The Pueblo Chieftan - Tipton for Congress

News Article

By Chieftain Editorial

U.S. REP. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., is the clear choice for re-election to Colorado's 3rd Congressional District over Democratic challenger Gail Schwartz.

The 3rd District, stretching from Pueblo and the San Luis Valley into the Western Slope, is by far the largest of the state's seven congressional districts. The Republican-leaning district has a GOP voter-registration edge of 22,000-plus over Democrats. The unaffiliated outnumber Democrats by at least 7,000 registrations.

Tipton, 59, grew up in Cortez, where he co-founded a small business, Mesa Verde Indian Pottery, that his family still runs.

Schwartz, 67, was born and raised in Chicago. She came West and received a marketing degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1971.

She worked in public housing, real estate, marketing and a ski area design business in the Aspen area before entering politics. Schwartz served on the CU Board of Regents from 2000-06 and was elected to the state Senate in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.

Tipton entered politics around the same time, finally winning election to the Colorado Legislature in 2008 and to Congress in 2010. He has been re-elected twice and now is seeking a fourth term representing the 3rd District.

Tipton backs the Arkansas Valley Conduit to deliver fresh drinking water to 40-plus communities east of Pueblo. He supports upgrading the Southwest Chief passenger line in this region.

His numerous congressional enactments include advancing healthy forest management and preventing wildfires.

Tipton advocates comprehensive energy development of both traditional fossil fuels and renewable sources that, combined, contribute to the Colorado and American economies.

A leader against government taking of water rights on federal land, Tipton is a defender of private and public uses decreed under established state water law.

Tipton's support of multiple uses of public land has prompted a Schwartz campaign ad unfairly accusing him of trying to sell off our public lands.

Tipton's response was, "She's not telling the truth. Not once have I said selling off public lands, sponsored or written legislation to sell off public lands." Independent analysis confirms his statement as true.

For his part, Tipton has criticized Schwartz for co-sponsoring Colorado Senate Bill 252 mandating that rural electric associations double their use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020.

This 2013 law puts great pressure on raising REA electric bills for customers in vast areas of rural Colorado already beset by tough economic times.

Further, Tipton warns of Schwartz's support for President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan to drastically reduce fossil-fuel emissions. Even though Obama's plan is tied up in federal court, Gov. John Hickenlooper has drafted an executive order to mandate his own Clean Power Plan at the risk of perhaps 1,000 coal-mining jobs in Western Colorado, alone.

Taking all the issues together, Tipton is better-equipped than his opposition to represent the 3rd Congressional District.

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