December 01, 2006 02:02 AM UTC

Ron Tupa Gets Punked?

• 6 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Did Sen. Ron Tupa really need more time with his family, as Majority Leader Ken Gordon says, or did he get shown the unceremonious door for throwing a wrench in this summer’s immigration special session?

The Denver Post reports, you decide:

Democratic state Sen. Ron Tupa was booted from the chairmanship of a key committee Wednesday in what some speculated was retribution for bucking his party this summer.

For the past two years, Tupa led the state affairs panel, which is widely considered a “kill committee” because leadership uses it to stop unwanted bills from going to the Senate floor.

During this summer’s special session on immigration, Tupa voted with Republicans to gut his party’s centerpiece legislation. Tupa’s explanation of his vote started an argument with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon.

Wednesday’s move, observers said, could signal that Gordon no longer trusts the maverick to run one of the party’s critical levers of power…