Stephen Collier, the Republican chair of the House District 43 Central Committee, has resigned from his position and disaffiliated from the Republican Party, citing President Donald Trump’s involvement in the primary against U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and the ongoing controversy over the release of the Epstein files.
“The genesis for this decision today, however, comes from the recent primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District,” wrote Collier in a June 1 letter posted on social media. “The reelection campaign for Thomas Massie revealed the National Republican Party’s current direction and the true value they place on individual volunteers. For the party to use precious time and resources to go after the highest-rated conservative member of the Congress confounds me. As one of four representatives who pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, including our very own Congresswoman Lauren Boebert [R-CO], it seemed the party planted its flag firmly, placing a higher emphasis on select billionaires, their secretive PACs, and their purchase of a congressional seat. Amongst many of the endeavors Massie has fought for, to see our national leaders, many in the GOP, keep hidden in the shadows the criminal rot of high level business and political figures was my personal red line.”
Boebert joined Massie as one of the more vocal members of Congress calling for the release of the files. Earlier this year the Denver Post reported on Colorado connections found in the vast trove of documents — which included emails about Bill Gates contracting an STD, led Peter Mandelson, a former ambassador to the U.S., to resign from Britain’s House of Lords, and featured former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, among others — and last year columnist Logan Davis reported on Rep. Diana DeGette’s (D-CO) appearance in the files.
As a result, Trump backed Kentucky candidate Ed Gallrein over Massie in a primary election challenge, which Massie lost. Trump sought to unseat Massie after the eight-term representative broke with him on issues. Since the primary, Massie has continued to break with Trump, recently voting alongside Democrats to limit Trump’s war on Iran.
Boebert didn’t face a primary challenge, but did receive harsh criticism from Trump. Unlike Collier, Boebert continues to support the Republican Party. “I’m still going to continue to support him and the promises he and I have both made on campaign trails to ensure that we keep those promises,” Boebert said on Next with Kyle Clark in response to the president calling her “dumb.”
In his letter, Collier also noted the failure of Republicans to achieve substantial policy reform. “Our party’s multi-decade failure to bring about conservative policy solutions to address our nation’s compounding problems has crystalized this decision,” he wrote. “The GOP has held the majority in the legislative and executive branches consecutively three times this century: 2002-2006, 2016-2018, and 2024 until now. In that time, fraud, waste and abuse has run more rampant; crony capitalism has replaced our free market economy; the national debt is on a rocket ship trajectory that makes Elon Musk blush; and civil liberties continue to be degraded and defiled. Each is counter to the GOP’s stated platform.”
Responding to a comment from State Sen. Mark Baisley (R-Roxborough Park), who lamented his decision to leave the party, Collier says he still plans to help Nate Marsh, the Republican candidate running to unseat state Rep. Bob Marshall (D-Highlands Ranch) in House District 43.
Collier is running the “HD43 Victory Fund,” a political party committee created to “support the election, designation, nomination and appointment of qualified Republican persons to Colorado’s House District 43 while engaging in voter and civics education in the community.” According to his comment on Facebook, it appears he intends to continue in that role.
Conservative activists, particularly anti-abortion activists, have also criticized Trump for lack of progress on policy goals. “They’re doing nothing to address [abortion],” said national anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson during an April 29 appearance on the Jeff and Bill Show. “In fact, these chemical abortion pills were made accessible through the Biden administration and twice the Trump administration has had the opportunity to rein them back in and to say, ‘We are not going to allow this to continue in our country,’ And twice he has said, ‘We are not going to do anything to stop the distribution of these pills.’ Also, it was Trump’s FDA who allowed the generic distribution of these RU-486 pills, these chemical abortion pills. He green-lighted that through! The Trump administration has done nothing but expand the access to these chemical-abortion pills, which are significantly more dangerous than surgical abortion. So, absolutely, the Trump administration is setting up women for dangerous abortions.”
Collier also noted the impact the political landscape is having on younger voters. “These 20-25 year olds are simply, in a word, broken,” he wrote. “What are we doing for them? How is the GOP giving the next American generation a better future? Born on or after 9/11, hearing from this group is one of the darkest storylines I’ve ever heard. Bleak doesn’t begin to describe it. Student debt. Decreasing job prospects. Hyper inflation. Lack of finances to marry. Or have children. Or purchase a home. Lives through continuous overseas wars. The Great Recession. COVID. Civil unrest. When mentioning “The American Dream” they rebuke the very notion of it as they’re living a nightmare. And the GOP is providing almost nothing nationally to turn this tide. In fact, our national leaders are exponentially making things worse. One should ask the question: why?”
Collier declined to comment on this reporting.
