Greg Lopez
Greg Lopez | |
|---|---|
 Lopez in 2024 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromColorado's4thdistrict | |
| Assumed office July 8, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Buck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gregorio Beltran Lopez June 7, 1964 Dallas,Texas,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic(before 1994) Republican(1994–present) |
| Spouse |
Lisa (m.1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | New Mexico State University, Alamogordo(AAS) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1983–1987 |
Gregorio Beltran "Greg" Lopez[1](born June 7, 1964)[2]is an American politician who is theU.S. representativeforColorado's 4th congressional district.From 2008 to 2014, he served as theSmall Business Administration'sColoradodirector. He previously served as mayor ofParker, Colorado,and ran for Governor in2018and2022.He was theRepublicannominee for the2024 special electioninColorado's 4th congressional districtto replaceKen Buck,who resigned in March 2024. He will not run in thegeneral electionfor a full-term.[3]He was elected to theUnited States House of Representativesin June 2024.[4][5]
Early life and education
[edit]A third-generation Mexican American,[6]Lopez grew up inIrving, Texas,with parents and grandparents who werefarm workers.Lopez joined theUnited States Air Forceupon graduating from high school and used the military benefits to pay for anassociate's degreein business administration fromNew Mexico State University Alamogordo.Lopez and his wife, Lisa, moved fromTexasto Colorado in 1987.[7]
Career
[edit]Lopez served in theUnited States Air Force1983 to 1987 as a weapon specialist atHolloman Air Force Base.In that role, he prepared airplanes for flight and leftactive serviceafter sustaining significant hearing loss from airfield work.[8]
Mayor of Parker
[edit]Lopez was originally elected Mayor ofParkerat 27 years old in 1992 as aDemocrat,but switched parties soon after in 1994.[9]He served two terms. As Mayor, Lopez was anti-development and growth.[7]
Small Business Administration
[edit]Lopez was appointed by PresidentBarack Obamaas the Colorado director for theSmall Business Administrationin 2008.[7] He served until 2014.[7]
Department of Justice investigation
[edit]In 2020, theUnited States Department of Justicepursued acivil casealleging Lopez had improperly tried to influence former SBA colleagues years earlier, after his departure from the agency. The case centered on an email and two phone calls, where he had asked a former colleague for a "favor" in a business deal. Lopez agreed to pay $15,000 to settle the case.[7]
Political campaigns
[edit]2016
[edit]Lopez announced a campaign for the Republican nomination forU.S. Senatein 2016, but ultimately withdrew before the election.
2018
[edit]Lopez first ran for Governor in 2018. He placed third in the Republican primary with 13.20% of the vote.
2022
[edit]
Lopez campaigned again for the Republican nomination in 2022. In the campaign, he stated he wanted to outlaw abortions without exceptions, denied man-made climate change, and alleged that the 2020 election was won by Trump and stolen.[10]He lost the primary toHeidi Ganahlby seven points.
U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]2024 special election
[edit]Lopez was selected as the Republican nominee for thespecial electioninColorado's 4th congressional districtcaused by incumbentKen Buck's resignation.[11]He won the nomination in the sixth round of voting by a nomination committee, beatingLogan CountyCommissionerJerry Sonnenbergwith 51 to 46 votes respectively.[12]Much of his pitch to vacancy committee voters was as a placeholder candidate. His selection as the nominee over a candidate that is also running in the general election was considered a boon toLauren Boebert,who is running in the general but not the special election, because it gives no candidateincumbentstatus.[3]He faced the Democratic nominee, Trisha Calvarese, Libertarian nominee, Hannah Goodman, and Approval Voting nominee, Frank Atwood, in the June 25 special election, and expectedly won by a comfortable margin due to the district's strong Republican lean.[13][14][15][16]
Tenure
[edit]
Following his victory, Lopez penned anop-edinThe Denver Post,pledging to not "buy, sell, or trade individual stocks" while in Congress, and to not miss any votes.[17]He was sworn in on July 8, 2024.[18]
Electoral history
[edit]2018
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Walker Stapleton | 239,415 | 47.66 | |
| Republican | Victor Mitchell | 151,365 | 30.13 | |
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 66,330 | 13.20 | |
| Republican | Doug Robinson | 45,245 | 9.01 | |
| Total votes | 502,355 | 100.0 | ||
2022
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Heidi Ganahl | 341,157 | 53.87% | |
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 292,187 | 46.13% | |
| Total votes | 633,344 | 100.0% | ||
2024
[edit]| Republican convention results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | First ballot | Second ballot | Third ballot | Fourth ballot | Fifth ballot | Sixth ballot | ||||||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Greg Lopez | 12 | 12.2% | 17 | 17.3% | 27 | 27.6% | 34 | 34.7% | 45 | 45.9% | 51 | 52.6% |
| Jerry Sonnenberg | 23 | 23.5% | 24 | 24.5% | 24 | 32.6% | 24 | 24.5% | 30 | 30.6% | 46 | 47.4% |
| Ted Harvey | 24 | 24.5% | 27 | 27.6% | 24 | 24.5% | 26 | 26.5% | 23 | 23.5% | Eliminated | |
| Richard Holtorf | 12 | 12.2% | 13 | 13.3% | 16 | 16.3% | 14 | 14.3% | Eliminated | |||
| Mike Lynch | 11 | 11.2% | 10 | 10.2% | 7 | 7.1% | Eliminated | |||||
| Scott Melbye | 10 | 10.2% | 7 | 7.1% | Eliminated | |||||||
| Chris Phelen | 6 | 6.1% | Eliminated | |||||||||
| Floyd Trujillo | 0 | 0.0% | Eliminated | |||||||||
| Peter Yu | 0 | 0.0% | Withdrawn | |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 100,068 | 58.40% | |
| Democratic | Trisha Calvarese | 59,003 | 34.43% | |
| Libertarian | Hannah Goodman | 9,065 | 5.29% | |
| Approval Voting | Frank Atwood | 3,224 | 1.88% | |
| Total votes | 171,360 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Personal life
[edit]Lopez lives inElizabeth, Colorado,with his wife, Lisa.[7]The couple have two adult children, Michael and Christina. He is partially deaf, having no hearing in his right ear.
Legal troubles
[edit]In 1993, Lopez's wife called the police allegingdomestic violence.She reportedly told police that she first struck Lopez, who then pushed her to the ground, kicked her, and attempted to drag her by the hair. The pair both pled guilty to a single charge of harassment. Despite the incident, they remain married and she stated she regrets the ensuing media coverage.[8]
In 2003, Lopez was charged with aDUIand stated the incident had cost him nearly $10,000.[7]In 2020, Lopez settled for $15,000 in a civil case brought by the Department of Justice for improperly trying to influence his colleagues at the SBA.[7]
When asked by an interviewer in 2022 about his numerous run-ins with the law, Lopez said "There's only been one perfect man that's ever walked this earth, and we nailed him to the cross, I'm not a perfect man. I've made my mistakes. But I've learned from them."[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Rep. Greg Lopez (R-Colorado, 4th)".July 17, 2024.RetrievedJuly 17,2024.
- ^"Biographical information about Greg Lopez".Associated Press.June 25, 2018.RetrievedJune 26,2024.
- ^abBedayn, Jesse (March 29, 2024)."Republican panel's selection to be Rep. Buck's likely replacement is a saving grace for Boebert".Associated Press.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^https://www.denverpost.com/2024/06/25/colorado-4th-congressional-special-election-results-greg-lopez-trisha-calvarese/
- ^https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4739621-greg-lopez-wins-special-election-ken-buck/
- ^Hernandez, Esteban L. (June 9, 2018)."All four Colorado Republican candidates for governor attempted to scale the Western Conservative Summit".Denverite.RetrievedJune 28,2024.
- ^abcdefghKenney, Andrew (June 20, 2022)."Greg Lopez: The suburban ex-mayor challenging the Republican establishment".Colorado Public Radio.Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2022.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^abMatthews, Mark (April 18, 2018)."Now that GOP governor's race upstart Greg Lopez is on the ballot, he's talking about the future — and his checkered past".Denver Post.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^Drusch, Andrea (July 7, 2015)."Former State SBA Director Greg Lopez Jumps In".The Hotline.ProQuest1694867843.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^Paul, Jesse (June 10, 2022)."Get to know the Republican candidates for Colorado governor and where they stand on the issues".The Colorado Sun.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^Aguilar, John (March 29, 2024)."Former gubernatorial hopeful Greg Lopez gets GOP nomination for 4th District special election".The Denver Post.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^Kim, Caitlyn (March 28, 2024),"Republicans put up Greg Lopez for special election to replace Rep. Ken Buck",Colorado Public Radio,retrievedMarch 29,2024
- ^Paul, Jesse (March 28, 2024)."Greg Lopez selected as Republican nominee for special election in Colorado's 4th Congressional District to replace Ken Buck".The Colorado Sun.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
- ^Paul, Jesse (April 1, 2024)."Democrats select Trisha Calvarese to be their nominee for the special election to replace Ken Buck".The Colorado Sun.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
- ^"2024 US House - District 4 Vacancy Election Candidate List & Ballot Order".Colorado Secretary of State. April 26, 2024.
- ^Freed, Judah (April 1, 2024)."Colorado Libertarians Select Potential Spoiler Candidates at 2024 State Convention".Colorado Times Recorder.
- ^Lopez, Greg (June 29, 2024)."Greg Lopez: I'll replace Ken Buck in Congress for 6 months. Here's what I plan to accomplish".The Denver Post.RetrievedJuly 9,2024.
- ^Luning, Ernest (July 8, 2024)."Colorado Republican Greg Lopez sworn in to complete remainder of resigned Ken Buck's term".Coloradopolitics.com.RetrievedJuly 9,2024.
- ^"Representative to the 118th United States Congress - District 4 (Congressional Vacancy Election)".Colorado Secretary of State.2024.RetrievedJuly 7,2024.
- ^Otten, Tori (March 30, 2024)."Republicans Somehow Find Worst Possible Nominee to Replace Ken Buck".The New Republic.RetrievedJune 22,2024.
External links
[edit]- Congressman Greg Lopezofficial U.S. House website
- Greg Lopez for Congresscampaign website
- Biographyat theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office)at theFederal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsoredat theLibrary of Congress
- ProfileatVote Smart
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
- 1964 births
- Living people
- 20th-century mayors of places in Colorado
- 21st-century American legislators
- 21st-century Colorado politicians
- American politicians of Mexican descent
- Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections
- Candidates in the 2018 United States elections
- Candidates in the 2022 United States elections
- Colorado Democrats
- Colorado Republicans
- Hispanic and Latino American mayors
- Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
- Hispanic and Latino American military personnel
- Latino conservatism in the United States
- Military personnel from Dallas
- New Mexico State University alumni
- Obama administration personnel
- People from Parker, Colorado
- People from Elbert County, Colorado
- Politicians from Dallas
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado
- Small Business Administration personnel
- United States Air Force airmen