Scott Tipton Will Challenge John Salazar In The CD3... Again

Tis the season to announce your campaign to challenge incumbent Democrats in the state of Colorado.

State Rep. Scott Tipton R-Cortez officially announced on Wednesday that he will once again challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. John Salazar for the 3rd Congressional District Seat, making him the third Republican to enter the race for what CQ Politics has rated a Safe Democratic District.

The other Republican challengers are Garfield County District Attorney Martin Beeson and Bob McConnell, a retired lawyer from Steamboat Springs.

CQ Politics reports that after Tipton's announcement he is likely to be the front runner in the Republican primary to represent a large and diverse district that includes Durango, Grand Junction, Steamboat, Pueblo and large rural areas.

In 2006 Salazar beat Tipton by 25 points. In 2008 he beat challenger Wayne Wolf by 23 points

In 2008 Tipton won the state House seat to represent Cortez and the Southwest corner of the state.

In an interview with the Pueblo Chieftain, Tipton accused Salazar of not representing the interests of the district's voters, especially with his recent vote for the House Democratic health care legislation.

"Now we're moving to a government-run health care system," Tipton said in a telephone interview. "That will be punitive. They are talking about cutting $500 million from Medicare. No one can look me in the eye and tell us how this will create any more efficiency."