Weather permitting, Republican State House Rep. J. Paul Brown of Ignacio will announce his re-election bid in every county in District 59 on Jan. 16, beginning in Durango.
“I have been a (La Plata) county commissioner and (Ignacio) school board member, I’m a rancher, and I have a lot of experience in state government and law, so there are folks that would like me to run again,” Brown said.
“Business organizations for the state, chambers of commerce and agricultural organizations are very supportive of me because I believe we need to limit government and let the free market work, and with a lot of things, the best the government can do is get out of the way.”
Protecting water on the Western Slope and supporting federal Good Samaritan laws to prevent spills at abandoned mines are going to be frontline issues in the legislative session ahead, Brown said.
Brown will try to keep his seat this year against Democrat Barbara McLachlan, a retired Durango teacher.
Brown was first elected in 2010. After an election season filled with mudslinging from both sides, McLachlan’s husband, Mike McLachlan, won the seat from Brown in 2012.
He said he anticipates another close race this year, and an ugly one.
“I’ve already seen five negative fliers about me, which is unprecedented to come a year before the election,” Brown said. “I wish we could just run on the merits. There are those who think that’s the only way they can win, so it will be a tough and dirty campaign.”
Over the past year, Brown has surprised both parties with his decisions, including one in April to prevent a vote to overturn the state ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. To that, he said he tries to “just use common sense” and take all of District 59 into consideration.
“We’re going to run hard and just let the people decide,” he said. “I try to do a good job, be balanced and represent as much of the district as I possibly can, stick to my principles and encourage private enterprise and jobs.”
jpace@durangoherald.com