Randy Baumgardner

Randy Baumgardner is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2008, he won election to the Colorado Senate in 2012. He represented Senate District 8, which encompasses Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit Counties.[1] In the 2015 legislative session, he served as the Majority Whip for the Senate Republican caucus.[2] He resigned on January 19, 2019.

Randy Baumgardner
Baumgardner in 2018.
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 8th district
In office
January 15, 2013 – January 21, 2019
Preceded byJean White
Succeeded byBob Rankin
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 57th district
In office
January 7, 2009 – January 9, 2013
Preceded byAl White
Succeeded byBob Rankin
Personal details
Born1956 (age 64–65)
Bedford, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Lori Baumgardner

Baumgardner was an unsuccessful candidate for U. S. Senate;[3] the Republican primary was held on June 24, 2014.

Biography and early career

Baumgardner was born in Bedford, Indiana in 1956. He worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation for a decade before running for public office. He continues to own and operate a ranch with his wife, near Granby.

Colorado House of Representatives

2008 election

Baumgardner defeated Daniel L. Korkowski in the contested Republican primary in August, taking 67 percent of votes cast.[4]

Baumgardner faced Democrat Todd Hagenbuch in the November 2008 general election. Baumgardner's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post,[5] and he won election with 57 percent of the popular vote.[6]

2009 legislative session

For the 2009 legislative session, Baumgardner was named to the House Education Committee and the House Transportation and Energy Committee.[7][8] Citing concerns over water rights filings on the Western Slope, Baumgarder also sought a seat on the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee.[9]

Baumgardner proposed legislation to redirect a portion of federal mineral lease revenues from local governments to state road and bridge projects for a period of ten years,[10][11][12] The measure was criticized for altering recently negotiated revenue formulas, and was watered down in the House Agriculture Committee.[13] Baumgardner also offered legislation to modify the permitting process for coal pollution mitigation operations, a measure which died in a House committee.[14]

2010 legislative session

In 2010, Baumgardner co-sponsored SB10-033. This measure concerned a verification program of a worker’s eligibility in Colorado. SB10-033 was co-sponsored by Senator Schultheis. It was assigned to the State Senate, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee, where it was ultimately defeated.

2010 election

In the 2010 election, Baumgardner ran for re-election. He faced no opposition in the primary election, but faced Steve Ivanice of the Democratic Party and Mike Kien of the Libertarian Party during the general election, before defeating both with 64% of the vote.[15]

2011 legislative session

During the 2011 legislative session, Baumgardner focused on several important bills regarding illegal immigration and mining. A major piece of legislation he worked on was his efforts in trying to extend an income tax credit for alternative fuel refueling facilities. The bill was initially sent to the House committee on Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources, before being passed on to the House Finance committee, where it was laid over until the end of session.

2012 legislative session

In 2012, one of the major bills that Baumgardner sponsored was HB12-1160. This bill, co-sponsored by Senator Schwartz, focused on adding coal mine methane gas as an eligible energy resource under Colorado’s renewable energy portfolio. This bill was introduced into the House where it passed before being sent to the Senate. HB12-1160 also passed through its Senate committee, before being laid over daily through the end of session, therefore failing to pass.

Colorado State Senate

2012 election

Baumgardner decided to run for higher office by putting in his bid for the State Senate District 8 seat in 2012. He faced incumbent Republican Jean White in the primary race, which the Denver Post described as "nasty".[16] White was attacked by outside interest groups for her support for civil unions. Baumgardner was criticised for falling asleep during a House session and also faced revelations that an unregistered sex offender lived at his house and worked on his farm.[17][18] Nevertheless, Baumgardner won the Republican nomination, taking 58% of the vote.[19]

White refused to endorse him, saying "I'll have a hard time supporting a dishonest man. The lies prevailed. His lies beat my truth. It shows that running an upright and honest campaign doesn't necessarily win the day. This is a man who lied to me. He lied about me. He lied about where he lives, what he does and how he votes."[20] During the general election, Baumgardner defeated his Democratic opponent Emily Tracy with 51.1% of the vote.[21]

2013 legislative session

Senator Baumgardner was elected to be the Majority Whip and appointed to serve on the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee, Vice Chair of the Capital Development Committee, and Chair of the Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Colorado Tourism Board, Water Resources Review Committee, The Economic Vitality Caucus and Sportsmens' Caucus.

2017 Legislative Session

Senator Baumgardner is the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and the vice-chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee, as well as the Capitol Development Committee.

He sponsored the following bills. He ran Senate Bill 243[22] to continue the Motorcycle Operators Safety Training (MOST) program and House Bill 1105,[23] which simplifies the vehicle registration system. Senate Bill 30[24] was an agricultural bill designed to make it easier for ranchers to administer anabolic steroid shots to their cattle.

2018 Legislative Session

During the 2018 Legislative Session, Senator Baumgardner focused on broader, statewide issues. He was the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 41,[25] concerning water used in gravel production. He sponsored Senate Bill 1,[26] which would increase funding for road and bridge repair. This bill would allocate $250 billion to fix roads over the next 20 years. SB 1 also requires a percentage of the money to be spent on repairing roads in smaller counties with fewer than 50,000 people.[27]

Resignation

Baumgardner was investigated twice for grabbing a staffers buttocks, making inappropriate comments and creating a hostile work environment for five others. Each time he was recommended for expulsion, but the motions failed on a 17 to 17 vote.[28] Baumgardner was investigated a third time by an independent investigator who found the charges were credible. When he was denied committee positions by the Republican majority, he resigned before a third expulsion vote could be held.[29][30]

References
  1. Ashby, Charles (January 23, 2019). "Rankin becomes a state senator". The Daily Sentinel. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  2. (http://uselabs.com), Uselabs. "Senator Randy Baumgardner".
  3. Bartels, Lynn (July 7, 2013). "Randy Baumgardner to kick off U.S. Senate campaign Friday against Mark Udall". Denver Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  4. "Colorado Statewide Cumulative Report - 2008 Primary Election". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  5. Editorial Board (October 17, 2008). "Post's picks in Colorado's House of Representatives". Denver Post. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  6. "Colorado Statewide Cumulative Report - 2008 General Election". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  7. "House Journal - January 7, 2009" (pdf). Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  8. "House Republican Committee Assignments Announced" (Press release). Colorado House Democrats. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  9. Mason, K.C. (January 17, 2009). "Oil shale a hot topic at Capitol". Steamboat Pilot & Today. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  10. Mason, K.C. (January 12, 2009). "1st-year legislator introduces bill". Craig Daily Press. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  11. Smith, Collin (January 15, 2009). "City Council: DOLA, festival present financial issues". Craig Daily Press. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  12. Gee, Brandon (January 29, 2009). "Rep. Baumgardner's bill could boost county mineral lease funds". Craig Daily Press. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  13. Mason, K.C. (January 31, 2009). "Baumgardner bill gains agriculture committee support". Craig Daily Press. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  14. Gee, Brandon (February 1, 2009). "State budget deficit could cause slash in tourism spending". Steamboat Pilot & Today. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  15. "Colorado State House 2010 Election Results". Denver Post. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  16. Bartels, Lynn (July 7, 2013). "Randy Baumgardner to kick off U.S. Senate campaign Friday against Mark Udall". Denver Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  17. Bartels, Lynn (June 16, 2013). "Ugly campaign fliers hit in northwestern Colorado state Senate race". Denver Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  18. Bartels, Lynn (June 16, 2013). "Unregistered sex offender lives at home of Colorado lawmaker". Denver Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  19. "Baumgardner tops White in GOP state Senate primary". Summit Daily. June 26, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  20. Bartels, Lynn (June 26, 2013). "Sen. Jean White: "His lies beat my truth"". Denver Post. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  21. "Colorado State Senate 2012 Election Results". Denver Post. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  22. "Continue Motorcycle Operator Safety Training Program - Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov.
  23. "Vehicle Titling And Registration Inspection Requirements - Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov.
  24. "Exempt Injectable Anabolic Steroids For Cattle - Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov.
  25. "Authorize Water Use Incidental Sand And Gravel Mines - Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov.
  26. "Transportation Infrastructure Funding - Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov.
  27. https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018A/bills/fn/2018a_sb001_r7.pdf
  28. LUIS SANCHEZ (April 3, 2018). "Colorado state Senate votes against expelling GOP lawmaker accused of groping aide". thehill.com.
  29. Bente Birkeland (December 18, 2018). "Sen. Randy Baumgardner, Center Of Several Sexual Harassment Allegations, Resigns". cpr.org.
  30. NIC GARCIA, The Denver Post (December 17, 2018). "Colorado Sen. Randy Baumgardner stepping down after beating expulsion vote, Republican was accused of slapping and grabbing a legislative aide". denverpost.com.
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