Republican newcomer Renfroe wins Senate District 13

By a wide margin over Democratic candidate Solomon Little Owl, rookie politician Scott Renfroe won the District 13 seat for the Colorado Senate.

"It's exciting," Renfroe said as he celebrated at Island Grove Regional Park with fellow Republican candidates. "I learned that a lot of people out there got behind a message that I stood for."

With all precincts reporting, Renfroe had 60 percent of the vote.

Renfroe said he is anxious to get started on working to create more water storage for northern Colorado and examine how highway money is spent.

The district, previously represented by Dave Owen, covers most of Weld County, except for a large corner in southwest Weld.

"We're just excited that today is here and that people are here to vote," Renfroe said. "I'm looking forward to the future. We ran a good campaign and I'm excited and confident."

This was the first time running for both candidates who were looking to enter the political arena.

Since his victory in the August primary against veteran lawmaker Dale Hall, Renfroe made his opposition to abortion and Referendum C, a voter-approved measure that suspended state spending limits for five years, well known.

Renfroe also said he doesn't believe in a minimum wage, specifically a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would index that wage to inflation. He said the market should dictate workers' wages, and most businesses pay more than the minimum already.

His opponent, Little Owl, said he learned a lot from this race and regretted not being able to put more time in the campaign because of his long work hours. He said he is not ruling out the possibility of running again in the future.

"I'm satisfied by the way it's played out," Little Owl said as he watched the results with fellow Democratic candidates at Magnus Restaurant and Bar, 801 9th St., downtown Greeley.