Ron Hanks

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Ron Hanks
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 60th district
Assumed office
January 13, 2021
Preceded byJames Wilson
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
ResidencePenrose, Colorado
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force

Ron Hanks is a state representative from Penrose, Colorado. A Republican, Hanks represents Colorado House of Representatives District 60, which includes part of Fremont County and all of Custer, Chaffee, and Park counties in central Colorado.[1]

Background[]

Hanks served for 32 years (active and reserve) in the United States Air Force. He lives in Penrose and owns a company called The Western Surveyor.[2]

Election[]

Hanks was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in the 2020 general election. In the June 2020 Republican house district 60 primary, he ran unopposed.[3]

In the 2020 general election, Hanks defeated his Democratic Party opponent, winning 62.41% of the total votes cast.[4]

On October 1, 2021, Hanks filed to run for the U.S. Senate in a bid to challenge Michael Bennet in 2022.[5]

Since Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Hanks has questioned the results of the election and promoted false claims of election fraud.[6][7][5]

United States Capitol insurrection[]

Main article: 2021 storming of the United States Capitol

Hanks participated in the January 6, 2021 protests that culminated in the storming of the United States Capitol, saying that "people had already entered the building" by the time he arrived at a designated meeting area.[8] In a fundraising newsletter, Hanks continued to promote conspiracy theories regarding the certification of the 2020 election. He said of the crowd that, “It seems more likely that there were people who intended to blend in to the group, then create mayhem and blame it on Trump supporters,” adding "We are down to the very final options to right a flawed election, and it is possible it will not happen," he said. "Patriots, and all Americans are in a perilous dilemma: This isn’t just an economic system or policy priorities we are arguing about. There is a nuclear and national security aspect to this election that must not fall into the hands of foreign enemies or their domestic agents."[9] Such claims have been debunked by multiple sources.[10][11]

Controversies[]

In April 2021, Hanks was criticized for joking about lynching and claiming that the Three-Fifths Compromise that designated a slave as three-fifths of a person “was not impugning anybody’s humanity."[12] Hanks claimed his statements were manipulated to make a point he wasn't making. [12]

In June 2021, Hanks visited Arizona to observe the controversial Arizona audit. The next month, Hanks participated in a conference hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, known for promoting false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[5]

In August 2021, Hanks attended a rally in Mesa County to support a local election clerk who is affiliated with groups promoting false claims of election fraud and whose office is under investigation for suspicion of breaching election security by leaking equipment passwords and copies of voting equipment hard drives. At the rally, Hanks said that the clerk was a "gold star mom and public servant. There is no evidence she did anything wrong". Hanks also falsely claimed that the investigation of the clerk's office is a “false-flag operation” meant to avert attention from Secretary of State Jena Griswold's "criminal actions"[13]

References[]

  1. ^ "Legislative District Information After 2011 Reapportionment House District 60" (PDF). Colorado Reapportionment Commission. 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  2. ^ Goodland, Marianne (2020-10-12). "Voter guide 2020: Colorado House District 60, Ron Hanks and Lori Boydston". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  3. ^ "Colorado election results, June 30, 2020 Primary Election: State Representative - District 60 - Republican Party". Colorado Secretary of State. State of Colorado. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  4. ^ "Colorado election results, November 3, 2020 General Election: State Representative - District 60". Colorado Secretary of State. State of Colorado. 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  5. ^ a b c Fish, Sandra; Paul, Jesse (2021-10-01). "Controversial Republican state Rep. Ron Hanks files to run for U.S. Senate in 2022". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  6. ^ Paul, Jesse (2021-08-30). "Colorado Republicans want to win over unaffiliated voters in 2022. Can they do it if their base is still focused on 2020?". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  7. ^ Beedle, Heidi (5 August 2021). "El Paso County Republicans embrace the Big Lie". Colorado Springs Indy. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  8. ^ "Over a dozen lawmakers joined crowds on day of Capitol riot". WTOP. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "Colorado lawmaker suggests foreign intelligence could stop Biden's inauguration". 9News. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  10. ^ Jason Puckett (January 8, 2021). "VERIFY: Debunking false photos and claims of Antifa at Capitol riot". 9news.com.
  11. ^ Reuters Staff (January 9, 2021). "Fact check: Men who stormed Capitol identified by Reuters are not undercover Antifa as posts claim". reuters.com.
  12. ^ a b Neiberg, Patty (2021-04-20). "Colorado lawmaker: Slavery policy didn't impugn humanity". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  13. ^ Lofholm, Nancy (2021-08-22). "250 people rally to support Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who is in hiding". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2021-08-24.

External links[]

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