Stapleton taps GOP state lawmaker as running mate

State Treasurer Walker Stapleton has chosen state Rep. Lang Sias as his running mate in the Colorado governor’s race.

Stapleton’s campaign announced the pick to The Associated Press ahead of a public unveiling Wednesday morning.

The 59-year-old Sias is a Republican from the Denver suburbs and a former U.S. Navy pilot. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010.

With the pick, Stapleton is looking to appeal to Colorado’s political middle. He touted Sias’ experience working across the aisle at the state Legislature.

Democrats have taken the opposite approach, nominating U.S. Rep. Jared Polis who is well to the left of the current Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, a political moderate.