Colorado’s state-senate president will face a recall after the secretary of state validated more than the necessary amount of signatures to move forward. Democratic state senator John Morse’s recall election will be the state’s first; it comes after the Democrat-controlled state legislature passed some of the toughest gun-control measures following the Newtown shooting.
Three-thousand more signatures from gun-rights advocates have been validated than the 7,178 needed for a recall. Morse has 15 days to challenge any signatures. After that time is up, Governor John Hickenlooper will set a recall date within 45 to 75 days.
If Morse were to resign, no recall election would be held, and his position would be filled by a Democratic vacancy committee.
The Washington Times reports that Morse lobbied for support from out-of-state gun-control advocates to help him survive his recall. “We can get phone lists to you and things like that and have you help from Boston, Massachusetts, or San Francisco, California,” he said in a video message on his Facebook page. Morse has already received $20,000 from America Votes, a national left-wing organization.