Scott Tipton

Scott Randall Tipton (born November 9, 1956) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for CO's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2021.

A lifelong Republican, he became involved in the unsuccessful Reagan presidential campaign of 1976 and was a delegate to the Republican Convention that year.

He also assisted with local campaigns for Reagan in 1980 and 1984 across Montezuma County, Colorado and the 3rd Congressional district and was Republican chairman of the 3rd Congressional district for eight years.

He was a board member of Mesa Verde National Park, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, and the advisory board of Pueblo Community College.

On February 5, 2008, he announced his candidacy for the Colorado House seat representing District 58.

The announcement came shortly after the incumbent, Ray Rose, announced he would retire in 2008.

He had no opposition in the Republican primary, but faced Democratic candidate Noelle Hagan in the November 2008 general election.

Hagan's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post and the Montrose Daily Press. Tipton won the election with 59 percent of the vote.

With Representatives Laura Bradford and Frank McNulty, Tipton planned on re-introducing a version of Jessica's Law to establish minimum sentences for child sex offenders, sponsoring bills to create a full-time judge position in Montrose and to simplify water rights filing.

The attempt to introduce a version of Jessica's Law was unsuccessful, it died in committee.

A Republican, he was previously a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011.

For the 2009 legislative session, Tipton was named to seats on the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee and the House Local Government Committee.

He unsuccessfully challenged the first term Democratic U.S. congressman, John Salazar.

Tipton lost 38% to 62% to Salazar.

In the Republican primary, he defeated Bob McConnell 56% to 44%.

He again challenged Salazar in CO's 3rd congressional district.

Libertarian Gregory Gilman and independent Jake Segrest were also on the ballot, with independents John W. Hargis, Sr. and James Fritz qualified as write-in candidates.

Tipton was first elected to the House in November 2010 when he defeated three-term Democratic incumbent John Salazar, and he was re-elected four times.

He decided to retire from the Colorado House of Representatives to run for Congress in 2010, again challenging Salazar.

In the general election, he defeated Salazar 50.1% to 45.8%.

In 2011, it was reported that he spent over $7,000 on vendors that did business with his nephew's company.

In 2012, he violated House rules when his office used taxpayer resources to promote a campaign event.

A super PAC, funded by oil and gas driller SG Interests, is registered at the address of Tipton's campaign attorney and run by a law clerk in his office.

Tipton's attorney said: "I have specifically put up Chinese walls to make sure Charlie (law clerk) is in no way involved with the Tipton campaign, and I'm in no way involved with the Colorado Future Fund."

In 2012, he was challenged by Sal Pace, a Democratic state representative from Pueblo.

His re-election campaign was aided by $1.3 million in advertising against Pace, funded by the Grover Norquist led, Americans for Tax Reform.

SG Interests, an oil and gas company from Texas, that sought to drill in the Thompson Divide area, also campaigned against Pace.

On election night, Tipton defeated Pace and two third party challengers with 53.3% of the vote.

The Tiptons sold the company to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in 2014.

In 2014, he was challenged by Democrat Abel Tapia, Libertarian Travis Mero and UNA candidate Tisha Casida.

He won with 56.1% of the vote.

In 2016, Tipton defeated Democratic state senator Gail Schwartz and Libertarian Gaylon Kent, receiving 54.6% of the vote.

In 2018, Tipton held off Democratic former state representative Diane Mitsch Bush, Independent Mary Malarsie, and Libertarian Gaylon Kent in his closest challenge since he was first elected to Congress, receiving 51.2% of the vote.

In what was considered by many media outlets to be a shocking upset, Tipton was defeated in the Republican primary by restaurant owner and gun rights activist Lauren Boebert.

He received 45.2% of the vote to Boebert's 54.6%.

Dick Wadhams, a Republican political consultant from Denver, says that Tipton had several hundred thousand dollars in the bank for his primary against Boebert, but he chose not to use it for TV/radio ads, mailings, or social media, ceding the debate to Boebert, who inspired a much higher Republican turnout than in 2018.

In 2020, he lost renomination to Republican primary challenger Lauren Boebert in what was considered a major upset.

Tipton was born in Española, New Mexico and raised in Cortez, Colorado.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Fort Lewis College, the first in his family to graduate from college.

After college, Tipton co-founded a pottery company called Mesa Verde Indian Pottery with his brother, based in Cortez, Colorado.