908, when the first recall law went on the books, said Joshua Spivak, senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College. Spivak also runs The Recall Elections Blog, which keeps track of recall news nationwide.

“Getting on the ballot is the biggest hurdle, and that is always a problem,” Spivak said.

Indeed, McLachlan’s opponents face tough odds to get on the ballot. The number of signatures they need is 25 percent of the total vote in House District 59 in the last election. Put in other terms, they have 60 days to get valid signatures from more than half of the people who voted against McLachlan in November.

Despite their rarity, recall elections against state legislators are getting more common. The year 2011 was especially active, with 11 elections in Wisconsin after a labor battle, plus one in Michigan and one against Arizona’s state Senate president, Spivak said.

But 2013 has been quiet so far, with movements against only McLachlan and an Alaska representative who switched parties. No recall campaign has qualified for the ballot nationwide this year, according to Spivak’s blog.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: banglist; colorado; coloradosprings; communism; communists; coup; durango; guncontrol; johnmorse; mikemclachlan; progressiveagenda; secondamendment
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Another Dim who won by the skin of his teeth. He's gone if recalled.

Colorado House of Representatives, District 59, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
    

Democratic Green check mark.jpgMike McLachlan 51.1% 21,632
     Republican J. Paul Brown Incumbent 48.9% 20,715

Total Votes 42,347

1 posted on 03/13/2013 5:05:24 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Red Steel
Indeed, McLachlan’s opponents face tough odds to get on the ballot. The number of signatures they need is 25 percent of the total vote in House District 59 in the last election. Put in other terms, they have 60 days to get valid signatures from more than half of the people who voted against McLachlan in November.

Misleading. Signatures can come from people who even voted for McLachlan but are now angry because he mislead them.

2 posted on 03/13/2013 5:07:52 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Red Steel

I’ve never heard of him, but best of luck removing his ass. The one you should really be recalling is that pedophile-enabler, Farandino.


3 posted on 03/13/2013 5:08:52 PM PDT by Viennacon
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To: Red Steel

Chuck all the traitors out. Ballot box.....this time.


4 posted on 03/13/2013 5:12:51 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Red Steel
“Getting on the ballot is the biggest hurdle, and that is always a problem,” Spivak said.

Insulting veterans and threatening county Sheriffs should ease the burden of collecting sufficient signatures.

5 posted on 03/13/2013 5:14:27 PM PDT by TigersEye (The irresponsible should not be leading the responsible.)
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To: Red Steel

Durango and Colorado Springs ought to be able to get the signatures. Lots of gun owners in both places.


6 posted on 03/13/2013 5:27:17 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: Red Steel
Organizers now have about two months to collect 10,586 valid signatures from voters in McLachlan’s House District 59.

That won't be difficult. Durango is not leftist extremist country.

7 posted on 03/13/2013 5:31:39 PM PDT by Standing Wolf
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To: Travis McGee

Last chance...


8 posted on 03/13/2013 5:35:44 PM PDT by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: Standing Wolf

FYI, the CO state House has just passed the Senate amended magazine ban legislation. It’s going to Gov Hickenlooper desk.

When Looper signs it Magpul is gone.


9 posted on 03/13/2013 5:37:32 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Red Steel

I’ve been a part of these grass-roots resistance efforts and can tell you that once the effort gets mounted, it is more than likely to succeed.


10 posted on 03/13/2013 5:46:09 PM PDT by elkfersupper ( Member of the Original Defiant Class)
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To: Red Steel

Indeed. Strictly speaking, that last sentence you quoted is factually incorrect. Yeah we know what he means, but still.


11 posted on 03/13/2013 6:04:58 PM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: TigersEye
From the article -

"Other legislators could be recall targets, too, but Garcia said the group wants to “keep a lid on them” for now. "

There are 2 Dem state reps in El Paso, County, CO Spgs that overlap and/or are in Senate John Morse's district. They are Pete Lee and Tony Exum; possible prime candidates for recall.

12 posted on 03/13/2013 6:05:22 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Red Steel

RECALL? Should just charge him with Treason and set a Precedent

TT


13 posted on 03/13/2013 6:08:35 PM PDT by TexasTransplant (Idiocracy used to just be a Movie... Live every day as your last...one day you will be right)
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To: Standing Wolf

That won’t be difficult. Durango is not leftist extremist country.


There are way too many of them here, though. We’ll get enough signatures to recall McLachlan’s sorry azz.


14 posted on 03/13/2013 6:10:09 PM PDT by laplata
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To: Red Steel

The more the merrier. I will kick in what I can to fund these recalls and I hope RMGO will do what it can to help the efforts.


15 posted on 03/13/2013 6:10:43 PM PDT by TigersEye (The irresponsible should not be leading the responsible.)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Red Steel.


16 posted on 03/13/2013 6:18:16 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: Red Steel

“I look forward to a full discussion of the issues,” McLachlan said.


SOB just keeps lying.


17 posted on 03/13/2013 6:30:29 PM PDT by lp boonie (Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment)
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To: Red Steel
I live to see Americans fighting these liberal socialist and taking that fight directly to each of them!

Let me know how I can help as well in this recall effort. I don't live CO, but will help anyway I can!!!!!!!!

Americans cannot just sit by and hold our collective breaths in hopes these socialist don't succeed in passing “gun control” Americans need to get active in preventing this legislation from passing and making any socialist who has proposed and supported “gun control” in any form pay with a recall of this public official and throw his or her a$$ out of office immediately!!!!

Keep up the great work you are all doing!!

18 posted on 03/13/2013 6:46:05 PM PDT by PotatoChop (Respect is earned, not demanded by this out of control socialist government!)
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To: lp boonie
“I look forward to a full discussion of the issues,” McLachlan said.”

Sir, that time has passed! You are out of here and don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out!

19 posted on 03/13/2013 6:46:05 PM PDT by PotatoChop (Respect is earned, not demanded by this out of control socialist government!)
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To: Red Steel

I forwarded this page onto my sister and brother-in-law in Colorado Springs. Now he has some guns and makes his own ammo. (Hi Becky & David, see you next month!)


20 posted on 03/13/2013 8:05:00 PM PDT by Linda Frances (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness)
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