At first it seemed like just another example of a politician acting badly. At about 10 p.m. on January 25, Colorado State Representative Laura Bradford (R-Collbran) was pulled over for making an illegal turn at an intersection. The officer smelled alcohol on the lawmaker’s breathe, but did not ticket her for DUI, saying Bradford invoked her immunity privilege as a legislator traveling to or from a legislative session or event. Since that day’s House session had ended almost 12 hours earlier, her story seemed dubious.

 

However, Bradford denied that she had asked for immunity, and several days later Denver Police spokesman Lieutenant Matt Murray acknowledged that it was in fact Denver police officers who had come up with the idea,

 

Meanwhile Bradford, who was first elected in 2008 using the slogan “Conservative Leadership You Can Trust,” has threatened to leave the Republican Party because her fellow Republicans have not supported her. This is no inconsequential threat because Republicans currently hold only a 33-32 advantage in the House. If Bradford did switch parties or become an independent, she could give the Democrats control of the chamber. They already hold a majority in the State Senate, and the governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, is also a Democrat.

-David Wallechinsky

 

Colorado GOP Lawmaker Bradford Says She Might Leave Party (by Lynn Bartels and Tim Hoover, Denver Post)

Bradford Apologizes to House Colleagues in Wake of Traffic Stop, DUI Suspicion (by Tim Hoover, Denver Post)