Colorado GOP lawmaker switches parties over Donald Trump's election lies

Republican Colorado State Sen. Kevin Priola on Monday announced that he was leaving the GOP to become a Democrat -- and he said that former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election were a major factor.

In a letter Priola released on Monday, the one-time Colorado Republican said that his former party's reaction to the January 6 riots at the United States Capitol made it impossible for him to continue identifying with it.

"I cannot continue to be a part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen," he wrote.

He also said he's been dismayed by the way that the GOP has tried to hound out anyone within the party who has tried to hold Trump accountable.

"To my dismay, brave and honorable Republicans like Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, and Adam Kinzinger have fought to defend the Constitution and the rule of law only to be met with ridicule and threats," he argued.

Additionally, Priola said he could no longer accept being a Republican when the party was still in denial about climate change, even in the middle of "a near year-round wildfire season... and a seeming never ending drought."

Read the full letter here (PDF).