CO Republicans revolt after state GOP demands support of Trump’s 'America-first agenda'

02 May 2024

The Colorado Republican Party's chairman is experiencing stiff backlash from candidates running for office after suggesting they should be enthusiastic backers of former President Donald Trump.

According to the Colorado Sun, GOP candidates running in the Centennial State's June primary were sent a three-page questionnaire to determine whether they would receive the endorsement of the party ahead of the primary — a major break from past tradition. One of the criteria for an official endorsement is if a candidate supports "President Trump’s populist, America-first agenda." Colorado GOP chairman Dave Williams was blasted by candidates for appearing to put his finger on the scale over candidates with more raw voter support.

"Grassroots conservatives spoke at the [Congressional district] Republican assembly," said Colorado Board of Education member Stephen Varela, who is running for the GOP nomination in the state's 3rd Congressional district. "I won top line. Why would a handful of party bosses disrespect the grassroots and consider endorsing someone else?"

County-level Republican leaders are also pushing back against Williams' purity testing of candidates. La Plata County GOP chairman Dave Peters said he "strongly advise[s] him to remain neutral on all candidates," though he added he was "generally supportive" of Williams' leadership.

Candidates who went door to door to gather petition signatures to appear on the GOP primary ballot similarly criticized state party leadership for abandoning neutrality. Republican state senator Larry Liston, who represents the GOP stronghold of Colorado Springs, gathered roughly 1,300 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot in a door-to-door canvassing campaign. He told the Sun that level of voter engagement sets him apart from his two primary opponents who have only engaged with the roughly 100 voters that attended the 10th senate district GOP assembly.

“It’s only divisive and shouldn’t be done,” Liston said of the 2024 primary endorsement plan. He added that Williams and other Republican leaders “hate the petition process, because they don’t have control over who makes the ballot.

"It’s a lot more work to petition on than to go to a county assembly," Liston said.

One of the Centennial State GOP's most notable endorsements in the 2024 cycle is of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), who is running for reelection to represent an entirely new district. The Colorado Republican Party's endorsement may very well give her the edge she needs in the crowded five-person primary, with all of her other opponents gathering petition signatures to win ballot access.

"The COGOP and Chair Williams are completely out of line,” stated Colorado state representative Richard Holtorf, who is running against Boebert. “Voters want to vote, not be told for whom to vote by the state party."

Colorado's Republican primary will take place on June 25.

Click here to read the Colorado Sun's report.

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