Colorado Republicans face reckoning after election rout
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Colorado Republicans emerged from Tuesday's election fractured, frazzled and facing a familiar question: Where does the party go from here?
Why it matters: Democrats dominated statewide races, expanded their legislative dominance, and scored victories in Republican strongholds — further diminishing the GOP's influence in our increasingly blue state.
The big picture: A nationwide backlash against President Trump compounded the Colorado GOP's yearslong struggles with infighting, financial woes, and candidates being unable to break Democrats' grip on statewide power.
What they're saying: "We've been fighting amongst ourselves for about 10 years … instead of focusing on electing Republicans and defeating Democrats," Colorado GOP chair Craig Steiner told Axios.
State of play: Steiner acknowledged the party is "definitely in a rebuilding situation," but he sees a path forward: ending the infighting, sharpening its message, and winning back unaffiliated voters.
- He pointed to voters who support conservative-backed ballot measures but reject Republican candidates — a disconnect he believes the GOP can overcome.
- Republican attorney general nominee Michael Allen, who lost to Democrat Jena Griswold, offered another prescription: "We need to listen more," he said Tuesday, per CPR. "We cannot simply tell Coloradans what we're against. We have to ... show them what we're for."
Zoom in: Some Republicans aren't hiding their frustration with Trump after voters delivered one of the most sweeping midterm rebukes of a sitting president in modern history.
- "Mr. President, you would be more effective if you would just shut the fuck up," state Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, a Greeley Republican who lost his reelection bid to a Democrat, wrote in an X post Tuesday night.
The other side: Gov.-elect Phil Weiser, a Democrat, argues the GOP's problem isn't just its message — it's the candidates, starting with his opponent, Victor Marx.
- "I want a serious Republican Party that will be in a battle of ideas," Weiser told Axios. "I didn't get that this election."
- He called the lack of substantive debate a "tragedy."
- Democratic state Treasurer-elect Jeff Bridges agreed, saying the Colorado GOP is "in disarray."
What we're watching: The 2028 presidential election will be the first since 2012 without Trump on the ballot, giving Republicans an opening to reset.
The bottom line: The GOP's collapse raises a bigger question for Colorado: Who's left to challenge Democrats' vision for the state?
- "We are stronger as Democrats with a strong opposition," Bridges told Axios.