Two new contenders join crowded GOP pack running for Senate

El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton and Army veteran Jerry Eller joined the Senate race.

 

Not one, but two more Republicans today announced they would seek the GOP nod for the U.S. Senate race this fall.

The known: El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton formally entered the race this morning.

In a video on her website, Littleton said she would stand up against the establishment, no matter which party controls the White House or Congress. “This election is about more than one candidate…it’s about fixing a broken system,” she said, whether it’s eliminating massive debt, securing the borders or defeating terrorism.

She called for replacing incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet of Denver with someone other than the “usual hand-picked establishment” favorite.

“If you want another Washington good old boy, I’m not your gal,” she said.

“There are enough Republicans running to field a starting 11 against the Broncos on Sunday,” said Andrew Zucker of the Colorado Democratic Party in a statement.

That was issued before the announcement from the next Republican to get into the race: Jerry Eller of Pueblo West, a Colorado native and Army veteran with a raft of occupations on his resume, including work in the insurance industry.

Eller’s agenda includes removing a sitting federal judge in Colorado, defunding Planned Parenthood, declaring there is no such thing as “global warming or climate change,” replacing the Affordable Care Act and creating a government reduction act that would target the departments of Homeland Security, Education and Energy.

Eller is the author of a book on identity theft, based on a ten-year battle against credit agencies that mixed up his information with a criminal.

In a video on his Facebook page, Eller said he is “deeply disturbed” about government, from city council all the way up to Congress. “I can no longer tolerate incompetency and corruption at all three levels of government. I don’t know what else to do” but to run for the U.S. Senate, he said.

Eller was unavailable for comment.

has been a political journalist since 1998. She covered the state capitol for the Silver & Gold Record from 1998 to 2009 and for The Colorado Statesman in 2010-11 and 2013-14. Since 2010 she also has covered the General Assembly for newspapers in northeastern Colorado. She was recognized with awards from the Colorado Press Association for feature writing and informational graphics for her work with the Statesman in 2012.