Representative Rankin to fill Senator Randy Baumgardner seat

Robert “Bob” Rankin, District 57 Colorado House of Representative, was selected to fill the seat of Senator Randy Baumgardner who recently resigned.

Rankin was among six contenders for the seat, and as a Carbondale resident, he said he represented rural northwest Colorado.

In a recent meet and greet held in Granby on Friday, December 28 he told attendees he was the senior member on the state budget committee and had a commitment from the Senate he would remain there.

He stressed, “The governor doesn’t run the budget. The legislation runs the budget through this committee. I am the only rural and western slope representation. I am very aware of which side of the Continental Divide I represent. I will be the senior member on that committee.”

Rankin has the possibility to serve on the Senate for 10 years with this appointment.

Rankin served as representative since January of 2013 and has sponsored 84 bills.

“Everyone of those bills has stuck with my conservative principles and has been good for western Colorado,” said Rankin of his productivity. He expanded to include the bills were also bi-partisan which was important. “We can still get things done in rural Colorado working with legislators who are not unsympathetic.”

He also highlighted his interest in tourism and individuals with developmental disabilities. His wife Joyce Rankin, serves on the Colorado State Board of Education.

Among his recognitions, Rankin highlighted being named Legislator of the Year by Club 20.

“I am more of a rural representative than a Republican,” he assured those in attendance, “I want to spend more time getting to know Grand County.”
Grand County Republican chair, Carl Wood served on the vacancy committee with ten others. Phil Vaughan, the District 8 Republican Chair led the vacancy committee, along with two other District 8 executive officers and the chair of each of the seven counties in District 8 – Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties.

To fill the vacancy, the prospective candidate had to earn a majority of votes, six of the ten Other contenders for the seat were Gregg Rippy, Zachary Parsons, Warren Ward, Brita Horn and Debra Irvine. It took four rounds of voting for Rankin to get the needed votes. Rippy was a top contender throughout. In this first round, Irvine was given one vote, Parsons was given one, Rankin had four, and Rippy had four. In round two, Parsons had two, Rippy had four, and Rankin also continued with four. In round three, Parsons had one, Rankin had five and Rippy had four. Parsons then conceded, allowing Rankin to get the required six votes over Rippy’s four.

Wood said of the process, “As a committee, we selected an experienced leader to carry on the message from northwest Colorado.”
Rankin’s representative seat will now be filled by a Republican vacancy committee from District 57.