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Ron Hanks
Hanks in 2024
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 60th district
In office
January 13, 2021 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byJames Wilson
Succeeded byRedistricted
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force

Loren Lowell "Ron" Hanks[1] is an American politician who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2021 to early 2023.[2] A member of the Republican Party, Hanks represented District 60.[3] Hanks generated controversy on numerous occasions, most notably for his participation in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Hanks ran for the U.S. Senate in a bid to challenge Michael Bennet in 2022 but lost in the primary.[4] He was a candidate for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in 2024 but was defeated in the Republican primary.[5]

Background

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Hanks served for 32 years (active and reserve) in the United States Air Force. He lives in Cañon City, Colorado[6] and owns a company called The Western Surveyor.[7]

Political career

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In 2010, Hanks ran unsuccessfully for Congress in California's 1st congressional district, located in Northern California.[8] Hanks was later elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in the 2020 general election. In the June 2020 Republican House District 60 primary, he ran unopposed.[9]

In the 2020 general election, Hanks won 62.41% of the total votes cast.[10]

After Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Hanks questioned the election results and promoted false claims of voter fraud.[11][12][4]

In April 2021, Hanks was criticized for joking about lynching and claiming the Three-Fifths Compromise that designated a slave as three-fifths of a person "was not impugning anybody’s humanity."[13] Hanks claimed his statements were manipulated to make a point he wasn't making.[13]

In May 2021, Hanks threatened to assault Colorado House Minority Leader and fellow Republican Hugh McKean over a legislative disagreement.[14]

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.[4]

In August 2021, Hanks attended a rally in Mesa County to support Tina Peters, a local Republican county clerk who was affiliated with groups promoting false claims of election fraud and was later arrested and indicted for seven felony charges related to election tampering and misconduct.[15] Hanks said that the clerk was a "gold star mom and public servant. There is no evidence she did anything wrong". Hanks also accused the investigation of the clerk's office of being a "false-flag operation" despite a lack of evidence or substantiation of these claims.[16]

On October 1, 2021, Hanks filed to run for the U.S. Senate in a bid to challenge Michael Bennet in 2022.[4] However, in the 2022 Republican primary election for United States Senator from Colorado, Joe O'Dea defeated Hanks and one write-in candidate.[17]

In December 2023, Hanks announced that he would run in 2024 for the open race in Colorado's 3rd congressional district after incumbent Congresswoman Lauren Boebert announced her plans to move and run in the open 4th district.[18] Hanks was defeated in the Republican primary.[19]

2021 U.S. Capitol attack

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Main article: January 6 United States Capitol attack

Hanks participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, saying that "people had already entered the building" by the time he arrived at a designated meeting area.[20] In a fundraising newsletter, Hanks continued to promote conspiracy theories regarding the certification of the 2020 election. He said of the crowd, "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." He said, "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."[21] Such claims have been debunked by multiple sources.[22][23]

References

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  1. ^ Goodland, Marianne (April 19, 2021). "In a previous political life, Rep. Ron Hanks had views that would differ from some in his current caucus". Colorado Politics. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Colorado State Rep. Ron Hanks - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com.
  3. ^ "Legislative District Information After 2011 Reapportionment House District 60" (PDF). Colorado Reapportionment Commission. 2011-12-22. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  4. ^ a b c d 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.
  5. ^ Luning, Ernest (December 29, 2023). "'Pro-Trump warrior' Ron Hanks jumps in GOP primary in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District". Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Loren Lowell Hanks from Canon City, Colorado | VoterRecords.com". voterrecords.com.
  7. ^ Goodland, Marianne (2020-10-12). "Voter guide 2020: Colorado House District 60, Ron Hanks and Lori Boydston". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  8. ^ "In a previous political life, Rep. Ron Hanks had views that would differ from some in his current caucus". 2021-04-19.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Beedle, Heidi (5 August 2021). "El Paso County Republicans embrace the Big Lie". Colorado Springs Indy. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  13. ^ a b Neiberg, Patty (2021-04-20). "Colorado lawmaker: Slavery policy didn't impugn humanity". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  14. ^ Goodland, Marianne (2021-05-24). "Late-night disagreement turns into threat of physical violence by Rep. Ron Hanks, witnesses say". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  15. ^ "Colorado clerk is indicted for election tampering and misconduct". npr.org. 2022-03-09.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Primary election results, June 28, 2022" (PDF). Colorado Secretary of State. July 5, 2022. p. 22. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  18. ^ Luning, Ernest Luning (December 30, 2023). "'Pro-Trump warrior' Ron Hanks jumps in GOP primary in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District". Colorado Politics.
  19. ^ Flynn, Sheila (26 June 2024). "MAGA candidate who lost Boebert's old seat calls Republican Party 'irredeemable'". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Over a dozen lawmakers joined crowds on day of Capitol riot". WTOP. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "Colorado lawmaker suggests foreign intelligence could stop Biden's inauguration". 9News. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  22. ^ Jason Puckett (January 8, 2021). "VERIFY: Debunking false photos and claims of Antifa at Capitol riot". 9news.com.
  23. ^ "Fact check: Men who stormed Capitol identified by Reuters are not undercover Antifa as posts claim". reuters.com. January 9, 2021.
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