A shadow Republican Party emerges in Colorado
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Dave Williams, the embattled leader of the Colorado Republican Party. Photo: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The newly selected GOP chairman is building a shadow party in Colorado as its former leadership refuses to relinquish their posts.
Why it matters: The competing interests amplify the drama surrounding the state's Republican Party and splinter resources in a crucial election year.
Catch up quick: The party's governing body overwhelmingly voted last Saturday to remove controversial chairman Dave Williams and two top lieutenants, selecting Eli Bremer, an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022, to lead the party.
- Williams came under fire for purging non-Trump conservatives from the party, spending the party's money on his failed congressional bid and sending an anti-LGBTQ email advocating for burning Pride flags.
Yes, but: Williams is refusing to honor the results of Saturday's vote, saying the meeting called by his rivals was illegitimate.
- His backers are organizing another state central committee meeting this Saturday to hold a vote and rallying support to keep Williams as the chair.
State of play: For now, that means two Republican Party entities are competing for voters' attention and donors' dollars.
Bremer is operating without the keys to the GOP headquarters in Greenwood Village or access to its computers. He's seeking a court order to evict the current party leaders, who he argues "are effectively functioning as squatters right now."
- In his first act as chairman, he endorsed the party's roster of candidates and pledged to work with them. He says the campaigns were not getting help from the state GOP because Williams endorsed their rivals in the party primaries.
- Bremer is using the Weld County GOP's bank account to collect donor checks until he gets access to the party's financial books.
What he's saying: "It's really going to be about returning the focus back to the candidates," Bremer told us in an interview. "The party has had way too much focus on itself and the drama the former officers have created."
The other side: Former party leaders continue to control the state GOP's email list. On Monday, they sent a "joyous" announcement that Williams and his wife had a baby boy.
- "Despite their recent sham meeting, chairman Dave Williams remains the only rightfully elected leader of the Colorado Republican Party, and we stand firmly behind him," vice chairwoman Hope Scheppelman and other leaders wrote.
The latest: In another email to party members sent Wednesday, a Williams ally attacked Bremer as a hacker and thief who's trying to steal the party's identity. "These frauds should be called the Masquerade Party," the email continued.
What we're watching: It's unclear whether the meeting this weekend in Castle Rock will settle the matter or add to the complications. Which is the real state GOP may come down to a court battle or fall to the national Republican Party to decide.