May 22, 2019 04:49 PM UTC

Tate "Skeptical" about Campaign to Recall Sullivan

• 2 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A second Republican who represented the Aurora state house district now occupied by Democrat Tom Sullivan is expressing skepticism about the recall campaign against Sullivan, which is spearheaded by the conservative Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.

State Sen. Jack Tate told KZMT 1690-AM’s Jimmy Sengenberger yesterday:

“We had an election last year and we’re going to have another election next year. And so the recall makes me skeptical because a recall provision is about getting representatives, or your elected representatives out of office due to serious issues of malfeasance, maybe criminal behavior, something that is really just outside the pale in terms of providing a function of being an elected representative. So, if you think about why there are recalls, it is about getting people out of office when we need to. But at the same time, you have to have some discipline. You can’t set up a situation where people who you elect — maybe under a trustee model, more than a delegate model — to make tough decisions are constantly facing an every-month a recall, based on having made tough decisions. If constituencies don’t like the decisions politicians make in the fray, then that’s what a normal election is for. So, I have a degree of skepticism.”

“…And now we have these recall efforts. And it’s like, there’s something that’s just too partisan, too much of a do-over with a different voting base than I am comfortable with.  So I’m thinking through this issue right now, Jimmy. “

Tate’s comment follows a sharp denunciation of the Sullivan recall effort by Republican Cole Wist, who was defeated by Sullivan in last year’s election. Wist won the house district after Tate ran for state senate.

Here’s a transcript of the May 21 interview:

HOST JIMMY SENGENBERGER: State Senator Jack Tate [is] joining us here in studio. I want to take away from the — or, step away from the legislative session, here, because there’s one topic that has been getting a lot of attention, and that is these recalls. There are several members of the Colorado General Assembly that are undergoing or experiencing recalls. One of them is Tom Sullivan, the state representative for House District 37, previously held by Cole West, and before that, by you. Cole filled your slot when you were elevated to the state Senate. And so I’m curious, Representative Sullivan ran on a campaign that he was going to be moving forward with gun control measures. He was the lead sponsor of a red flag bill that arguably was a little worse than the 2018 version that Cole Wist had put forward as a Republican. Cole Wist had gotten a lot of heat for that from folks on the right, a factor in the election cycle. He faced ads that were going out — mailers to people — that were blasting him over this position on the gun issue, that arguably weakened his position in his re-election bid in 2018.  And ultimately Democrat Sullivan, whose son had died in the Aurora theater shooting was elected for that position. Well, now there’s a recall effort being launched against him. What do you make of this?

STATE SEN. JACK TATE: Well, it’s a complicated issue, Jimmy. I’m a little skeptical. But let me just — let’s just go back to the House District.  I won that district in 2014. I served in the House one year.  And I won that district by 16 percent. I then actually ran against Tom Sullivan — now Representative Sullivan –in the Senate election in 2016 and won that election by six or seven percent.  And then Representative Sullivan came back in 2018 and cleaned Representative Wist’s clock in that election. Now, Representative Sullivan is an extremely hard campaigner. He brings doorbell after doorbell about doorbell, meets people. I can’t imagine that voters voted — to a degree of not having met him, knowing the number of folks he met — I imagine voters had some information — as you say — about some of his positions, if at a minimum, grateful that he came by the house to meet them. And that’s a very important part of local politics. But regarding the recall, you know, we had an election last year and we’re going to have another election next year. And so the recall makes me skeptical because a recall provision is about getting representatives, or your elected representatives out of office due to serious issues of malfeasance, maybe criminal behavior, something that is really just outside the pale in terms of providing a function of being an elected representative. So, if you think about why there are recalls, it is about getting people out of office when we need to. But at the same time, you have to have some discipline. You can’t set up a situation where people who you elect — maybe under a trustee model, more than a delegate model — to make tough decisions are constantly facing an every-month a recall, based on having made tough decisions. If constituencies don’t like the decisions politicians make in the fray, then that’s what a normal election is for. So, I have a degree of skepticism. If you think about Scott Walker — Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin — the Republican Senate there faced maybe 8 to 10 recall efforts from the Democrats and the unions, trying to put them all out of office, after Governor Walker had put forth their proposals. We had, in Jefferson County — maybe it was a two years ago — the school board was recalled in between, in the middle of election cycles by the teachers union.

SENGENBERGER: Right.

TATE And now we have these recall efforts. And it’s like, there’s something that’s just too partisan, too much of a do-over with a different voting base than i am comfortable with.  So I’m thinking through this issue right now, Jimmy.

SENGENBERGER Sure, and I see that, and unfortunately we’re — [we] only [have] a minute left. But l will say this, that the Galindo recall that was moving forward — and then she ended up resigning, this is up in Weld County — made some sense to me because Weld County depends upon oil and gas. She voted for Senate Bill 181. There was legitimate outrage there.  I can under– if you’re going to move forward with the recall, I can understand that, respect that, maybe even support that. But the Tom Sullivan thing clearly is based on the issue of his advocacy of the red flag bill and other gun control measures. That’s the primary motivating factor and it’s not like he didn’t run on that in his race in 2018. And I don’t think it’s going to work. I don’t think it’s going to be successful.

TATE Well you’re making a argument for consumer disclosure having occurred, Jimmy.