“I think it’s time we had a real First Lady, don’t you?” said Colorado candidate for Governor Greg Lopez, a Republican, during a campaign speech Saturday, in a bigoted — and brazen — anti-LGBTQ attack on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, and his husband and First Gentleman Marlon Reis.
Lopez’s comments were first reported Saturday by Denver-based data journalist Sandra Fish, who was tweeting from the Douglas County Republican Assembly, where GOP delegates were selecting candidates for consideration at the April 9 state assembly.
Lopez, the former Mayor of Parker, made a similar comment in a speech the same day at the Arapahoe County Republican assembly, saying he wanted a “real first lady” and receiving loud applause from the audience without any boos or any sign of disgust or objection.
In response to Fish’s tweet, however, at least one conservative, Colorado Sun columnist Mario Nicolais, who ran for a Republican Senate Seat in 2014 and was a victim of anti-LGBTQ GOP misinformation, tweeted, “That is DESPICABLE.”
“I thought maybe the Colorado GOP had moved past anti-gay rhetoric. I was wrong! Incidentally, Colorado has never had a woman as governor, which in the case of a married hetero woman would bring in a First Gentleman,” tweeted Ari Armstrong, a free-market Republican and Complete Colorado columnist.
Also in response to Fish’s tweet, Democratic Party spokesman Nico Delgado tweeted, “It’s 2022 and apparently homophobia is alive and well in the [Colorado Republican Party].”
And 9News anchor Kyle Clark tweeted, “GOP candidate for Governor who admitted physically assaulting his then-pregnant wife offers a homophobic attack on Colorado’s First Gentleman.”
Lopez did not return a call seeking comment.
