House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, announced his decision in an emotional speech on the House floor as his ouster appeared imminent
By Brian Eason and Jesse Paul | SOURCE: THE COLORADO SUN
The top Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives resigned from his leadership post Wednesday morning as his ouster appeared imminent a week after revelations that he was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of drunken driving.
House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, announced his decision in an emotional speech on the House floor.
“I am stepping down because it is the right thing to do — because I have become a distraction for my caucus and that is getting in the way of the hard work that we have to do in this building,” Lynch said.
Lynch is also running this year to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and it’s unclear how his decision to step down from leadership will affect that bid. He announced his campaign earlier this month, before the news of his DUI arrest was made public. A spokesman for Lynch’s congressional campaign didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday morning.
Lynch’s announcement came amid a week of House Republican drama at the state Capitol. On Monday, the minority leader narrowly survived a vote of no confidence brought by state Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs, and his conservative allies in the caucus — but only on a technicality. Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Penrose Republican and and ally of Lynch’s opponents, was absent from the meeting.