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Larry Liston

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Larry Liston
Member of the Colorado Senate
from the 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 13, 2021
Preceded byOwen Hill
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 11, 2017 – January 13, 2021
Preceded byJanak Joshi
Succeeded byAndres G. Pico
In office
January 12, 2005 – January 9, 2013
Preceded byBill Sinclair
Succeeded byJanak Joshi
Personal details
Born1952 (age 71–72)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMary Ann
Children1
EducationColorado State University (BSBA)
Signature

Lawrence G. Liston (born 1952) is an American politician who serves in the Colorado Senate from the 10th district as a member of the Republican Party. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives from the 16th district from 2005 to 2013, and 2017 to 2021.

Liston was educated at Wasson High School and Colorado State University. His activities in the Republican Party started as a precinct leader and then as a district leader before becoming the vice-chair of the Colorado Republican Party. He was elected to the state house in 2004, and served until he lost in the Republican primary for a seat in the state senate to Owen Hill. He returned to the state house after defeating Representative Janak Joshi in the Republican primary and served until his election to the state senate in the 2020 election.

Liston has been criticized for his actions towards women, and has struggled with the chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, including getting into a fight with her husband.

Early life and education

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Lawrence G. Liston graduated from Wasson High School and from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and minored in political science in 1975. He started his work for the Royal Bank of Canada as a financial consultant and later became vice-president in his firm. He married Mary Ann, with whom he had one child.[1][2][3]

Career

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Republican Party

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Liston served as the leader of the Republicans in Precinct 217 from 1984 to 1996, and as the leader in the 16th Colorado House of Representatives district from 1997 to 2004. Liston served on the highway advisory board in El Paso County from 1995 to 1999. He served as the vice-chair of the Colorado Republican Party from 2001 to 2003. Liston served as the chair of Bill Owens gubernatorial campaign in El Paso County in the 1998 and 2002 elections. He served as the co-chair of George W. Bush's presidential campaign in El Paso County during the 2000 presidential election and attended the Republican National Convention as a delegate for Bush.[2][3]

Colorado General Assembly

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Elections

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Liston ran for a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives from the 16th district with the Republican nomination and defeated Democratic nominee Mary F. Hafner and Libertarian nominee Scott Paul Graves.[4] He won reelection without opposition in the 2006 election.[5] He defeated Democratic nominee Richard M. Flores in the 2008 election.[6] He won reelection in the 2010 election against Democratic nominee Janet Tanner.[7] He ran for the Republican nomination for a seat in the Colorado Senate from the 10th district during the 2012 election, but was defeated in the primary by Owen Hill.[8][9] He won the Republican nomination in the 16th district in the 2016 election against incumbent Janak Joshi and defeated Libertarian nominee John C. Hjersman in the general election.[10][11] He defeated Democratic nominee Andrew Smith and Libertarian nominee Hjersman in the 2018 election.[12][13]

During the 2020 election Liston was the only candidate placed onto the Republican primary ballot due to him being the only one to receive at least 30% of the assembly support. Eli Bremer claimed that Liston had defeated David Stiver in the assembly vote with 76% to 24%, but Stiver claimed in a lawsuit that there were numerous irregularities in the election and claimed that the rules were constantly changed, the number of credentialed delegates changed, and that the email account set up to receive the ballots was hacked. The Colorado Republican state committee ordered that Stiver be added to the ballot as it was too late to hold another assembly vote and maintained it ruling on appeal by a vote of 98 to 90.[14] Scott Gessler and Wayne W. Williams, who had both previously served as the Secretary of State of Colorado, opposed allowing Stiver onto the ballot.[15] Judge Michael A. Martinez ruled that Stiver could not be placed onto the ballot.[16] He won in the general election to succeed Hill, who was term-limited, against Democratic nominee Randi McCallian and Libertarian nominee Heather Johnson.[17][18][19]

Liston ran for re-election to the Colorado Senate in 2024. In the Republican Party primary election held June 25, 2024, he defeated opponents Rex Tonkins and David Stiver, winning 60.72% of the votes cast.[20] In the general election held November 5, 2024, Liston defeated Democratic Party candidate Ryan Howard Lucas and Libertarian Party candidate John C. Hjersman, winning 57.05% of the total votes cast.[21]

Tenure

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During Liston's tenure in the state house he served on the Public Healthcare and Human Services, and Energy and Environment committees.[22] He voted to expel Representative Steve Lebsock in 2018.[23]

In 2011, Sarah Anderson, the secretary of the El Paso County Republican Party, resigned and accused Liston of being misogynistic and that she was warned when she was fourteen to never be alone in a room with him.[24] He signed a letter calling for Vickie Tonkins, the chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, to apologize and possibly resign after she posted "Do you believe that the Coronavirus is a PSYOP (Psychological Operation)? Post your answer…" on Facebook.[25][26] In 2021, Tonkins criticized Liston, Kay Rendleman, and Karl Schneider in an email for blocking her version of a school board candidate survey which included questions on support for an audit of the 2020 election.[27] Liston and Rex Tonkins, Vickie's husband, got into a fight at a county Republican executive committee meeting. Liston called Tonkins a thug three times although Liston claims that he stated that after an aggressive encounter with Tonkins.[28]

Political positions

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Liston received an F rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[29] Liston voted against repealing the death penalty in 2009, and he, Dave Williams, Terri Carver, Richard Holtorf, and Lori Saine attempted to stall another vote on legislation to repeal it in 2020.[30][31] He stated that he would not take the COVID-19 vaccine.[32] He supports a constitutional amendment to enact term limits on member of the United States Congress.[33] In 2008, he apologized twice, first to Representative Stella Garza-Hicks and then in a general statement, for referring to unwed teenage parents as sluts.[34]

Electoral history

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2004 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 5,510 100.00%
Total votes 5,510 100.00%
2004 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 16,154 60.98%
Democratic Mary F. Hafner 9,510 35.90%
Libertarian Scott Paul Graves 826 3.12%
Total votes 26,490 100.00%
2006 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 4,675 100.00%
Total votes 4,675 100.00%
2006 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 14,211 100.00%
Total votes 14,211 100.00%
2008 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 4,957 100.00%
Total votes 4,957 100.00%
2008 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 15,989 58.96%
Democratic Richard M. Flores 11,131 41.04%
Total votes 27,120 100.00%
2010 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 5,415 100.00%
Total votes 5,415 100.00%
2010 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 13,012 64.04%
Democratic Janet Tanner 7,306 35.96%
Total votes 20,318 100.00%
2012 Colorado Senate 10th district Republican primary[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Owen Hill 9,528 60.90%
Republican Larry Liston 6,118 39.10%
Total votes 15,646 100.00%
2016 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 5,459 60.87%
Republican Janak Joshi (incumbent) 3,510 39.13%
Total votes 8,969 100.00%
2016 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 26,225 71.87%
Libertarian John C. Hjersman 10,262 28.13%
Total votes 36,487 100.00%
2018 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district Republican primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 8,357 100.00%
Total votes 8,357 100.00%
2018 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston (incumbent) 20,177 59.31%
Democratic Andrew Smith 12,484 36.69%
Libertarian John C. Hjersman 1,360 4.00%
Total votes 34,021 100.00%
2020 Colorado Senate 10th district Republican primary[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 20,258 100.00%
Total votes 20,258 100.00%
2020 Colorado House of Representatives 16th district election[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Liston 47,463 56.37%
Democratic Randi McCallian 32,114 38.14%
Libertarian Heather Johnson 4,620 5.49%
Total votes 84,197 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ "610 earn CSU degrees". Fort Collins Coloradoan. March 27, 1975. p. 24. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Q&A with Larry Liston". Colorado Politics. June 24, 2019. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "About Larry Liston". Colorado Politics. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2003 Coordinated 2004 Primary 2004 General" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2005 Coordinated 2006 Primary 2006 General" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 1, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2005 Coordinated 2006 Primary 2006 General" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2010 Primary 2010 General" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "Outgoing lawmakers transition into 'civilian' life". Colorado Politics. January 4, 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "2012 Primary Election Results - Republican Party Ballot". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "2016 Primary Election Results - Republican Party Ballot". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "2016 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "2018 Primary Election Results - Republican Party Ballot". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "2018 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "Colorado Republicans mired in dispute over El Paso County Senate primary". Colorado Politics. April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "Colorado Republicans mired in dispute over El Paso County Senate primary". Colorado Politics. April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "Judge: Colorado GOP can't order official to add candidate to El Paso County legislative primary". Colorado Politics. May 4, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "The transfers: Members who moved from one chamber to the other". Colorado Politics. January 17, 2021. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "2020 Primary Election Results - Republican Party Ballot". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "2020 General Election Results". Secretary of State of Colorado. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "Colorado election results: June 25, 2024 primary election: State Senator District 10 Republican". Colorado Secretary of State. October 15, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "November 5, 2024 general election: State Senator District 10". Colorado Secretary of State. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "House Republicans announce 2020 committee assignments". Colorado Politics. January 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  23. ^ "El Paso County delegation almost unanimous in vote to expel Rep. Steve Lebsock". Colorado Politics. March 6, 2018. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  24. ^ "Controversial El Paso County GOP official quits". Colorado Politics. October 3, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  25. ^ "Republicans call on El Paso County party chair to resign over controversial coronavirus comments". The Denver Post. April 3, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "GOP officials call on El Paso County chair to apologize, consider resigning over COVID-19 post". Colorado Politics. April 4, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  27. ^ "El Paso County GOP's vice chairman calls on Vickie Tonkins to resign". Colorado Politics. November 2, 2021. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  28. ^ "Police looking into altercation at El Paso County GOP meeting". The Denver Post. December 7, 2021. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  29. ^ "Larry Liston". NARAL Pro-Choice America. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  30. ^ "Death penalty dealt blow". The Denver Post. April 21, 2009. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  31. ^ "Colorado lawmakers vote for death penalty repeal in the middle of the night". The Denver Post. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "This ER Nurse And Colorado Representative Is The First State Lawmaker To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine". Colorado Public Radio. December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  33. ^ "LARRY LISTON PLEDGES TO SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS". U.S. Term Limits. May 26, 2020. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022.
  34. ^ "Liston apologizes for "sluts" comment on floor". The Denver Post. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022.
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