A Republican primary race for a state House of Representatives seat in south Jefferson County has turned ugly, with candidate Colin Larson sending out campaign literature referring to opponent Frank Francone’s “arrest for dealing cocaine base” nearly three decades ago as well as tax problems, and Francone calling Larson a “swamp creature.”

The GOP primary race is in House District 22, which includes parts of unincorporated Jeffco west of Littleton. The district – currently held by Republican Justin Everett, who has endorsed Francone – leans GOP, with equal numbers for Republicans and unaffiliated voters, at around 20,000 active voters each. Democrats trail with about 13,000 active voters.

The battle between the two Republicans has gotten nasty in recent weeks, with fliers from each candidate blasting the other.

Wednesday, Larson provided a new mailer to Colorado Politics, sent to the district’s voters in recent days, that raises questions about Francone’s past.

Larson’s mailer claims Francone was arrested in Los Angeles in November 1990 on charges  of  possession and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and crack cocaine base.

The mailer does not tell voters that those charges were all dismissed.

A review of California court records shows that two charges of possession with intent to distribute were dismissed on February 1991, after Francone agreed to enter a drug diversion program.

The third charge, a misdemeanor possession charge, was dismissed in September 1992 after he completed the program.

Francone has made no secret of having had a drug problem in the 1990s. He includes that history as part of his life story in a video on his campaign website.

In the video, he says that he had a drug and alcohol problem and was “even arrested,” although he doesn’t say what he was arrested for.

Larson’s mailer also accuses Francone of failing “to pay more than $150,000 in state and federal income taxes,” referring to Francone and his then-law practice being levied that amount in tax liens, beginning in 1982. The last of those liens was released in 2010, according to records obtained by Colorado Politics from the Alameda County (California) clerk and recorder.

A third accusation raised in Larson’s new mailer is that Francone does not hold a degree as he claims from Chalmers University of Gothenberg, Sweden – a claim the university now refutes.

An email from the university last January obtained by Colorado Politics said Francone had completed 40.5 credit hours and a thesis but was not awarded the degree. However, this week, in a letter obtained by Colorado Politics, the university said Francone did get the degree in 2009 and attributed the earlier email to a record-keeping error.

Meanwhile, an anti-Larson mailer put out by the Francone campaign earlier this month called Larson a “swamp creature” who is backed by “big tax-hikers.”

In the mailer, Francone criticized his opponent for refusing to respond to questionnaires from the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and Colorado Campaign for Life, which are local gun-rights and anti-abortion advocacy groups respectively.

Francone told Colorado Politics that his tax issues took place at the same time as his drug and alcohol problems.

“I ran out of money” and spent the tax money on other things, he said. He claims all the liens were paid off by 1999.

The process of getting sober and getting arrested was very humbling, Francone said. The charges of intent to sell were dismissed at the first court hearing three months after the arrest.

According to Francone, the drug-dealing charges were dismissed because “it was painfully obvious (to the judge and district attorney that) I wasn’t a drug seller.”

Francone said he doesn’t recall how much of the drug he had in his possession.

Running for office is an opportunity to talk about the problems of drugs, whether it’s opioids or other drug crises, he said, adding that people come up to him at campaign events and share their own personal history.

“Twenty-seven years ago, I was death warmed over. It’s important for people to know that there’s life after you get sober,” he said.

Larson told Colorado Politics that he does not begrudge anyone from getting sober.

“My issue is that he is not forthright about the fact that he was distributing drugs or the other lives he ruined,” Larson said of Francone. “He’s never acknowledged he dealt drugs or brought others into the habit. That’s the pattern of deception that continues to today.”

Francone has been endorsed by the three Republican House members in Jefferson County – Everett, the incumbent, as well as Reps. Tim Leonard of Evergreen and Lang Sias of Arvada.

Everett told Colorado Politics that he’s known Francone since the early 2000s and that Francone “has turned his life around.”

Francone is also backed by state Sen. Tim Neville of Littleton; Neville’s sister-in-law, Julie Williams, a former member of the Jefferson County Board of Education who lost her seat in a recall in 2015; former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo; and Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.

“I’ve seen Frank in every circumstance,” Neville said. “It matters only unless it reflects on a character issue that they may still have, (and) for Frank, it’s just a testament to fact that he’s turned his life around, his faith, and his desire to serve.”

In the fundraising battle, Larson holds a lead heading into the last several days before the June 26 primary. He’s raised more than $31,600, including $5,000 from his own pocket and $4,850 from the pro-business group Homes for All Coloradans, to Francone’s $24,600.

Larson has gotten contributions from a leadership fund operated by Republican Rep. Dan Thurlow of Grand Junction, as well as from U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman of Aurora, gubernatorial candidate Victor Mitchell, and former state House Speaker Frank McNulty.

The winner of the Republican primary that ends June 26 will face Democrat Todd Kastetter in November.