Democratic congressional candidate in Colorado arrested for alleged protection order violation

Ike McCorkle, a Democratic congressional candidate, was arrested in Douglas County earlier this week for allegedly violating a protection order.

McCorkle is one of four Democrats running for Colorado’s 4th District seat against a growing list of Republican hopefuls, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, the current 3rd District representative.

Court records show McCorkle was arrested on a misdemeanor count Tuesday and posted a $500 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Douglas County court early Friday. 

Contacted by phone Thursday evening, McCorkle called the arrest “illegitimate” and said he expects the matter to be cleared up in his court appearance. He said the charges are related to nonsense claims.

According to civil court records, in 2021 McCorkle was the defendant in one protection order case and the plaintiff in another protection order case. It’s unclear if McCorkle’s recent arrest is related to the 2021 cases.

In Colorado, a protection order — also known as a restraining order — prevents the person named from harassing, intimidating or otherwise contacting the protected person, or from coming within a specified distance of the protected person.

McCorkle, an 18-year Marine veteran and a Purple Heart recipient, ran for the District 4 seat in 2020 and 2022, losing both times to U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a Windsor Republican who is not running for reelection this year.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:43 a.m., Jan. 5, 2024, based on new information about McCorkle’s arrest and the 2021 protection order cases. It was previously updated to specify that four Democrats are running for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District seat.