State Rep. Shannon Bird

The Democrat’s departure from the contest means it’s effectively a three-way race for a chance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans next year in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts.

The Westminster Democrat will step down Jan. 5. A Democratic vacancy committee will be convened to select her replacement.

Bird did not attend the retreat and had resigned as the chair of the Opportunity Caucus, which hosted the gathering, in August.

The complaints were filed by Colorado Common Cause, a liberal-leaning nonprofit that advocates for an open government. They were submitted to Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission, which is charged with reviewing allegations of violations of the state’s 20-year-old gift ban.