Colorado Republican Party

The Colorado Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. The party's headquarters is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Colorado Republican Party
Chairperson	Dave Williams
Senate Leader	Paul Lundeen
House Leader	Rose Pugliese
Headquarters	Greenwood Village, Colorado
Membership (2024)	936,583[1]
Ideology	Conservatism Trumpism Anti-LGBTIQA+[2][3] Factions: LGBTIQA+-affirming[4]
Political position	Right-wing to far-right[5][6]
National affiliation	Republican Party
Colors	Red
U.S. Senate	0 / 2
U.S. House	3 / 8
Statewide offices	0 / 5
Colorado Senate	12 / 35
Colorado House of Representatives	19 / 65
Colorado State Board of Education	3 / 9
University of Colorado Board of Regents	4 / 9
Election symbol
Website
www.cologop.org
Politics of United States Political parties Elections

The Republican Party was dominant in the state as recently as the mid-2000s, however it has declined over the subsequent decades. After the 2020 elections, Republicans held the smallest amount of political power in the state government since World War II. This decline has been attributed to various factors, including the party moving too far right for the state, changing demographics, mismanaged campaign money, internal party divisions, a better organized Democratic Party, and the unpopularity of Donald Trump in the state.^[7]

The party fared even poorer in the 2022 elections, in which Democrats swept every statewide office by a double-digit margin, expanded their majority in the state's U.S. House delegation, and further expanded their supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.^[8] Since 2023, the party has faced further revenue loss and party infighting, with the party veering further towards the far-right after the election of Dave Williams as party chair, and an overall further decline of influence in the state.^[9][10]

Recent history

Since 2016, the Colorado GOP has shifted more rightward in their political positions and have subsequently embraced Trumpism and far-right ideologies.^[11][12][13] Starting in the early 2010s, active voter registrations with the Colorado GOP has seen a decline and fell behind the Democratic Party in 2016.^[14] In the 2018 elections, Republicans lost much power in the state, suffering significant losses in the aftermath of the election.^[14] After the 2020 Colorado elections, Republicans lost even more influence within the state, holding the smallest amount of political power in the state government since World War II.^[7]

Since Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, elements of the Colorado GOP and its voter base have espoused support for Trump's false claims of election fraud.^[15][16][13] While top Colorado Republicans have defended Colorado's local elections, they have cast doubt on the validity of the election results in other states or stayed silent on Trump's allegations of fraud.^[17] On December 7, 2020, a group of Republicans requested to the Speaker of the House KC Becker that a committee be formed on "election integrity" to conduct an audit of the Dominion Voting Systems used in Colorado in spite of no evidence of issues. The request was rejected, with Becker criticizing it as "a dangerous stunt" and a promotion of "debunked conspiracy theories."^[18][19]

Also in December, Colorado congressional Republicans supported a lawsuit aimed to overturn the election results.^[20] On January 6, 2021, congressional Republicans from Colorado objected to certification of the results, with Lauren Boebert and Doug Lamborn objecting to certification of the results.^[21][22]

The party performed poorly in the 2022 elections; Democrats won every statewide office by double digits, expanded their numbers in the state's U.S. House delegation, and further expanded their majorities in both chambers of the legislature.^[8] In the aftermath of the heavily lopsided results, Republican state representative Colin Larson lamented that "Colorado Republicans need to take this and learn the lesson that the party is dead. This was an extinction-level event."^[8]

In 2023, former state representative Dave Williams was elected to chair the state's Republican Party; he has been noted for promoting false claims of election fraud.^[6][23] Since 2023, the party has faced a significant loss of funding, an increase in infighting and party division, controversial leadership, the party veering further to the right, and a further decrease of influence within the state.^{[24][9][10][25]}

In 2024, USA Today reported that Republicans in the state consistently voted against certifying local elections, often due to election denialism and false claims of fraud.^[26]

2024 internal crisis

In 2024, the Colorado Republican Party called on parents to remove their children from public schools in Colorado, arguing that the schools "turn more kids trans.”^[27] At the beginning of Pride Month, the party referred to LGBT people as groomers, made reference to the infamous Westboro Baptist Church slogan "God hates fags", and called for the burning of all pride flags.

The mailer and social media posts provoked widespread bipartisan condemnation, and triggered a crisis within the Colorado GOP. Log Cabin Republican Valdamar Archuleta renounced the party's endorsement of him in the Colorado's 1st congressional district election as a result.^[2] Aurora city counsellor Curtis Gardner renounced his affiliation with the Colorado GOP, saying that their rhetoric on LGBTQ issues demonstrated that "[the party] no longer stands for the issues that I care about - individual rights, fiscal responsibility, restraint of government, limited foreign intervention, and encouraging economic mobility."^[28][29] The Jefferson County Republican Party, speaking on behalf of “numerous Colorado Republican County Chairs, other county party officers, members of the Colorado State Central Committee in all 64 Counties, and many Republican candidates” called for Dave Williams to resign immediately.^[4]

The leadership of the Colorado GOP has so far stood by its actions. The state vice-chair responded to a request for an interview with the Colorado State GOP chairman with the following:

We make no apologies for standing against pride month as it's a destructive agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority and if certain weak Republicans like [Jefferson County GOP chairwoman] Nancy Pallozzi want to side with a movement that promotes transgender chemical castration and genital mutilation then we look forward to notifying their base membership of that disgraceful act.

— Colorado Republican Party vice-chair Hope Scheppelman, ^[30]

Dave Williams lost the primary election for Colorado's 5th congressional district to Republican Jeff Crank. This race was characterized as a "battle" for the "soul" of the GOP in Colorado,^[31][32] with Williams representing the far-right, election-denying side of the party, and Crank representing the a more traditional conservative version of the party. On August 24, 2024, Williams was removed as Colorado Republican Party chairman during a meeting in Brighton, Colorado.^[33] On September 26, 2024, El Paso County Judge Eric Bentley ruled that the August 24, 2024 meeting was illegitimate and the vote to remove Williams as chairman was voided. ^[34]

Current elected officials

After the 2022 Colorado elections, the Colorado Republican Party controls none of the statewide offices and holds minorities in the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold a 3-5 minority in the state's U.S. House delegation.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

• None

Both of Colorado's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2021. Cory Gardner was the last Republican to represent Colorado in the U.S. Senate. First elected in 2014, Gardner lost his bid for a second term in 2020 to John Hickenlooper who has held the seat since.

U.S. House of Representatives

District	Member	Photo
3rd	Lauren Boebert
4th	Greg Lopez
5th	Doug Lamborn

Statewide offices

• None.^[35]

Republicans have not won a statewide office since 2016, when Heidi Ganahl narrowly won the at-large seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents.^[36]

Legislative leadership

• Senate Minority Leader: Paul Lundeen
• House Minority Leader: Rose Pugliese

Election results

Presidential

Colorado Republican Party presidential election results

Election	Presidential Ticket	Votes	Vote %	Electoral votes	Result
1876	Rutherford B. Hayes/William A. Wheeler	No popular vote		3 / 3	Won
1880	James A. Garfield/Chester A. Arthur	27,450	51.26%	3 / 3	Won
1884	James G. Blaine/John A. Logan	39,514	54.25%	3 / 3	Lost
1888	Benjamin Harrison/Levi P. Morton	50,772	55.22%	3 / 3	Won
1892	Benjamin Harrison/Whitelaw Reid	38,620	41.13%	0 / 4	Lost
1896	William McKinley/Garret Hobart	26,271	13.86%	0 / 4	Won
1900	William McKinley/Theodore Roosevelt	93,072	42.04%	0 / 4	Won
1904	Theodore Roosevelt/Charles W. Fairbanks	134,661	55.26%	5 / 5	Won
1908	William Howard Taft/James S. Sherman	123,693	46.88%	0 / 5	Won
1912	William Howard Taft/Nicholas M. Butler	58,386	21.88%	0 / 6	Lost
1916	Charles E. Hughes/Charles W. Fairbanks	102,308	34.75%	0 / 6	Lost
1920	Warren G. Harding/Calvin Coolidge	173,248	59.32%	6 / 6	Won
1924	Calvin Coolidge/Charles G. Dawes	195,171	57.02%	6 / 6	Won
1928	Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis	253,872	64.72%	6 / 6	Won
1932	Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis	189,617	41.43%	0 / 6	Lost
1936	Alf Landon/Frank Knox	181,267	37.09%	0 / 6	Lost
1940	Wendell Willkie/Charles L. McNary	279,576	50.92%	6 / 6	Lost
1944	Thomas E. Dewey/John W. Bricker	268,731	53.21%	6 / 6	Lost
1948	Thomas E. Dewey/Earl Warren	239,714	46.52%	0 / 6	Lost
1952	Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon	379,782	60.27%	6 / 6	Won
1956	Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon	394,479	59.49%	6 / 6	Won
1960	Richard Nixon/Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.	402,242	54.63%	6 / 6	Lost
1964	Barry Goldwater/William E. Miller	296,767	38.19%	0 / 6	Lost
1968	Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew	409,345	50.46%	6 / 6	Won
1972	Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew	597,189	62.61%	7 / 7	Won
1976	Gerald Ford/Bob Dole	584,367	54.05%	7 / 7	Lost
1980	Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush	652,264	55.07%	7 / 7	Won
1984	Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush	821,818	63.44%	8 / 8	Won
1988	George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle	728,177	53.06%	8 / 8	Won
1992	George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle	562,850	35.87%	0 / 8	Lost
1996	Bob Dole/Jack Kemp	691,848	45.80%	8 / 8	Lost
2000	George W. Bush/Dick Cheney	883,745	50.75%	8 / 8	Won
2004	George W. Bush/Dick Cheney	1,101,255	51.69%	9 / 9	Won
2008	John McCain/Sarah Palin	1,073,629	44.71%	0 / 9	Lost
2012	Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan	1,185,243	46.13%	0 / 9	Lost
2016	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	1,202,484	43.25%	0 / 9	Won
2020	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	1,364,607	41.90%	0 / 9	Lost

Gubernatorial

Colorado Republican Party gubernatorial election results

Election	Gubernatorial candidate	Votes	Vote %	Result
1876	John Long Routt	14,154	51.53%	Won Y
1878	Frederick Walker Pitkin	14,308	49.98%	Won Y
1880	Frederick Walker Pitkin	28,465	53.28%	Won Y
1882	E. L. Campbell	28,820	46.91%	Lost N
1884	Benjamin Harrison Eaton	33,845	50.74%	Won Y
1886	William H. Meyer	26,816	45.55%	Lost N
1888	Job Adams Cooper	49,490	53.84%	Won Y
1890	John Long Routt	41,827	50.11%	Won Y
1892	Joseph Helm	38,806	41.79%	Lost N
1894	Albert McIntire	93,502	51.95%	Won Y
1896	G. H. Allen	23,945	12.66%	Lost N
1898	Henry R. Wolcott	51,051	34.17%	Lost N
1900	Frank C. Goudy	96,027	43.53%	Lost N
1902	James Hamilton Peabody	87,684	46.94%	Won Y
1904	James Hamilton Peabody	113,754	46.80%	Lost N
1906	Henry Augustus Buchtel	92,602	45.59%	Won Y
1908	Jesse Fuller McDonald	118,953	45.16%	Lost N
1910	John B. Stephen	97,691	43.48%	Lost N
1912	Clifford C. Parks	63,061	23.73%	Lost N
1914	George Alfred Carlson	129,096	48.67%	Won Y
1916	George Alfred Carlson	117,723	41.28%	Lost N
1918	Oliver Henry Shoup	112,693	51.15%	Won Y
1920	Oliver Henry Shoup	174,488	59.55%	Won Y
1922	Benjamin Griffith	134,353	48.29%	Lost N
1924	Clarence Morley	178,078	51.92%	Won Y
1926	Oliver Henry Shoup	116,756	38.11%	Lost N
1928	William L. Boatright	114,067	31.85%	Lost N
1930	Robert F. Rockwell	124,164	38.06%	Lost N
1932	James D. Parriott	183,258	40.78%	Lost N
1934	Nathan C. Warren	162,791	39.91%	Lost N
1936	Charles M. Armstrong	210,614	43.65%	Lost N
1938	Ralph Lawrence Carr	296,671	59.50%	Won Y
1940	Ralph Lawrence Carr	296,671	54.37%	Won Y
1942	John Charles Vivian	193,501	56.23%	Won Y
1944	John Charles Vivian	259,862	52.40%	Won Y
1946	Leon Lavington	160,483	47.89%	Lost N
1948	David A. Hamil	168,928	33.67%	Lost N
1950	Daniel I. J. Thornton	236,472	52.43%	Won Y
1952	Daniel I. J. Thornton	349,924	57.08%	Won Y
1954	Donald G. Brotzman	227,335	46.44%	Lost N
1956	Donald G. Brotzman	313,950	48.66%	Lost N
1958	Palmer Burch	228,643	41.59%	Lost N
1962	John Arthur Love	349,342	56.67%	Won Y
1966	John Arthur Love	356,730	54.05%	Won Y
1970	John Arthur Love	350,690	52.46%	Won Y
1974	John D. Vanderhoof	378,907	45.71%	Lost N
1978	Ted L. Strickland	317,292	38.53%	Lost N
1982	John Fuhr	302,740	31.67%	Lost N
1986	Ted L. Strickland	434,420	41.03%	Lost N
1990	John Andrews	358,403	35.43%	Lost N
1994	Bruce D. Benson	432,042	38.70%	Lost N
1998	Bill Owens	648,202	49.06%	Won Y
2002	Bill Owens	884,583	62.62%	Won Y
2006	Bob Beauprez	625,886	40.2%	Lost N
2010	Dan Maes	199,792	11.1%	Lost N
2014	Bob Beauprez	938,195	45.95%	Lost N
2018	Walker Stapleton	1,080,801	42.80%	Lost N
2022	Heidi Ganahl	983,040	39.2%	Lost N

See also

• Republican Party (United States)
• Political party strength in Colorado

Notes

References

1. "2024 Voter Registration Statistics". www.sos.state.co.us.
2. Clark, Kyle (June 4, 2024). "Colorado Republican Party issues call to burn all Pride flags". 9 News.
3. Coffey, Emily (10 June 2024). ""We make no apologies:" Colorado GOP Vice Chair doubles down on anti-LGBTQ+ statements". KRDO.
4. "Fallout from Colo. GOP's anti-LGBTQ+ messages continues as state Republican leaders call on chairman to resign". Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
5. Burness, Alex (2021-12-11). "Election denialism and far-right activism sit firmly within the Colorado GOP". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
6. "Colorado GOP selects combative, election-denying new leader". AP NEWS. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
7. "What happened to the Colorado Republican Party?". The Denver Post. 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
8. Birkeland, Bente (14 November 2022). "'An extinction level event': Colorado Republicans react to deep election losses". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
9. "Colorado Republican party sees cashflow, spending plummet with election losses and leadership change". The Denver Post. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
10. Frank, John (26 June 2023). "Colorado GOP Marred by Infighting Under New Leader Dave Williams". Axios Denver.
11. Frank, John (2020-08-25). "How Colorado Republicans transformed from "Never Trump" to Donald Trump loyalists in four years". The Colorado Sun. Archived from the original on 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
12. Paul, Jesse (2020-11-12). "Where do Colorado Republicans go from here?". The Colorado Sun. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
13. Burness, Alex (2021-12-11). "Election denialism and far-right activism sit firmly within the Colorado GOP". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
14. Frank, Jesse Paul, John (2018-11-20). "Colorado Republicans, reeling from 2018 losses, wonder: Is it us or is it Trump?". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2023-03-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. Frank, John (25 February 2021). "Colorado GOP doubles down on Trump's baseless "stolen election" claims". Axios. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
16. Paul, Jesse (2021-08-30). "Colorado Republicans want to win over unaffiliated voters in 2022. Can they do it if their base is still focused on 2020?". The Colorado Sun. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
17. "Ken Buck defends Colorado's election system against "conspiracy theory," angering fellow Trump supporters". The Denver Post. 2020-12-03. Archived from the original on 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-10-09. ...prominent Colorado Republicans, who tend to defend Colorado's election system even as they cast doubt on systems in other states, or remain mum on Trump's allegations of widespread fraud.
18. Birkeland, Bente (7 December 2020). "GOP State Reps Ask For Election Investigation In Spite Of Audit That Uncovered No Problems". Colorado Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
19. Hindi, Saja (2020-12-15). "No evidence of widespread voter fraud uncovered in meeting on Colorado election integrity". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
20. Aedo, Zachary (2020-12-10). "Lamborn, Buck among 106 House Republicans backing Texas lawsuit to overturn election". KRDO. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
21. Case, Angela (2021-01-07). "How Colorado lawmakers voted in the Electoral College certification". FOX21 News Colorado. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
22. "Most Colorado Republicans in Congress will object to election certification". The Denver Post. 2021-01-04. Archived from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
23. Melnick, Kyle (13 March 2023). "Colorado GOP picks election-denying former state legislator to lead party". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
24. Kim, Bente Birkeland,Caitlyn (14 June 2023). "In rare move, Colorado GOP goes after Republican Congressman". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
25. Dorman, John L. "Colorado Republicans reckon with string of major electoral losses as Democrats strengthen their hand in the onetime GOP stronghold". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
26. Lovato, Erin Mansfield and Natasha (2024-08-24). "With eyes on November, Colorado Republicans keep voting against certifying elections". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
27. "Colorado GOP calls for all children to be pulled from public schools". KUSA.com. 2024-05-21.
28. Gardner, Curtis. "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
29. "Aurora councilman Curtis Gardner leaves Colorado GOP in wake of party's anti-LGBTQ+ messages". Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). 6 June 2024.
30. Coffey, Emily (10 June 2024). ""We make no apologies:" Colorado GOP Vice Chair doubles down on anti-LGBTQ+ statements". KRDO. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
31. Fish, Sandra (2024-06-05). "Republican primary in Colorado's 5th Congressional District becomes $1 million fight for soul of GOP". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
32. Luning, Ernest (2024-06-25). "Jeff Crank trounces Dave Williams in GOP primary in Colorado's 5th Congressional District". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
33. Kovaleski, Serge. "Colorado Republicans Vote Out Party Chair Following Anti-Gay Posts". New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
34. Paul, Jesse. "Judge invalidates vote to remove Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams". Colorado Sun. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
35. Paul, Jesse; Nelson, Delaney; Fish, Sandra (November 9, 2022). "Republicans must wait until 2026 before they have any real shot at winning back power in Colorado". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
36. Paul, Jesse (September 10, 2021). "Republican Heidi Hanahl files to run for Colorado governor in 2022". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2021. "The University of Colorado regent, who is the only Republican official who holds statewide office, was expected to formally announce her bid next week."

External links

• Official website