In the midst of a petition drive to collect signatures calling for her recall, Colorado state Senator Evie Hudak announced her resignation today. Hudak became the target of a recall threat after her support in passing Colorado’s gun control laws.
From KDVR:
State Sen. Evie Hudak has decided to resign rather than risk facing a recall election that, should she lose, would flip control of the senate to Republicans, FOX31 Denver was first to report Wednesday.
Later Wednesday morning, Hudak made her resignation letter public.
“In the interest of preserving the progress made over the last year, I am resigning as State Senator for District 19, effective immediately,” Hudak wrote.
Hudak, D-Westminster, could have been the third Democratic lawmaker to face a recall over a package of gun control bills they helped pass earlier this year.
Two other Democratic state senators in Colorado faced recall elections and lost to Republicans in September. Senators John Morse of Colorado Springs and Angela Giron of Pueblo were challenged with the recalls after their votes for stricter gun laws in the state.
Hudak’s resignation allows the seat to be filled by an appointment made by a Democratic vacancy committee until November 2014, when an election will be held.
Katie Pavlich notes:
Compass Colorado, the group helping to lead recall efforts, has released a statement.
“This is yet another indicator that the tides are changing in Colorado politics,” Executive Director of Compass Colorado Kelly Maher said in a statement. “Coloradans are sick of the extreme Democrats trying to control their lives. These “progressives” have overreached so far on so many issues that Colorado families are now ready for a new vision.”
(Featured image credit: Video, Denver Post)