Summary
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. The state party chair is former state representative Dave Williams.[4]
Colorado Republican Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Dave Williams |
| Senate Leader | Paul Lundeen |
| House Leader | Rose Pugliese |
| Headquarters | Greenwood Village, Colorado |
| Membership (2023) |  931,102[1] |
| Ideology | Conservatism Fiscal conservatism Social conservatism |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right[2][3] |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Colors | Red |
| U.S. Senate | 0 / 2
|
| U.S. House | 2 / 8
|
| Statewide offices | 0 / 5
|
| Colorado Senate | 12 / 35
|
| Colorado House of Representatives | 19 / 65
|
| Website | |
| www | |
The Republican Party was dominant in the state as recently as the mid-2000s, however it has greatly 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.[5]
The party fared even poorer in the 2022 elections, in which Democrats swept every statewide office by a double-digit margin, expanded their dominance in the state's U.S. House delegation, and further expanded their supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.[6] In the aftermath of the heavily lopsided results, one Republican state representative lamented that "Colorado Republicans need to take this and learn the lesson that the party is dead. This was an extinction-level event."[6] Since 2023, the party has suffered a significant loss of revenue, further party infighting, the party veering further towards the right, and an overall further decline of influence in the state.[7][8]
Recent history edit
Since 2016, the Colorado GOP have shifted more rightward in their political positions and have subsequently embraced Trumpism and far-right ideologies.[9][10][11] Since the early 2010s, active voter registrations with the Colorado GOP has seen a decline and fell behind the Democratic Party in 2016.[12] In the 2018 elections, Republicans lost much power in the state, suffering significant losses in the aftermath of the election.[12]
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.[5]
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.[13][14][11] 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.[15] 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."[16]
Later in December, Republicans tried to utilize the Legislative Audit Committee in an effort to call for an audit of Colorado's election, citing claims of election irregularities despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud. On December 15, the committee found no evidence of fraud and Republican-led motions to launch an audit of the Secretary of State's Office were defeated.[17] The efforts were criticized as being partisan and a misuse of the committee's purpose.[18][17] Also in December, Colorado congressional Republicans supported a lawsuit aimed to overturn the election results.[19] On January 6, 2021, congressional Republicans from Colorado objected to certify the election results, with Lauren Boebert and Doug Lamborn objecting to certify the results.[20][21]
During the 2022 legislative session, the majority of Republican members of the state senate and house voted in favor of unsuccessful amendments to a resolution on voting rights by thanking participants of the January 6 United States Capitol attack and to decertify the 2020 presidential election.[22][23]
The party performed poorly in the 2022 elections; Democrats handily won every statewide office, expanded their numbers in the state's U.S. House delegation, and further expanded their majorities in both chambers of the legislature.[6] 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.[24][25] 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.[26][7][8][27]
Current elected officials edit
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 also hold a 3-5 minority in the state's U.S. House delegation.
Members of Congress edit
U.S. Senate edit
- 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 edit
Statewide offices edit
- None.[28]
Legislative leadership edit
Election results edit
Presidential edit
Gubernatorial edit
| Election | Gubernatorial candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | John Long Routt | 14,154 | 51.53% | Won 
|
| 1878 | Frederick Walker Pitkin | 14,308 | 49.98% | Won
|
| 1880 | Frederick Walker Pitkin | 28,465 | 53.28% | Won
|
| 1882 | E. L. Campbell | 28,820 | 46.91% | Lost 
|
| 1884 | Benjamin Harrison Eaton | 33,845 | 50.74% | Won
|
| 1886 | William H. Meyer | 26,816 | 45.55% | Lost
|
| 1888 | Job Adams Cooper | 49,490 | 53.84% | Won
|
| 1890 | John Long Routt | 41,827 | 50.11% | Won
|
| 1892 | Joseph Helm | 38,806 | 41.79% | Lost
|
| 1894 | Albert McIntire | 93,502 | 51.95% | Won
|
| 1896 | G. H. Allen | 23,945 | 12.66% | Lost
|
| 1898 | Henry R. Wolcott | 51,051 | 34.17% | Lost
|
| 1900 | Frank C. Goudy | 96,027 | 43.53% | Lost
|
| 1902 | James Hamilton Peabody | 87,684 | 46.94% | Won
|
| 1904 | James Hamilton Peabody | 113,754 | 46.80% | Lost
|
| 1906 | Henry Augustus Buchtel | 92,602 | 45.59% | Won
|
| 1908 | Jesse Fuller McDonald | 118,953 | 45.16% | Lost
|
| 1910 | John B. Stephen | 97,691 | 43.48% | Lost
|
| 1912 | Clifford C. Parks | 63,061 | 23.73% | Lost
|
| 1914 | George Alfred Carlson | 129,096 | 48.67% | Won
|
| 1916 | George Alfred Carlson | 117,723 | 41.28% | Lost
|
| 1918 | Oliver Henry Shoup | 112,693 | 51.15% | Won
|
| 1920 | Oliver Henry Shoup | 174,488 | 59.55% | Won
|
| 1922 | Benjamin Griffith | 134,353 | 48.29% | Lost
|
| 1924 | Clarence Morley | 178,078 | 51.92% | Won
|
| 1926 | Oliver Henry Shoup | 116,756 | 38.11% | Lost
|
| 1928 | William L. Boatright | 114,067 | 31.85% | Lost
|
| 1930 | Robert F. Rockwell | 124,164 | 38.06% | Lost
|
| 1932 | James D. Parriott | 183,258 | 40.78% | Lost
|
| 1934 | Nathan C. Warren | 162,791 | 39.91% | Lost
|
| 1936 | Charles M. Armstrong | 210,614 | 43.65% | Lost
|
| 1938 | Ralph Lawrence Carr | 296,671 | 59.50% | Won
|
| 1940 | Ralph Lawrence Carr | 296,671 | 54.37% | Won
|
| 1942 | John Charles Vivian | 193,501 | 56.23% | Won
|
| 1944 | John Charles Vivian | 259,862 | 52.40% | Won
|
| 1946 | Leon Lavington | 160,483 | 47.89% | Lost
|
| 1948 | David A. Hamil | 168,928 | 33.67% | Lost
|
| 1950 | Daniel I. J. Thornton | 236,472 | 52.43% | Won
|
| 1952 | Daniel I. J. Thornton | 349,924 | 57.08% | Won
|
| 1954 | Donald G. Brotzman | 227,335 | 46.44% | Lost
|
| 1956 | Donald G. Brotzman | 313,950 | 48.66% | Lost
|
| 1958 | Palmer Burch | 228,643 | 41.59% | Lost
|
| 1962 | John Arthur Love | 349,342 | 56.67% | Won
|
| 1966 | John Arthur Love | 356,730 | 54.05% | Won
|
| 1970 | John Arthur Love | 350,690 | 52.46% | Won
|
| 1974 | John D. Vanderhoof | 378,907 | 45.71% | Lost
|
| 1978 | Ted L. Strickland | 317,292 | 38.53% | Lost
|
| 1982 | John Fuhr | 302,740 | 31.67% | Lost
|
| 1986 | Ted L. Strickland | 434,420 | 41.03% | Lost
|
| 1990 | John Andrews | 358,403 | 35.43% | Lost
|
| 1994 | Bruce D. Benson | 432,042 | 38.70% | Lost
|
| 1998 | Bill Owens | 648,202 | 49.06% | Won
|
| 2002 | Bill Owens | 884,583 | 62.62% | Won
|
| 2006 | Bob Beauprez | 625,886 | 40.2% | Lost
|
| 2010 | Dan Maes | 199,792 | 11.1% | Lost
|
| 2014 | Bob Beauprez | 938,195 | 45.95% | Lost
|
| 2018 | Walker Stapleton | 1,080,801 | 42.80% | Lost
|
| 2022 | Heidi Ganahl | 983,040 | 39.2% | Lost
|
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Total Registered Voters By Party Affiliation" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Colorado GOP selects combative, election-denying new leader". AP NEWS. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Birkeland, Bente (March 11, 2023). "Colorado Republicans pick former state Rep. Dave Williams to lead party". CPR News. Colorado. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "What happened to the Colorado Republican Party?". The Denver Post. 2020-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ a b c Birkeland, Bente (14 November 2022). "'An extinction level event': Colorado Republicans react to deep election losses". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b "Colorado Republican party sees cashflow, spending plummet with election losses and leadership change". The Denver Post. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- ^ a b Frank, John (26 June 2023). "Colorado GOP Marred by Infighting Under New Leader Dave Williams". Axios Denver.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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) - ^ Frank, John (25 February 2021). "Colorado GOP doubles down on Trump's baseless "stolen election" claims". Axios. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Goodland, Marianne (10 December 2020). "Questions beginning to surface around scope of audit committee meeting on election integrity". Colorado Politics. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ Aedo, Zachary (2020-12-10). "Lamborn, Buck among 106 House Republicans backing Texas lawsuit to overturn election". KRDO. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Why Democrats think the 2020 election debate is a political win". Axios. January 19, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ "Majority of Colorado House Republicans vote for supporting Jan. 6 crowd, election conspiracy theories". KMGH-TV. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
- ^ "Colorado GOP selects combative, election-denying new leader". AP NEWS. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kim, Bente Birkeland,Caitlyn. "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) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
External links edit
- Official website
