The Colorado Republican Party is deeply divided. Last week, this came to a head when GOP Chairman Dave Williams authorized a mass email with the subject line, “God hates pride.” The email denounced Pride Month as a time when “godless groomers” attack what is “decent, holy, and righteous.” The parties’ X account also posted a statement calling on residents to “burn all the #pride flags this month.”

This led Nancy Pallozzi, the Jefferson County Republican Party chairwoman, to start a petition to oust the party leader. Her petition lists concerns about breaking the norm of neutrality in contested primaries and “continually encouraging division instead of unifying the party.” Several local leaders have denounced the state party chairman throughout his tenure for similarly divisive actions. This petition, however, amounts to a coup due to the high bar for the petition’s success. Her attempt to oust Williams led to her eventual censure by the state party. 

Williams was elected last year to the state chairmanship, and the concerns raised since his election have exemplified the divisions within the Republican Party. Williams has broken party norms by endorsing former President Donald Trump and several other candidates in their primaries. Many also argue that Williams is using the state party’s resources to boost his own campaign for the 5th Congressional District.

“There was kind of a movement in the party — I think it was propelled by Steve Bannon — to really take control,” said Chuck Broerman, a longtime Republican official in El Paso County, where Williams lives. Former state Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams, a long-standing opponent of Williams, called the emails “very damaging.” While Wadhams was careful to mention the debate to be had about how some schools handle transgender issues and parent rights, he said he thinks the type of messages that Williams sent destroys any credibility Republicans have on the matter.

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“The divisive and hateful email that he put out was just the latest in a series of actions he has taken since he got elected last year that are divisive and they’re negative,” Wadhams said. “They’re exclusionary. And that’s been the theme of his entire chairmanship so far.” Wadhams said he hopes Williams is ousted.

The dispute in Colorado mirrors national concerns within the party. Whether in Colorado or in the U.S. House of Representatives where Republicans ousted their own speaker, reconciling the deeply far-right populist Right with more establishment Republicans is a continuing process. Right now, the party is deeply broken despite its best attempts at unifying. If we want the strength of the party to be maintained, these questions will have to be answered.