Greg Lopez
American politician (born 1964)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gregorio Beltran Lopez[1] (born June 7, 1964)[2] is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district from 2024 to 2025. From 2008 to 2014, he served as the Small Business Administration's Colorado director. He previously served as mayor of Parker, Colorado, and ran for Governor in 2018 and 2022. He was the Republican nominee for the 2024 special election in Colorado's 4th congressional district to replace Ken Buck, who resigned in March 2024. He did not run in the general election for a full term.[3] He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in June 2024.[4][5] He is currently an independent candidate for governor of Colorado in the 2026 election.
Greg Lopez | |
|---|---|
Lopez in 2024 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th district | |
| In office July 8, 2024 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Buck |
| Succeeded by | Lauren Boebert |
| Mayor of Parker | |
| In office December 1992 – December 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Ann Waterman |
| Succeeded by | Gary Lasater |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gregorio Lopez June 7, 1964 |
| Party | Democratic (before 1994) Republican (1994–2026) Independent (2026–present) |
| Spouse |
Lisa Garcia (m. 1988) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | New Mexico State University, Alamogordo (AAS) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1983–1987 |
Early life and education
A third-generation Mexican American,[6] Lopez grew up in Irving, Texas, with parents and grandparents who were farm workers. Lopez joined the United States Air Force upon graduating from high school and used the military benefits to pay for an associate's degree in business administration from New Mexico State University Alamogordo. Lopez and his wife, Lisa, moved from Texas to Colorado in 1988.[7]
Career
Lopez served in the United States Air Force 1983 to 1987 as a weapon specialist at Holloman Air Force Base. In that role, he prepared airplanes for flight and left active service after sustaining significant hearing loss from airfield work.[8]
Mayor of Parker
Lopez was elected Mayor of Parker at 27 years old in 1992 as a Democrat, but switched parties in 1994.[9] As Mayor, Lopez was for managed development and growth.[7]
Small Business Administration
Lopez was the Colorado director for the Small Business Administration in 2008.[7] He served until 2014.[7]
Department of Justice investigation
In 2020, the United States Department of Justice pursued a civil case alleging Lopez had improperly tried to influence former SBA colleagues years earlier, after his departure from the agency. The case centered on an email and two phone calls, where he had asked a former colleague would look into the status of an open case. Lopez agreed to pay $15,000 to settle the case.[7]
Political campaigns
1998
Lopez ran for the open 30th district of the Colorado State Senate in 1998, but placed fourth in the Republican primary behind John Evans, Ted Harvey, and Gayle Elton Wintors II respectively.[10]
2016
Lopez announced a campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2016, but ultimately withdrew before the election.
2018
Lopez first ran for Governor in 2018. He placed third in the Republican primary with 13.20% of the vote.
2022
Lopez campaigned again for the Republican nomination in 2022. In the campaign, he stated he wanted to outlaw abortions without exceptions, denied man-made climate change, and alleged that the 2020 election was won by Trump and stolen.[11] He lost the primary to Heidi Ganahl by seven points.
2026
In April 2025, Lopez announced his candidacy for Governor of the state of Colorado.[12] Initially running as a Republican, Lopez announced he had left the GOP and was mounting an independent campaign for governor in January 2026.[13]
U.S. House of Representatives
2024 special election
Lopez was selected as the Republican nominee for the 2024 special election in Colorado's 4th congressional district caused by incumbent Ken Buck's resignation.[14] He won the nomination in the sixth round of voting by a nomination committee, beating Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg by a vote of 51 to 46.[15] Much of Lopez's pitch to the committee voters was as a placeholder candidate. His selection as the nominee over Sonnenberg, a candidate running in the regular primary in the 4th district, was considered a boon to Lauren Boebert, who won that regular primary (after moving from the 3rd district); she was running for the full term but not in the special election, as she already enjoyed incumbent status.[3] Lopez faced Democratic nominee Trisha Calvarese, Libertarian nominee Hannah Goodman, and Approval Voting nominee Frank Atwood, in the June 25 special general election, and expectedly won by a comfortable margin due to the district's strong Republican lean.[16][17][18][19]
Tenure
Following his victory, Lopez penned an op-ed in The Denver Post, pledging to not "buy, sell, or trade individual stocks" while in Congress, and to not miss any votes.[20] He was sworn in on July 8, 2024.[21]
Electoral history
1998
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Evans | 3,783 | 31.74 | |
| Republican | Ted Harvey | 3,234 | 27.13 | |
| Republican | Gayle Elton Wintors II | 2,587 | 21.70 | |
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 2,306 | 19.35 | |
| Total votes | 11,919 | 100.0 | ||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Walker Stapleton | 239,415 | 47.66 | |
| Republican | Victor Mitchell | 151,365 | 30.13 | |
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 66,330 | 13.20 | |
| Republican | Doug Robinson | 45,245 | 9.01 | |
| Total votes | 502,355 | 100.0 | ||
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Heidi Ganahl | 341,157 | 53.87% | |
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 292,187 | 46.13% | |
| Total votes | 633,344 | 100.0% | ||
2024
| Republican convention results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | First ballot | Second ballot | Third ballot | Fourth ballot | Fifth ballot | Sixth ballot | ||||||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Greg Lopez | 12 | 12.2% | 17 | 17.3% | 27 | 27.6% | 34 | 34.7% | 45 | 45.9% | 51 | 52.6% |
| Jerry Sonnenberg | 23 | 23.5% | 24 | 24.5% | 24 | 32.6% | 24 | 24.5% | 30 | 30.6% | 46 | 47.4% |
| Ted Harvey | 24 | 24.5% | 27 | 27.6% | 24 | 24.5% | 26 | 26.5% | 23 | 23.5% | Eliminated | |
| Richard Holtorf | 12 | 12.2% | 13 | 13.3% | 16 | 16.3% | 14 | 14.3% | Eliminated | |||
| Mike Lynch | 11 | 11.2% | 10 | 10.2% | 7 | 7.1% | Eliminated | |||||
| Scott Melbye | 10 | 10.2% | 7 | 7.1% | Eliminated | |||||||
| Chris Phelen | 6 | 6.1% | Eliminated | |||||||||
| Floyd Trujillo | 0 | 0.0% | Eliminated | |||||||||
| Peter Yu | 0 | 0.0% | Withdrawn | |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Greg Lopez | 100,068 | 58.40% | |
| Democratic | Trisha Calvarese | 59,003 | 34.43% | |
| Libertarian | Hannah Goodman | 9,065 | 5.29% | |
| Approval Voting | Frank Atwood | 3,224 | 1.88% | |
| Total votes | 171,360 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life
Lopez lives in Elizabeth, Colorado, with his wife, Lisa Garcia.[7] The couple have two adult children, Michael and Christina. He is partially deaf, having no hearing in his right ear.
Legal troubles
In 1993, Lopez's wife called the police alleging domestic violence. She reportedly told police that she first struck Lopez, who then pushed her to the ground, kicked her, and attempted to drag her by the hair. The pair both pled guilty to a single charge of harassment. Despite the incident, they remain married and she stated she regrets the ensuing media coverage.[8]
In 2003, Lopez was charged with a DUI and stated the incident had cost him nearly $10,000.[7] In 2020, Lopez settled for $15,000 in a civil case brought by the Department of Justice for improperly trying to influence his colleagues at the SBA.[7]
When asked by an interviewer in 2022 about his numerous run-ins with the law, Lopez said "There's only been one perfect man that's ever walked this earth, and we nailed him to the cross, I'm not a perfect man. I've made my mistakes. But I've learned from them."[23]