Gregorio Beltran Lopez[1] (born June 7, 1964)[2] is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district. From 2008 to 2014, he served as the Small Business Administration's Colorado director. He previously served as mayor of Parker, Colorado, and ran for Governor in 2018 and 2022. He was the Republican nominee for the 2024 special election in Colorado's 4th congressional district to replace Ken Buck, who resigned in March 2024. He will not run in the general election for a full-term.[3] He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in June 2024.[4][5]
Greg Lopez | |
|---|---|
 Lopez in 2024 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th district | |
| Assumed office July 8, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Buck |
| Mayor of Parker | |
| In office 1992–1996 | |
| 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 |
Early life and education
editA third-generation Mexican American,[6] Lopez grew up in Irving, Texas, with parents and grandparents who were farm workers. Lopez joined the United States Air Force upon graduating from high school and used the military benefits to pay for an associate's degree in business administration from New Mexico State University Alamogordo. Lopez and his wife, Lisa, moved from Texas to Colorado in 1987.[7]
Career
editLopez served in the United States Air Force 1983 to 1987 as a weapon specialist at Holloman Air Force Base. In that role, he prepared airplanes for flight and left active service after sustaining significant hearing loss from airfield work.[8]
Mayor of Parker
editLopez was originally elected Mayor of Parker at 27 years old in 1992 as a Democrat, but switched parties soon after in 1994.[9] He served two terms. As Mayor, Lopez was anti-development and growth.[7]
Small Business Administration
editLopez was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Colorado director for the Small Business Administration in 2008.[7] He served until 2014.[7]
Department of Justice investigation
editIn 2020, the United States Department of Justice pursued a civil case alleging 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
edit1998
editLopez ran for a Colorado State Senate seat in 1998, but lost the Republican primary.[10]
2016
editLopez announced a campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2016, but ultimately withdrew before the election.
2018
editLopez 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.[11] He lost the primary to Heidi Ganahl by seven points.
U.S. House of Representatives
edit2024 special election
editLopez was selected as the Republican nominee for the special election in Colorado's 4th congressional district caused by incumbent Ken Buck's resignation.[12] He won the nomination in the sixth round of voting by a nomination committee, beating Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg with 51 to 46 votes respectively.[13] 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 to Lauren Boebert, who is running in the general but not the special election, because it gives no candidate incumbent status.[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.[14][15][16][17]
Tenure
edit
Following his victory, Lopez penned an op-ed in The Denver Post, pledging to not "buy, sell, or trade individual stocks" while in Congress, and to not miss any votes.[18] He was sworn in on July 8, 2024.[19]
Electoral history
edit2018
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% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life
editLopez lives in Elizabeth, 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
editIn 1993, Lopez's wife called the police alleging domestic 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 a DUI and 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."[21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Rep. Greg Lopez (R-Colorado, 4th)". July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ "Biographical information about Greg Lopez". Associated Press. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Bedayn, Jesse (March 29, 2024). "Republican panel's selection to be Rep. Buck's likely replacement is a saving grace for Boebert". Associated Press. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Republican Greg Lopez wins special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck's seat". June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Republican Greg Lopez wins special election for Ken Buck's seat". June 26, 2024.
- ^ Hernandez, Esteban L. (June 9, 2018). "All four Colorado Republican candidates for governor attempted to scale the Western Conservative Summit". Denverite. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kenney, Andrew (June 20, 2022). "Greg Lopez: The suburban ex-mayor challenging the Republican establishment". Colorado Public Radio. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Matthews, 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. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Drusch, Andrea (July 7, 2015). "Former State SBA Director Greg Lopez Jumps In". The Hotline. ProQuest 1694867843. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "State of Colorado Elections Database » Candidate: Greg Lopez".
- ^ Paul, Jesse (June 10, 2022). "Get to know the Republican candidates for Colorado governor and where they stand on the issues". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Aguilar, John (March 29, 2024). "Former gubernatorial hopeful Greg Lopez gets GOP nomination for 4th District special election". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Kim, Caitlyn (March 28, 2024), "Republicans put up Greg Lopez for special election to replace Rep. Ken Buck", Colorado Public Radio, retrieved March 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. Retrieved March 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. Retrieved April 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. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Luning, Ernest (July 8, 2024). "Colorado Republican Greg Lopez sworn in to complete remainder of resigned Ken Buck's term". Coloradopolitics.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Representative to the 118th United States Congress - District 4 (Congressional Vacancy Election)". Colorado Secretary of State. 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ Otten, Tori (March 30, 2024). "Republicans Somehow Find Worst Possible Nominee to Replace Ken Buck". The New Republic. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
External links
edit- Congressman Greg Lopez official U.S. House website
- Greg Lopez for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN