Democratic state Rep. Rochelle Galindo, of Greeley, abruptly announced her resignation on Sunday afternoon citing undisclosed allegations against her.
The first-year state lawmaker said the allegations against her were false, but that “they will make our fight against the pending recall effort untenable.” She didn’t provide any information on what the allegations against her are.
“I will not put my constituents through what will surely be a recall campaign based on political smear tactics and false allegations,” Galindo said in a written statement. “Instead, I will resign my seat as the elected representative of House District 50, effective immediately.”
A complaint was made to the Greeley police department. The Weld County District Attorney’s office said Monday it is aware of the complaint but has not yet received anything from police.
Galindo, of Greeley, was facing a recall effort over her votes during the 2019 legislative session. Democrats painted the effort as a hate campaign launched by conservative extremists targeting Galindo because she is a woman of color and a lesbian.
Democratic leadership in the Colorado House confirmed the resignation and referred further questions to Galindo.
“We agree with Rep. Galindo’s decision to step down at this time and allow someone else to serve the people of House District 50,” House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, and House Majority Leader Alec Garnett, D-Denver, said in a written statement.
The resignation means that a Democratic vacancy committee will be convened to choose a replacement to fill Galindo’s seat.
The recall effort against Galindo drew backlash from top Colorado Democrats and beyond, with Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 presidential candidate, even rallying her supporters around fighting the attempt to remove Galindo from office.
The 2019 legislative session ended earlier this month on May 3.
An effort to get further comment from Galindo on Sunday afternoon was not successful. The Colorado Sun attempted to leave a voice message for her, but a recorded message said her inbox was full.