Congressman Lamborn Ousted From Ballot: Colo. Supreme Court

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Six-term U.S. Congressman Douglas Lamborn's name should not appear on the GOP primary ballot, because of irregularities in his signature petitions, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday. Around 300 of Lamborn's petition signatures were challenged on the grounds that two circulators, Jeffrey Carter and Ryan Tipple were not bonafide Colorado residents, and therefore were unqualified to circulate petitions under the Colorado Constitution.

Lamborn's campaign required 1,000 valid signatures and had turned in 1,269 to the Secretary of State's office. According to the ruling, Carter and Tipple submitted more than 300 signatures, knocking Lamborn below the 1,000 threshold.

Five 5th-District residents sued to challenge Lamborn's spot on the ballot, alleging his petition signatures were collected by unqualified circulators.

The higher court Monday rejected an earlier district court ruling. According to the Supreme Court ruling, Tipple was registered to vote in California and had paid taxes and worked as a house flipper in California and had used his in-laws' house in Colorado Springs as an alleged address in Colorado.

Lamborn hired Kennedy Enterprises, LLC, a Colorado Springs-based firm that also collected signatures for GOP Governor candidate Walker Stapleton and GOP Treasurer candidate Polly Lawrence. Stapleton dumped his petitions and accused Kennedy Enterprises of fraud when he found out that unqualified circulators were used to collect signatures.

It's too late for Lamborn to get on the ballot any other way.

Four other Republicans are running for his seat in Colorado Springs and will appear on the June 26 primary ballot. They are El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn, state Sen. Owen Hill, retired judge Bill Rhea and former Green Mountain Falls Mayor Tyler Stevens. Democrat Stephany Rose Spaulding is running unopposed in the traditionally conservative district.

Read the Supreme Court ruling here

Image via US Congress