Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Colorado Republican Party

GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge

By Brita Horn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “We will close the border. We will stop the invasion of illegals into our country,” President Trump said at an Aurora, Colorado, rally on October 12, 2024. That promise was central to his push for a second term. Now, just over 100 days in, he’s delivering – tightening the border and reversing years of neglect. The previous administration under President Joe Biden left a legacy of border chaos. Millions of illegal immigrants crossed into the United States, overwhelming not only border communities but also cities and states far from the frontier. Colorado has become a hotspot in the fight against organized crime and trafficking.  In Aurora, Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested after violent apartment takeovers. I...
Read More
Court sides with new Colorado GOP Chair, blocks committee tied to former leadership
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Court sides with new Colorado GOP Chair, blocks committee tied to former leadership

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A district judge in El Paso County has rejected an attempt by the Colorado Republican Party’s Investigative Committee—an entity formed under former chair Dave Williams—to intervene in a lawsuit that the party’s current leadership has moved to dismiss. In a ruling filed April 23, District Court Judge Amanda J. Philipps found that the Investigative Committee lacks standing and legal authority to join or intervene in the ongoing civil case, saying the group was assigned "limited tasks" and does not possess independent power to act on behalf of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee (CRC). "Absent an express statutory right, a subordinate state agency lacks standing or any other legal authority to obtain judicial rev...
Read More
[UPDATED] Ganahl: Colorado GOP’s New Leadership Faces Rogue Holdouts as Williams’ Allies Cling to Power
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

[UPDATED] Ganahl: Colorado GOP’s New Leadership Faces Rogue Holdouts as Williams’ Allies Cling to Power

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Republican Party’s newly elected leadership, led by Chair Brita Horn, is battling a desperate power grab by ex-Chairman David Williams and his allies. They refuse to let go despite the Colorado Republican State Central Committee’s (SCC) move to dismiss a contentious lawsuit.  Horn, alongside allies Nancy Pallozzi and Todd Watkins, champions a fresh start, but Williams’ appointees—particularly the shadowy Colorado Republican State Party Controversy Investigative Committee (CRSPCIC) led by Matt Arnold—are digging in, in a legal standoff that seems more about ego than justice. The roots lie in 2024’s chaotic primaries, where Williams’ endorsed candidates didn’t fare well (14 of 18 lost). This sparked former Jefferso...
Read More
Bannon lights fire under Colorado GOP at Centennial Gala: “The elites failed this state”
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Bannon lights fire under Colorado GOP at Centennial Gala: “The elites failed this state”

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Despite credible bomb threats and a last-minute venue change, the Colorado GOP gathered under tight security to kick off what Steve Bannon called “a journey to take this state back.” But the fight, he warned, isn’t just against Democrats—it’s against weak Republicans and elites “who don’t want you in their party.” The Centennial Dinner, held March 28 at Phil Long Music Hall in Colorado Springs, featured a live call-in from former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from the Larimer County jail, and a headlining speech from Bannon that ignited the room with calls for courage, action and confrontation.  Outside, protesters shouted and blocked the entrance. Inside, hundreds of attendees stood their ground. A call t...
Read More
From the ashes of division: Horn, Phelan and Andrews chart a new course for Colorado GOP
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From the ashes of division: Horn, Phelan and Andrews chart a new course for Colorado GOP

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice "We’re like a great football team," Russ Andrews told delegates at the Colorado Republican Party reorganization meeting on March 29. "But when we take the field, we block and tackle each other. That has to end." It was a sentiment echoed by the party's newly elected leaders Brita Horn (Chair), D. Lee Phelan Sr. (Vice Chair), and Andrews himself, who was elected Secretary. The three swept their respective races after a day of pointed speeches, surprise withdrawals and shifting alliances that ended with a new leadership slate promising to put unity and effectiveness over factional infighting. Contests, concessions and realignment Lori Saine, who came in second to Horn in the chair race, struck a note of resilience. She t...
Read More
GOP Chair Race: Brita Horn Responds, Others Remain Silent
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

GOP Chair Race: Brita Horn Responds, Others Remain Silent

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff With less than three weeks until the March 29th election for Colorado GOP Chair, Rocky Mountain Voice reached out to all declared candidates with key questions about their vision, fundraising strategy, approach to unaffiliated voters, and stance on Proposition 108. So far, Brita Horn is the only candidate to respond. Darcy Schoening, Lori Saine and Kevin McCarney have yet to reply, and we will be reaching out to Richard Holtorf and Jeremy Goodall this week for their positions. Brita Horn's Answers: Why are you running for Chair? My heart is on fire for Colorado, not to sow discord or pit different factions against each other— I’m here to bring us together with a clear, strategic, and winning plan. Our party has lost its purpose with division ...
Read More
Richard Holtorf, retired Army colonel, former state House whip and cattle rancher, will seek Colorado GOP chair
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Richard Holtorf, retired Army colonel, former state House whip and cattle rancher, will seek Colorado GOP chair

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 ser...
Read More
Ganahl: Understanding the opt-out confusion in the Republican Party
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Ganahl: Understanding the opt-out confusion in the Republican Party

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There is an election in under 30 days, on Saturday, March 29, to decide the leadership of the Republican Party in Colorado for the next two years, including the critical 2026 midterms. Voters include about 500 Republican Party activists that hold the position of county chair, vice chair, secretary or bonus member, along with various elected officials across the state.  There are four confirmed candidates — Brita Horn, Kevin McCarney, Lori Saine and Darcy Schoening — and two that are rumored to run, Danielle Neuschwanger and Dave Williams (Williams has announced a decision not to run).  There is always a chance that someone else could be nominated from the floor as well, or announce prior to the printing of ballots. Th...
Read More
Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Dave Williams will become the fifth straight one-term chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, announcing the decision in an email to members Friday not to seek re-election. "After much prayerful consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election as chairman of the Colorado Republican Party," he announced. Williams was elected in 2023 to succeed Kristi Burton Brown as chairwoman, bringing in what he had described as a "grassroots majority" era of the party. He was the fifth in a string of one-term party leaders, including before Burton Brown: Ken Buck, preceded by Jeff Hays, preceded by Steve House. Ryan Call, who preceded House, was the last two-term party leader. A chairman's term is two years, with elections in odd calendar years. ...
Read More
Lundberg: Challenging the open primary system in Colorado
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Lundberg: Challenging the open primary system in Colorado

By Kevin Lundberg | Guest Columnist, Rocky Mountain Voice As chairman for the Colorado GOP lawsuit committee, following is an update on the progress of our case challenging the semi-open primary in federal court.  Our contention is that political parties, being a private organization, should not be required to allow non-party members to vote in that party’s elections, selecting their nominee for general elections. This legal standard was actually established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Jones case in 2000. In 2021, the State Republican Central Committee unanimously approved a resolution calling for a legal challenge of Prop. 108. That ballot initiative was approved by a narrow majority vote in the 2016 general election and was first applied to primary elections in 2018. I...
Read More