By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice
Richard Holtorf, a former state representative and the chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, announced Saturday in an exclusive interview with Rocky Mountain Voice his intention to seek the chairmanship of the Colorado Republican Party.
“As a longtime Republican in the state of Colorado, knowing the dire straights the party is in due to a failed strategic plan by previous leadership and the enormous infighting because of that,” Holtorf said, “and analyzing the field of candidates, I felt Colorado Republicans deserved the best candidate possible.”
After attending Akron High School in a small Eastern Colorado town where he still resides, some would argue Holtorf had three successful careers, and this could be his fourth.
He served for 29 years as a decorated Army aviation officer, including two combat tours in Afghanistan. In 2016, he retired as a “full-bird” colonel, one rank from general, returning home to run the family ranch as a third-generation cattle rancher, feedlot manager and dryland farmer. In 2019, when Republican Rep. Kimmy Lewis died, Holtorf was selected by a vacancy committee to serve in the Colorado House. He ran successfully for re-election in 2020 and 2022. Holtorf ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Representative in 2024, when Lauren Boebert moved into the district to seek Rep. Ken Buck’s open seat.
“We need mature, seasoned leadership that will not divide the party,” Holtorf said. “We need to understand the enemy. The enemy is the woke, socialist, progressive, virtue-signaling Democrat. Colorado Republicans need a leader who will stop the in-fighting and stop attacking fellow Republicans.”
He was one of those leaders in the Colorado House, serving in his final term as the House Republican whip, a role which “whips” the support of lawmakers for or against a measure.
Presently, Holtorf is serving as the Washington County Republican Party chairman, and would like to rely on his lived experiences to rebuild the Colorado Republican Party. He recently held the Washington County Lincoln Dinner that he boasted, “served the best meal in the state.” Among his headline speakers were Boebert and former Congressman Greg Lopez.
“With the right strategy, if used correctly, and with the correct plan, while working with leadership in the Colorado House and Senate and across different groups of Republicans, the donor class will invest,” said Holtorf, adding that funding will support more Republican victories. “But, we can only earn that funding if there is a strategy across multiple election cycles. The donors don’t have that confidence now.”
Holtorf is the candidate with experience both as a businessman, legislator and in party leadership, he says, and each is important to have on a resume, he adds. He also is fluent in Spanish, from an upbringing which included spending some of his youth in Spain, a virtue for Republicans wishing to connect with a growing Hispanic population in the state.
“In life, I have been through many tough and challenging experiences,” Holtorf said. “I was deployed to and returned from combat. I was put in a position to take over my family’s ranch after my father died unexpectedly. That was one of the hardest things I have ever done.”
He was nicknamed “Mr. Cattle” in the 74th Legislature and, when he ran for Congress, some of his supporters nicknamed him “John Dutton”, the rancher played by Kevin Costner on the TV series Yellowstone. But, Holtorf hopes he’s known for something else.
“What I want people to know about Richard Holtorf, is I’m a very loyal person,” he said. “I was loyal to the Army and didn’t quit. I was loyal to my family’s ranch and didn’t quit when times were tough. I’m loyal to the Republican Party, and always have been. Through good times and bad times, I’m loyal.”
To borrow a line from President Donald J. Trump, Holtorf says of the Colorado Republican Party: “You can count on me to fix it.” He’s hopeful Colorado Republicans will trust him to do just that, Holtorf says.
Holtorf further announced his running mates of Danielle Neuschwanger as vice chair and Nicole Brittain as secretary.