Rep. Doug Lamborn ruled ineligible for ballot due to petition issue

In a stunning reversal of a lower court decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) will be removed from the Republican primary ballot due to an issue with his ballot petition.

That means the incumbent congressman will have to rely on a write-in campaign if he hopes to return to Washington, D.C. as a Colorado legislator next year. He is currently serving his sixth term.

Lamborn had used signature collectors to gather the required 1,000 signatures needed to be placed on the ballot. A group of Republicans had filed a lawsuit saying that Lamborn may have used signature collectors who didn’t meet the state’s residency requirement.

Lamborn said earlier that these kinds of lawsuits are filed frequently, and added that it was “going to go nowhere.”

A lower court ruled in favor of Lamborn , but the state Supreme Court ruled on Monday that one of the circulators didn’t meet the requirements and tossed out those signatures.

Lamborn doesn’t have another way of getting on the ballot, as the state Republican assembly has already passed. His campaign spokesperson, Dan Bayens, said they expect to appeal the ruling at a federal level.

“We are disappointed by the outcome and we believe it was wrongly decided. We are immediately bringing an action in federal court to overturn the part of Colorado law that deprives voters who have petitioned to have Congressman Lamborn on the ballot of their Constitutional rights,” Bayens said in a statement.

Back in 2013, the U.S. District Court in Denver struck down one residency requirement for circulators for ballot initiatives, according to Lynn Bartels with the Secretary of State’s Office.

I think it highlighted what’s really going on in this case, which is some candidates hiring some circulators really did break the rules and gain an unfair advantage,” said Michael Francisco, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. “This is the lawsuit that shined light on that conduct.”

Lamborn used Kennedy Enterprises, which is based out of Colorado Springs, to gather signatures. The signatures in question were verified by the Secretary of State’s office, but another candidate who used the company’s services said Kennedy had been “involved in misconduct” and needed to be held accountable.

Kennedy denied allegations that he lied about who he used as signature gatherers. He didn’t specifically address Lamborn’s campaign.

Lamborn currently sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources. He chairs the subcommittee on water, power, and oceans.

State Sen. Owen Hill and El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn, former Green Mountain Falls Mayor Tyler Stevens, and retired Texas judge Bill Rhea are in the GOP race. Stephany Rose Spaulding is the lone Democrat seeking the seat.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.