Angela Giron
Angela Giron | |
|---|---|
 Giron in 2011 | |
| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 3rd district | |
| In office January 12, 2011 – September 10, 2013 | |
| Succeeded by | George Rivera |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Angela Giron May 12, 1960 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Steve Nawrocki |
| Alma mater | Colorado State University–Pueblo |
Angela Giron (born May 12, 1960) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Colorado Senate representing District 3 from 2011 until she was recalled on September 10, 2013. Giron is the second ever Colorado legislator to be successfully recalled in the state's history.[1]
Early career
Senator Giron was appointed to the Colorado State Senate (from District 3) in August, 2010. She replaced Senator Abel Tapia, who resigned to become the director of the Colorado Lottery. She was re-elected later in 2010 and in 2012. At the time of her appointment, District 3 encompassed 89% of Pueblo County and included most of the City of Pueblo, Pueblo West and Beulah.
Prior to her Senate career, Giron worked for the Boys & Girls Club of Pueblo, helping greatly expand and develop the organization.[2] She also served as a congressional aide to U.S. Senators Ken Salazar and Michael Bennet.[3]
2013 Recall
On June 10, 2013, constituents of Giron turned in 13,466 signatures to recall her from political office, passing the threshold of 11,285 signatures needed to trigger a recall election. Of those 13,466 signatures, 12,648 were found to be valid and a recall election was allowed to proceed, making her the second politician in the history of the state of Colorado to be subject to recall.[4] The recall election took place on September 10, 2013, and Giron was successfully recalled by a margin of 56 percent to 43.9 percent, making her the second politician in Colorado state history to lose a recall election; John Morse, recalled on the same day, was the first.[5]
Senator Giron made unsubstantiated claims after her surprising loss that her opponents had engaged in "voter suppression" to oust her from office. She was favored by many to win the election, and her 12-point defeat was a substantial surprise. Senator Giron stated during a CNN interview by anchor/correspondent Brooke Baldwin shortly after her ouster "'We know what really happened here ... ,' Giron said. 'What this story really is about, it's about voter suppression.'" CNN's Baldwin moved the interview away from the alleged suppression back toward the issues that led to the recall.
The unsubstantiated suppression charge had initially been raised by Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Wasserman-Schultz said in a statement released by the DNC on September 11, 2013: "The recall elections in Colorado were defined by the vast array of obstacles that special interests threw in the way of voters for the purpose of reversing the will of the legislature and the people. This was voter suppression, pure and simple."
Colorado's largest newspaper, The Denver Post, whose editorial board has supported the gun control measures championed by Senator Giron, took issue with the Senator's accusations. In an editorial published September 13, 2013, the Post noted: "We opposed the recall, but we also oppose lurid attempts to portray Colorado's recall elections as somehow illegitimate." The editorial also took exception to Giron's charge that her supporters were not able to get to the polls: "People who supported her 'weren't able' to get to the polls? Nonsense. They were no less able to get to the polls than folks on the other side. If a disproportionate number of her supporters failed to vote, it's because they chose not to."[6]
Personal life
Giron has a daughter, Melanie, and a son-in-law, Adam; she is married to Steve Nawrocki, a Pueblo City Councilman.[7]
Electoral History
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
|
19,451 | 55.9 |
| No | 15,376 | 44.1 |
| Total votes | 34,827 | 100.00 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Angela Giron | 24,827 | 55.0 | |
| Republican | Vera Ortegon | 20,313 | 45.0 | |
| Total votes | 45,140 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ Lee, KurtisIn Sen. Angela Giron recall, organizers say they’ll submit more than 13,500 signatures, Denver Post, June 10, 2013.
- ^ "Meet Angela". angelagiron.com. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Senator Angela Giron's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ Kurtis Lee (June 24, 2013). "Angela Giron recall effort moves forward with signatures certified". Denver Post. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ^ Lynn Barels, Kurtis Lee and Joey Bunch (September 10, 2013). "John Morse, Angela Giron ousted in historic Colorado recall election". Denver Post. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ^ The Denver Post Editorial Board (September 13, 2013). "Voter suppression in Angela Giron recall? Hardly". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Senator Angela Giron". coloradosenate.org. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Colorado Recall Election Results 2013". State of Colorado. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
- ^ "Colorado General Election Results 2010". State of Colorado. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
External links
- State Senator Angela Giron - District 3 at the Colorado State Senate
- Angela Giron for State Senator
- Profile at Vote Smart