Gay Congressman Polis May Have Antigay Challenger

Kevin Lundberg, perhaps the most conservative state senator in Colorado, may challenge gay congressman Jared Polis in next year's election.

Lundberg, who now shares Polis's congressional district thanks to redistricting, announced Tuesday that he has formed an exploratory committee to gauge support for his potential run, Denver TV station KDVR reports.

Lundberg, a Republican, was one of the chief opponents of Colorado's civil union bill. It passed the Senate this year despite his efforts, but he led a protest and prayer rally against it at the state capitol the day it was considered by the House Judiciary Committee, where it eventually died. He is "definitely the most anti-gay lawmaker" in the state legislature, according to LGBT paper OutFront Colorado.

Polis, a Democrat, is one of four openly gay members of the U.S. House, but two will be leaving next year -- Massachusetts's Barney Frank is retiring, and Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin is running for U.S. Senate. However, Lundberg poses little threat to Polis, OutFront reports.

"Lundberg's announcement is a head scratcher," the paper notes. Even though redistricting has brought some more conservative areas into Polis's district, it continues, "the seat is still considered safe for Democrats. Couple that with Polis' money and influence on fundraising and you'd think only a crazy person would step up for that kind of a fight. Then again, maybe we'll just leave it at that."