When he decided not to seek another term as leader of the Colorado Republican Party, Dick Wadhams wrote in a 2011 good-riddance letter to fellow Republicans that he was tired of GOP activists who see “conspiracies around every corner.” (Emphasis: That was 2011.)
UPDATE: In another radio interview, Williams clarified the role he envisions for Peters: bringing in dollars from her “national network of well funded friends.” See below for details.
This year was the second year in a row that Colorado Republicans have attempted to pass legislation criminalizing abortion in Colorado. Rep. Scott Bottoms’ (R-CO Springs) bill, “Abolishing Abortion in Colorado,” was a repeat of former Rep. Dave Williams’ (R-CO Springs) bill in 2022. Both bills featured testimony from Jeff Durbin of End Abortion Now and members of Colorado Right to Life, and both bills died in Democrat-controlled committees.
The future of the Colorado Republican Party appears to be focused on restricting voting and perpetuating the unfounded claim of widespread election conspiracy. The six candidates vying to head the state’s GOP spoke last Wednesday night at a forum held in Parker on the direction they would take the party–all of whom vowed to close primaries to unaffiliated voters and investigate voter fraud within the state.
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is on the rise across the U.S. and in Colorado, and drag shows have become a central target of the right. Conservatives have attacked and vilified drag shows and performers, saying they are part of a left-wing effort to indoctrinate children through grooming.
This year, leading conservatives have waged war on LQBTQ people in Colorado. Here is a sample of recent stories in the Colorado Times Recorder about hostility or outright bigotry toward members of our LGBTQ community.
In a radio interview this month, Priscilla Rahn, vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, urged GOP voters to cast their ballots along party lines, regardless of whether they share candidates’ values and positions.
In El Paso County, home of more Republican voters than any other county in Colorado, one might assume that the winner of the Republican primary would have a clear path to victory in November, but you would be wrong.
In the wake of Colorado’s primary elections last week and the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion laws to state authority, Republicans and conservatives continue to push anti-abortion policy via legislation, ballot initiatives, campaign rhetoric, and leadership elections. Despite recent failures in enacting their agenda and a demonstrated lack of support from the state’s voters, the Colorado GOP is undeterred.
Republicans are waging an all-out war on the rights and existence of transgender people this election cycle, and that battle is being carried into Colorado by legislators like state Representatives Mark Baisley (R-Roxborough Park) and Dave Williams (R-CO Springs), among others.
