As part of our weekly roundup of articles about political extremism in Colorado, the Colorado Times Recorder is featuring Erik Maulbetsch’s coverage of former CU Regent Heidi Ganahl’s press conference where she both called into question the results of the election she lost and announced a plan to recruit volunteers taken with election conspiracy theories to ‘monitor’ ballot boxes in the upcoming general election. We are also showcasing Jason Salzman’s and Maulbetsch’s analysis of mainstream Republicans endorsing election conspiracists in their races, Heidi Beedle’s coverage of posts from Lauren Boebert’s campaign manager that indicate the congresswoman had been in contact with Tina Peters ahead of her plan to undermine Mesa County’s election safety, and Owen Swallow’s coverage of a rally held by Gays Against Groomers, a group connected to other extremist groups like Moms For Liberty, and the counterprotests that outnumbered them. Take a look out for our coverage of yesterday’s Trump rally in Aurora.
Two Years After Her Landslide Loss, Heidi Ganahl Claims Her Election Results Were “Off”
Former CU Regent Heidi Ganahl announced plans to organize a group of volunteers to ‘monitor’ drop boxes. Ganahl held a press conference in September where she claimed that there was “something off” in the loss margins of her 2022 loss to Jared Polis. Ganahl’s plan is similar to a plan by Joe Oltmann to recruit election fraud conspiracists to ‘monitor’ drop boxes in 2022. Ganahl also asked for donations to fund the legal defense for any volunteers arrested.
Funding the Fringe: Mainstream Republicans Are Backing Election Deniers on Colorado’s Ballot
More mainstream Colorado Republicans have been endorsing candidates who have promoted election conspiracies and deny the results of the 2020 presidential election. One such group, led by former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, has spent around $200,000 in support of Matt Burcham which helped him win his primary against a more moderate opponent. Burcham was an active member of an election conspiracy group called the U.S. Election Integrity Plan. Other groups, like the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, endorsed state representatives Marc Catlin and Dan Woog who both voted to “call into question” the legitimacy of the 2020 election. You can read more about the list of candidates with histories of election denial in this article.
Did Boebert Know About Colorado Clerk’s Criminal Plan Beforehand?
Social media posts by Sherronna Bishop, Lauren Boebert’s campaign manager, suggest that Congresswoman Boebert had prior knowledge of Tina Peters’ plot to undermine the security of Mesa County’s voting machines. In her post, Bishop referred to Tina Peters, the former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder who has since been convicted for her role in the plot, as a ‘whistleblower’ that Peters had communicated with the congresswoman before the events took place. Bishop writes that Boebert told Peters “You get ‘em girl, I have your back!”
Gays Against Groomers Event Outnumbered by Counter-Protestors
The Colorado Chapter of Gays Against Groomers held its “Stop the War on Children” rally on October 5th with the help of Moms for Liberty, both of which are identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBTQIA+ hate groups. The event featured sitting GOP representatives like State Reps. Ken DeGraaf (R-Colorado Springs) and Brandi Bradley (R-Larkspur). In addition other speakers included congressional candidate Valdamar Archuleta and anti-trans activists Erin Lee, Adam Vena, and Jennifer Sey. The event was protested by a coalition of people and leftist groups who came out to support LGBTQ+ rights and trans children.
