Glenwood Springs resident Cole Buerger effectively secured the Democratic nomination for the Roaring Fork Valley’s state Senate district after his only potential primary opponent, Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum, announced her withdrawal from the race on Sunday.
Buerger will now run unopposed in the Democratic primary election in June before facing a Republican opponent in the November general election for Colorado’s Senate District 5.
The sole Republican currently running in District 5 is state Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose. Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle, currently represents the district, but he has announced he will not seek reelection in November. Will has said he plans to seek a spot on the Garfield Board of County Commissioners now that sitting Commissioner John Martin is not seeking another term.
In a Sunday email announcement, Bynum said she was withdrawing from the District 5 race for personal reasons.
“This was a difficult and personal decision that I realize might come as a surprise,” said Bynum’s announcement. “I began this campaign nine months ago with a sincere desire to be a fierce advocate for our Western Slope values in the General Assembly, and that hasn’t changed. I have always been passionate about issues that affect Colorado families and I am excited to continue serving our community in other ways … I believe Cole Buerger will be a strong voice for Western Colorado. I look forward to supporting him in November.”
Bynum, whose campaign could not be reached for immediate comment Monday, announced her candidacy in July 2023. She was elected to Montrose City Council in 2017 and became mayor in 2020. Bynum has also served on Colorado’s State Land Board administered through the Department of Natural Resources.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Democratic Party confirmed that Bynum would have appeared on the Democratic primary ballot had she not withdrawn from the race. The spokesperson said Bynum received the necessary votes from at least 30% of the delegates who gathered to select Democratic primary candidates on March 30, meaning she was eligible to participate in the June primary. The party could not provide the exact count of the vote by this article’s publication.
“I want to thank Barbara and appreciate all her years of public service, both for Montrose and our state,” Buerger said in an interview. “She is a thoughtful advocate for rural communities.”
As of Monday, Bynum had garnered about $29,800 in campaign contributions and spent about $5,200. Buerger’s campaign had brought in about $25,400 and spent roughly $700.
Buerger, a fifth-generation Western Slope Coloradoan, grew up raising steers, pigs and sheep on a ranch in Silt. Buerger now runs a small communications company in Glenwood and serves on the Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s board and the Garfield County Planning Commission. He lives with his partner, Glenwood City Councilman Mitchell Weimer, and his dog Ellie in Glenwood.
Buerger lost the 2022 Democratic primary for state House District 57 to Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs.
Looking forward to the November elections, Buerger said he will apply the same energy he has already applied to his initial campaign efforts.
“It’s going to be a tough battle,” Buerger said, “but the plan is to continue doing what we have been doing: showing up, listening and talking about my ideas for how we can make sure communities across western Colorado can thrive and benefit from a strong voice in the state Senate.”
District 5 encompasses all of Pitkin, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties, along with parts of Garfield, Montrose and Eagle counties. The district includes the entire Roaring Fork Valley and has a total population of about 163,000 people.
Next year will mark the first state Senate race since the district’s boundaries were redrawn during a statewide redistricting in 2021. Will has represented the district since January 2023, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy left by former Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale, who resigned midway through his term. Rankin won the district narrowly in 2020 prior to the redistricting process.
A 2022 report issued by the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission found that the newly drawn district’s voters have historically leaned slightly Republican (an average 3-point lead in eight elections between 2016 and 2020). Its registered voters are roughly 30% Republican, 24% Democrat and 44% unaffiliated, with 1% belonging to minor parties.
Austin Corona, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Apr 9, 2024
