| Abel J. Tapia | |
| Width: | 150 |
| State Senate: | Colorado |
| State: | Colorado |
| District: | 3rd |
| Term Start: | January 11, 2003 |
| Term End: | July 2010 |
| Preceded: | Bill Thiebaut |
| Succeeded: | Angela Giron |
| State House1: | Colorado |
| District1: | 46th |
| Term Start1: | January 13, 1999 |
| Term End1: | January 11, 2003[1] |
| Predecessor1: | Gilbert E. Romero |
| Successor1: | Dorothy B. Butcher |
| Birth Date: | 23 July 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Pueblo, Colorado |
| Profession: | Engineer |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Footnotes: | [2] |
Abel J. Tapia is an American politician who served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and the Colorado Senate from 2003 to 2010.[3] Tapia left the Senate when he was appointed director of the Colorado Lottery.[3]
Prior to his time in the General Assembly, Tapia served as elected member of the District-60 school board and as the President of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
On March 28, 2014, Tapia announced his candidacy for Colorado's 3rd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives.[4] He was defeated by Republican incumbent Scott Tipton.
In 2020, Tapia was a candidate for the Pueblo County Commission, running on a platform of COVID-19 economy recovery, improving Pueblo's existing jail, supporting small businesses.[5] However, he was defeated in the June 2020 primary election by incumbent Garrison Ortiz.[6]