Establishment Republican candidates for the state House of Representatives, Mary Bradfield and Jarvis Caldwell, enjoyed large early leads in Tuesday’s primary.

Air Force veteran Caldwell appears poised to win the House District 20 Republican primary over local business owner Jason Lupo, according to early returns from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Caldwell and Lupo are running for the seat vacated by Rep. Don Wilson, who is running for the El Paso County Board of Commissioners.

Early returns showed Caldwell leading with 67.6% of the vote.

Caldwell stated that his top priority as a state representative would be to pass legislation that eases the financial burden on taxpayers.

“I ran as a pragmatic person who is going to fight against the bad bills, but who will also work to get good bills passed and get people the relief they need, and I think that resonated with voters,” he said. “They want a strong Republican who will stand by their conservative values, but who will also work across the aisle when they need to.”

Barring an unforeseen surge in Lupo voters, Caldwell will face off against tech professional Arik Daugherty in the Nov. 5 general election. Daugherty is the lone Democrat on the primary ballot.

“I take no vote for granted,” Caldwell said. “So, thank you to everyone who voted for me, and to everyone who didn’t, I hope to earn your support the next several months.”

In the House District 21 vote, incumbent Bradfield held a comfortable 17-point lead over challenger Bill Garlington, 49% to 32%. Jan Koester was in third with 19% of the vote.

Bradfield, a retired teacher and longtime member of the Colorado General Assembly, has listed child care, education, veterans and mental/behavioral health as her top legislative priorities.

Garlington and Koester have claimed that Bradfield’s voting record indicates a failure to uphold the values of the state Republican Party.

“(Bradfield) has a 55% voting record when it comes to conservative issues,” Garlington said in response to a Gazette questionnaire. “I believe she has failed in all capacities.”

“I would suggest you research …  the voting record of our incumbent on the Liberty Scorecard and the Colorado Union of Taxpayers websites to see if she represents you well,” Koester said.

Bradfield said that sometimes working across the aisle is the only way to get things done.

“I have been fortunate that my bills are not extreme, meaning that most people see the purpose and benefits,” Bradfield said earlier this month. “I have been glad to have people want to be a part of the bills I propose.”

Bradfield is poised to go against health insurance broker and clean-water advocate Liz Rosenbaum, the only Democratic candidate on the House District 21 ballot.