This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
The GOP state assembly reflected the tumult the party has faced all year.
Saturday’s gathering in Pueblo started hours late and was plagued by delays and disagreements throughout the day.
Then, when all the votes were counted, organizers discovered they had more votes than credentialed delegates, due to an error in the credentialing system. While the party has made election integrity one of its main pillars, delegates ultimately decide in this case to let the discrepancy slide and not attempt a re-vote.
The moments of public rancor and confusion reflected the entrenched divides within the party and highlighted concerns party members have with their leadership. In the wake of a no-confidence vote last month, chair Brita Horn announced she would resign after the assembly.
“[Horn] does not know what she's doing. She's turned everyone against her. She's squandered the money. So we have to find a new strong leader,” said Graceann Pittner, a Fremont County delegate.
Perhaps prompted by the discord, unity was a theme echoed by many of the speakers and delegates.
Paul Luers is a delegate from Pueblo County and a friend of Horn. Early in the day, he said he hoped the convention will bring the party together
“A house divided will fall,” Luers said “Half of our problem with electing Republicans and conservatives is what happens within our own party… there've been lawsuits and that kind of thing, so it's upsetting to me.”
18 gubernatorial candidates entered the assembly, only two made it out
Candidates needed support from at least thirty percent of the 2000-plus delegates to secure a spot on the June 30 primary ballot. In the crowded field for governor, that proved a high bar to clear.
Out of 18 contenders, only minister Victor Marx and state Rep. Scott Bottoms made it onto the ballot. Bottoms, who earned 45% of the vote will get top line. Marx got 39%
“This is our year. This is the year we're going to do this,” Bottoms told delegates during his speech. “I'm going to reclaim parenthood and childhood for all Coloradans. Two sexes, no genders. We will reclaim safety and security.”
For his part, Marx promised that, if elected, he would release former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from prison on “day one.”
“We need a leader, someone who has experience of doing what other people say can't be done. We've lost too well for so long as Republicans and this year it changes,” said Marx.
An additional Republican, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, will also likely appear on the ballot after going through the petition process. She is still waiting for her signatures to be approved.
While Kirkmeyer skipped the assembly route, delegate Elizabeth Garcia from Fort Collins is supporting her for governor because she thinks the party needs a nominee that can reach the majority of Colorado voters who are unaffiliated.
“[Kirkmeyer’s] very intelligent. She knows the state budget like the back of her hand. She understands how to work with people across the aisle because she knows she has to. We can't pass any laws or bills unless you do work across the aisle. She's not afraid to get out there and talk to people,” Garcia said.
Saturday’s votes also set the field for the other statewide races on the June ballot:
U.S. Senate: The seven initial hopefuls for U.S. Senate were whittled down to a single candidate. State Sen. Mark Baisley got almost 46% of the vote. None of the other candidates hit the 30% threshold.
Attorney General: Both candidates, El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen, and David Wilson, a former attorney for imprisoned former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, got enough support to claim spots on the primary ballot.
Secretary of State: Out of the three candidates running only, James Wiley got enough support to make the ballot.
Treasurer: Fremont County Commissioner and former state Sen. Kevin Grantham went into the assembly unopposed and will be the Republican nominee for Treasurer.
There was one surprise when it came to the congressional races.
After fending off one primary challenger with the help of President Donald Trump, Republican incumbent Jeff Hurd from the 3rd Congressional District gained another, former state Rep. Ron Hanks. It sets up a rematch of the 2024 GOP primary, where Hurd prevailed over Hanks and others.
Hanks pulled off a nomination from the floor, after a speech criticizing some of Hurd’s votes, including to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canada and against releasing congressional misconduct and harassment reports (Boebert was the only Colorado Republican who voted to make the records public), as well as his collaboration on a public lands bill with Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper.
Hanks, who also ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022, called Trump’s use of tariffs “brilliant” and said, “If I had an audience with the President, I would go in and say, Mr. President, what more can I do to forward the America First agenda?”
While Hurd secured his spot on the ballot via petition, he was able to address the delegates to talk about his work in Congress. And he used some of that time to remind the delegates that this seat is not a solidly Republican one.
“You have a responsibility not just to choose a nominee, but to choose someone who can win in November,” Hurd said. “This is not about personality. It's not about noise. It's about results. It's about effectiveness, and it's about keeping Colorado's Third district in Republican hands.”
Republican House incumbents Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank and Gabe Evans will not face any primary challengers.
There will be one other GOP primary for Congress. Republicans Christina Blunt and Kelley Dennison will face-off for the GOP nomination in the 2nd Congressional District race to take on Democrat Joe Neguse.
After a long electoral drought, Republicans think this could be the year
As they endured long waits throughout the day, the delegates remained enthusiastic about the party’s candidates and its chances in November.
First-time delegate Kevin Kempter of Highlands Ranch said he wanted to participate because “yelling at the TV wasn't accomplishing anything.”
He sees opportunities for the party this year because some Democrats “are sick and tired of their party turning into communists, and I think they've had it and they're finally at a place where they're willing to vote with their feet about it.”
Others said that Democratic policies here in Colorado, on issues from taxes to public safety, will make some think twice before voting blue this fall.
Many delegates and candidates raised social issues, such as transgender rights, aid for undocumented immigrants, and election integrity.
Affordability was also a main concern for many, like 28-year-old Sierra Jarmon from Colorado Springs.
“I work hard for my money, and yet I feel like it's not actually being put to use how it should be. I can't afford to live on my own. I have to live with roommates and then after a while I have to move back home with my parents.”
No Republican has won statewide in Colorado since 2016, when the party took the at-large regent’s seat. It had some Republicans sounding a note of pragmatism about the party’s chances this fall.
“Statewide I think we’re going to struggle,” said Andrew Jarvies from the San Luis Valley. “We’re going to win some of the districts and some of the other areas, but I think statewide we’re going to have a difficult path forward.”
Rainia Derrington of Allenspark said she only got involved politically since the COVID pandemic and will not be surprised if the state stays in Democratic hands, for now.
“I think my biggest hope is that even if the Democrats do prevail, there will be enough of a presence to show that we can actually make some changes, maybe in the next coming elections,” she said.
