Lopez was originally elected Mayor of Parker at 27 years old in 1992 as a Democrat, but switched parties soon after in 1994.[9] He served two terms. As Mayor, Lopez was anti-development and growth.[7]
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 for a "favor" in a business deal. Lopez agreed to pay $15,000 to settle the case.[7]
Political campaigns
1998
Lopez ran for a Colorado State Senate seat in 1998, but lost the Republican primary.[10]
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.
Lopez was selected as the Republican nominee for the special election in Colorado's 4th congressional district caused by incumbent Ken Buck's resignation.[12] He won the nomination in the sixth round of voting by a nomination committee, beating Logan CountyCommissionerJerry Sonnenberg with 51 to 46 votes respectively.[13] Much of his pitch to vacancy committee voters was as a placeholder candidate. His selection as the nominee over a candidate that is also running in the general election was considered a boon to Lauren Boebert, who is running in the general but not the special election, because it gives no candidate incumbent status.[3] He faced the Democratic nominee, Trisha Calvarese, Libertarian nominee, Hannah Goodman, and Approval Voting nominee, Frank Atwood, in the June 25 special election, and expectedly won by a comfortable margin due to the district's strong Republican lean.[14][15][16][17]
Tenure
Lopez shaking hands with Speaker Mike Johnson after being sworn in
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.[18] He was sworn in on July 8, 2024.[19]
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."[21]
