Rayburn hopes tight 5th congressional district vote sends message to Lamborn

U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, fended off challenger Bentley Rayburn in Tuesday’s primary election by a margin of about 4%, securing his spot on the November ballot against Democrat Irv Halter.

Rayburn, a retired Air Force general, congratulated incumbent Lamborn around 10:30 p.m. and said the close vote showed that the much of the 5th congressional district is unhappy with Lamborn’s leadership.

“Since he was seriously challenged, we saw a lot more activity out of the congressman’s office,” Rayburn said. “Activity doesn’t mean results, but we expect him to keep up the level of work that he’s demonstrated that he can do in these last couple of weeks.”

Rayburn said it was too soon to say if he would campaign again in two years. He focused Tuesday night’s message on thanking his supporters and vowing to continue to look for ways to help the district.

“Nobody likes to lose a race, or not come out on top in a race like this, but there were so many people who encouraged us along the way and we are very encouraged,” Rayburn said.

To see the latest primary election results, click here.