Clorado Latina recalled over gun control support; says she has “not one iota of regret”

NBCLatinoBy Sandra Lilley, NBCLatino

Angela Giron, a freshman Latina state Senator who was elected to represent a strongly Democratic and working-class district of Pueblo, Colorado, lost her seat Tuesday in a bitter recall election over her support for gun control legislation.  Speaking to supporters in Pueblo, the Latina state legislator did not hide her surprise at the results, but  stressed she had done the right thing in supporting gun control measures.

“I’m a little perplexed. This is what I know: I know that I have not one iota of regret from what I voted on,” said Giron.  Fifty six percent of voters who participated in the recall election voted against her, and 44 percent supported her.

Leading up to the recall, Giron defended her vote requiring background checks for private gun sales and banning high capacity magazines.  Giron said she met with many constituents on both sides of the debate and held 3 town hall meetings on the issue.

But in defending her vote for gun control measures, she reminded voters that, “when your state has had two of the biggest gun tragedies, it is almost unconscionable to not address it in some way with policy.”

Retired Pueblo deputy police chief, Republican George Rivera, was voted in as her replacement. ”This election has been about holding our elected officials accountable,” said the newly-elected Latino. “The voters of Pueblo have sent a strong message. We are the voice of democracy.”

Giron and Colorado Springs Senate President John Morse are the first officials to be recalled in Colorado, which is among a number of states which allow recalls without evidence of fraud or wrongdoing as long as enough signatures are generated.  Though the recall was initiated by local residents, it was also a proxy for national groups on both sides of the issue. Giron and Morse got ample financial support from Mayors Against Illegal Guns whereas the NRA strongly backed Giron’s recall.

But while the recall vote generated national attention, Arizona State political scientist Rodolfo Espino says this is not that surprising.

“There is nothing that unique here – it is a feature of many Western states that came out of the Progressive movement,” says Espino.  ”We can think of significant recall elections, like that of Russell Pierce in Arizona (Pierce was one of the main architects of Arizona’s SB1070).  The left can do it and the right can do it.”

This article was first published in NBCLatino.

Sandra Lilley loves being an active part of our “national conversation”, on everything from politics, education and the economy to the latest books and people in the news. Sandra started out in Telemundo-NY as a general assignment reporter and later News Director. She was also a Dayside Managing Editor at MSNBC and a Planning Editor for the NBC Domestic Desk. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Sandra studied history at Brown University, and currently lives in New Jersey with her family. Sandra hopes our site inspires and informs Latinos as they work toward their family’s “American Dream.”

[Photo courtesy coloradosenate.org]

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