In 2022, Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D-Colorado Springs) beat Republican Dave Donelson, a Colorado Springs City Councilor, by 710 votes. The narrow victory was a sign of the slow electoral shift in Colorado Springs, a city long considered a conservative stronghold. Since then, Vigil has focused on increasing protections for gig workers, renters, and LGBTQ people in Colorado, and that has made her public enemy number one for El Paso County Republicans.
A caravan of late-model extended-cab trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles flying American flags, Trump flags, and “Fuck Biden” flags made its way slowly down I-25 Saturday morning, numbers growing after each stop at various points between the Timnath Walmart, just south of Fort Collins, and DCF Guns in Colorado Springs.
Republicans looking to recover lost ground in 2024 will be pinning their hopes on legislative races in El Paso County. Last year, Democratic incumbent Rep. Marc Snyder (D-Manitou Springs) defeated Republican Shana Black, while Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D-Colorado Springs) squeezed out a narrow victory over Colorado Springs City Councilor Dave Donelson and Sen. Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs) beat out former Sen. Dennis Hisey in newly redistricted Senate District 11.
