Republicans in the Colorado statehouse demonstrated that they are capable of winning while Republicans in the Colorado state party showed they deserve to lose.
Republicans in the General Assembly worked with moderate Democrats to block some far left proposals and with Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation on housing, water, taxes, and education. They fought against far-left proposals and attempts to quash free speech.
Republicans were shockingly effective this year in the General Assembly, especially given the small size of their caucus. Equally important, their dignified comportment brought no bad press, allowing Democrats like Elizabeth Epps and Tim Hernandez to shine unimpeded.
Representatives like Rose Pugliese and Lisa Frizell, and senators Paul Lundeen, Jim Smallwood and Barbara Kirkmeyer and others made not only legislative victories, they showed Colorado voters that Republicans can govern. They are serious people.
By contrast, the Colorado state Republican Party under chair Dave Williams demonstrated how not to be serious when it endorsed candidates in primaries who cannot or, more importantly, should not win seats in the U.S. House of Representatives this November. In the past, the state Republican Party remained neutral in primary races but the current leadership sees such traditions, like ethics generally, as something to be dispensed with in the pursuit of power.
This week, Williams and Co. endorsed Ron Hanks who doesn’t live in the district he is running for. A zealous 2020 election denier and conspiracy theorist, Hanks shot up a copy machine labeled Dominion Voting Machine in a low-budget campaign video during his failed run in the U.S. Senate primary. The party announcement also attacked the two real contenders for the race.
The Colorado GOP also endorsed former state lawmaker Janak Joshi in the primary for the 8th Congressional District seat over state Rep. Gabe Evans. Evans refused to fill out the party’s three-page purity test questionnaire demanding fealty to Donald Trump.
Joshi likes to be photographed in a lab coat even though his doctor’s license was suspended in 2007 and surrendered the following year. The Democrat who currently holds the seat, Dr. Yadira Caraveo, has a medical license in good standing. Caraveo wouldn’t need a Libertarian to spoil the race in her favor this November.
Earlier this year, the state party endorsed Lauren Boebert who left her own congressional district when it was clear she would be tossed out by a formidable primary candidate or Adam Frisch, the Democrat candidate in the general election. Having moved eastward, she now faces several serious-minded candidates who have actually lived in for more than a month or two and in some cases represented parts of that district. Returning the favor, Boebert is backing Dave Williams in the 5th CD primary against Jeff Crank. It is only a matter of time before the state GOP endorses none other than Williams himself.
As much fun as it would be for us commentators and the writers at SNL to a have as many as three Marjorie Taylor Greene-esque elected officials providing weekly content, the presence of Williams’ picks in the U.S. House of Representatives would be an embarrassment to the GOP, the state of Colorado, and the nation.
Also-ran candidates who have no chance to win in the primary should back out now and endorse the leading legitimate candidate in these seats. In other words, they need to put their egos aside so that the worst possible candidate doesn’t emerge from the pack.
If Hanks, Boebert, and Williams win their primaries, the state would be better off enduring two years of Democrat representation in these districts and waiting for serious candidates to retake the seats in 2026.
Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer.
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