Firebrand Democrat Joe Salazar 1st in race for Colorado Attorney General

State Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton made the announcement Friday.

Associated Press

Mar. 10, 2017, 3:07 p.m.

District 31 Representative Joe Salazar. The first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

legislature; copolitics; politics; legislative session; capitol; kevinjbeaty; denver; denverite; colorado; — District 31 Representative Joe Salazar. The first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2016. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

DENVER (AP) — A Democratic civil-rights attorney who vows to stand up to President Donald Trump is the first candidate to announce for Colorado’s Attorney General race in 2018.

State Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton made the announcement Friday.

Colorado currently has a Republican attorney general, Cynthia Coffman. Coffman was first elected in 2014 and has not yet announced her plans for 2018.

Salazar is a lifelong Thornton resident and one of the most liberal members of the state House. Recently Salazar sponsored a bill to block Colorado governments from assisting in federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Salazar has also sponsored bills requiring schools with American Indian mascots to change their mascots unless they could show a tribe’s backing of the mascot. Those efforts failed.

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District 31 Representative Joe Salazar. The first day of the Colorado state legislative session. Jan 11, 2016. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)