On Friday, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert urged Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams to showcase his support for candidates at all levels of the ballot. Boebert warned that failure to do so could result in his removal from office.
In a social media post, Boebert expressed her disappointment in the recent conflicts within the state GOP, describing it as “embarrassing to watch.” She further stated that this infighting might cause Colorado Republicans to miss out on a “golden opportunity” to flip seats in the upcoming November elections. Boebert believes that rival party factions have been too preoccupied with their internal disagreements, instead of focusing on winning seats for the party.
On Facebook, Boebert expressed her embarrassment over the public discord and in-fighting within the Colorado Republican Party over the past month. She emphasized the importance of the upcoming November elections, stating that this is a prime opportunity for the party to secure seats at all levels of government.
“Our party has failed to unite and focus on important issues such as securing our border, unleashing American energy, and getting President Trump back to the White House. Instead, we have witnessed lawsuits, threats, and censures that have only added to the division within our party. It’s disheartening to see that all sides of the party have contributed to this failure to come together.”
According to Boebert, who is the most prominent Republican in Colorado to condemn Williams’ actions as party chair, the state GOP has exhibited “a failure to lead” in their approach since the primary on June 25th.
Boebert expressed her disappointment in the lack of leadership shown after the Primary Election. She emphasized that it was not about competing policies or ideologies but rather the failure to reach out to candidates and organizations in Colorado and beyond. Boebert believes that it is important to offer support, mend bridges, and present a clear gameplan in order to win together in November.
In her warning, Boebert emphasized that the decision to replace party leadership so close to the general election is not without risks. However, she held Williams responsible for the situation he finds himself in.
According to her, Chairman Williams has put himself in a situation that is likely to cause disruption and harm due to his attempted and possibly disputed leadership change at COGOP, which is only 100 days away from Election Day.
On Saturday, State Republicans will gather at a church in Brighton, 101 days prior to the ballot deadline of November 5th. Their main agenda is to discuss the possibility of dismissing Williams, Scheppelman, and Ferguson, who are all statewide party officers. If the decision is made to remove one or all of them from their positions, the meeting will also include electing new officers to serve until the following spring.
Last week, Williams filed a lawsuit to prevent the meeting from being recognized as official party business, and he has encouraged Republicans to boycott the event, citing it as “illegal” and “fraudulent.” However, on Thursday, a judge from Arapahoe County District Court denied the request for a preliminary injunction filed by Williams and the state GOP, which aimed to stop the meeting from happening.
In her statement on Friday, Boebert conveyed that the Republican party, both in Colorado and on a national level, must contemplate replacing state GOP leadership if Williams fails to demonstrate a dedication to supporting Republican candidates, regardless of their stance on every issue.
Boebert expressed her readiness to publicly assist and offer support to Republicans at all levels, irrespective of their stance on various issues. She emphasized that she is willing to extend her help regardless of any disagreements she may have with them. Boebert further stated that if Chairman Williams fails to exhibit the same level of support towards candidates, Republicans in Colorado and across the nation may seek alternative leadership for the remaining 100 days.
According to a text message sent to Colorado Politics by the state GOP, Boebert’s criticism appears to be misguided.
The party has issued a statement refuting Lauren Boebert’s claims, stating that they are unsure of where she obtained her inaccurate information. The statement further emphasizes that the Chairman and the State Party have already expressed complete support for the Party’s nominees. They have also assured that efforts are underway to provide resources to help these nominees achieve success in their respective campaigns.
Since January, there have been increasing calls for former state lawmaker, Williams, to resign from his position as party leader. Williams’ decision to run for the congressional seat previously held by Doug Lamborn has prompted these calls, despite Williams’ unsuccessful attempts to secure the position in the past. The seat is based in El Paso County.
Last month, the calls for action grew louder as Williams directed his attacks towards the LGBTQ community’s Pride Month. This included urging fellow Republicans to “Burn all the #Pride flags,” a statement that was widely condemned. It should be noted that these calls for action stem from the state party’s departure from their traditional stance of neutrality in primaries.
Despite receiving endorsements from former President Donald Trump and Boebert, Williams was defeated by a significant margin in the 5th Congressional District primary to Republican Jeff Crank. As a result, Crank will be facing off against Democratic nominee River Gassen in the upcoming November election.
In June, multiple county Republican parties passed resolutions calling for Williams’ removal from office.
Todd Watkins, who used to be an ally of Williams and currently serves as the El Paso County GOP vice chair, has taken the lead in the campaign to remove Williams from his position. Watkins initiated the call for a state party meeting, which will take place on Saturday, after Williams failed to respond to a petition that Watkins had submitted. The petition called for a vote to remove Williams from his position.
As of Friday morning, there were already four Republicans vying for the position left by Williams. These include Eli Bremer, former U.S. Senate candidate and El Paso County GOP chair; Richard Holtorf, R-Akron state representative; Brita Horn, former Routt County Treasurer; and Steve Peck, Douglas County GOP chair.
On Thursday, Bremer unveiled a list of candidates to occupy state party positions, which includes the former county Republican chairs and the former attorney of the state GOP.
On Thursday, the Colorado GOP restated its stance to state central committee members that the upcoming meeting on Saturday will not be considered valid. The party declared that the notice of the meeting was “invalid, illegal, and should be ignored as any business conducted will be illegitimate.”
The state party has issued a warning to SCC Members to disregard the deceitful call made by an impostor. Any decisions made at the fake meeting would be null and void, according to the party. The current leadership team will continue to operate despite the phony gathering that took place over the weekend.
