March 18, 2024 12:45 PM UTC

Half-Assed Attack on Secretary of State's Office Backfires on Gabe Evans

• 9 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

As you might have noticed last week, schools and office buildings across the Denver Metro area were shut down on Thursday and Friday because of a massive snowstorm that snarled roads and highways. Many areas received more than a foot of snow, which prompted the Colorado legislature and most state and local government offices to shut down for both days.

On Friday, State Rep. Gabe-ish Evans (R-Adams County) — who is also running for Congress in CO-08 — used the snow day closures as an excuse to launch a muddled attack on the Colorado Secretary of State’s office.

[Note: Evans earned the nickname “Gabe-Ish” by answering “No-ish” when asked a question during a CO-08 debate in January about whether the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. Evans also answered “ish” on a ‘yes or no’ question about supporting military aid for Israel and Ukraine]

Here’s what the Evans for Congress campaign vomited out via press release on Friday:

Conservative State Representative and Colorado Congressional District 8 candidate Gabe Evans today blasted Secretary of State Jena Griswold for deciding to close her office Friday for a second day. Because signature acceptance rates are higher for candidates who turn in their petitions first, the decision could have major consequences on which candidates make the ballot and which do not…

…“Jena Griswold’s decision to shut down her office at a critical election calendar juncture jeopardizes election integrity,” stated Evans. “Her decision represents election interference, plain and simple. [Pols emphasis]

Evans claims that Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s decision to close her offices — again, which most other government agencies also did on Thursday and Friday — is tantamount to ELECTION INTERFERENCE.

Really.

Evans’s argument is that he was denied an opportunity to submit petition signatures for ballot access in the CO-08 Republican Primary, which could cause him harm because there is a strategic advantage to being the first candidate to submit signatures in a given race (click HERE for a more detailed explanation of that process). Evans’s complaint is patently absurd considering that there are only two candidates in CO-08 going the petition route for ballot access…and Evans had a two-week head start on Republican candidate Joseph Andujo (a third candidate, former State Sen. Janak Joshi, is attempting to make the ballot via the Republican caucus/assembly process). Evans even notes in his press release that he had an appointment on Friday to submit his signatures, and a “back-up appointment” on Saturday, so the closure of the SOS’s office really didn’t have any effect on him as a practical matter. — particularly if Andujo did not have a prior scheduled appointment.

Friday’s press release from the Evans campaign was a publicity stunt intended to generate some sort of interest in his bid for Congress. This type of thing can make a candidate look petty and silly…but it can also come back to bite you in the ass. Take a look at what else Evans said in the press release:

“There is no state of emergency. There is no excuse for entirely closing the Secretary of State’s office for a second straight day tomorrow. At a minimum, the Secretary of State’s Office should have a base staff on hand to accept petitions.

“I was a cop for 10 years. Bad weather was never an excuse for shutting down essential services such as first responders and hospital emergency rooms. Free and fair elections are at the core of a representative republic and are every bit as important. Do your job!” [Pols emphasis]

Are you sure you want to go here?

Alright, then…

The SOS office had a perfectly legitimate excuse for closing its offices on Thursday and Friday, but it was open for business the rest of last week — as was the state legislature. Guess which elected State Representative was not in attendance at the State Capitol at any point last week, regardless of the weather?

That would be Gabe-ish Evans, who was officially marked absent on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Evans was absent for 22 final votes (third reading) on the House Floor:

1. SB24-157 – Open Meetings Law Modifications
2. HB24-1332 – Concerning continuing the rule-making authority of the executive director of the department of early childhood
3. HB24-1149 – Concerning modifications to requirements for prior authorization of benefits under health benefit plans
4. HB24-1172 – County revitalization authorities
5. HB24-1321 – Aligning CO statutes w/Nat’l Assoc. Insurance Commissioners’ financial model laws
6. SB24-063 – Confidentiality of discussions in peer support settings
7. HB24-1107 – Concerning judicial review of a local land use decision
8. SB24-103 – Technical changes to CO DoL and employment statutes
9. HB24-1150 – Concerning False slates of presidential electors
10. HB24-1147 – Concerning the use of a deepfake in a communication related to a candidate for elective office
11. HB24-1256 – senior dental advisory committee
12. HB24-1259 – Concerning price gouging in housing rental prices during a declared disaster
13. HB24-1323 – Concerning the manner of dress during school graduation ceremonies
14. HB24-1233 – Concerning modifications to certain procedural requirements with which a unit owners’ association must comply when seeking payment of delinquent amounts owed by a unit owner
15. HB24-1251 – Continuation of debt-management service providers
16. HB24-1117 – Concerning including certain species under the authority of the state agencies that regulate parks and wildlife
17. HB24-1136 – Concerning measures to encourage healthier social media use by youth
18. HB24-1156 – Concerning authorization to hold special events where substances that minors are prohibited from purchasing are served
19. HB24-1174 – Concealed Carry Permit Requirements Bill
20. HB24-1121 – Right to repair digital electronic equipment
21. HB24-1222 – Concerning updating terminology that refers to entities that administer human services programs
22. HB24-1252 – Concerning the continuation of the suicide prevention commission

Evans also missed discussions about eight different bills that were heard in the House Judiciary Committee or the House Energy & Environment Committee:

1. SB24-160 – Records of Workplace Discrimination Complaints
2. SB24-035 – Strengthening Enforcement Human Trafficking
3. HB24-1350 – Parental Responsibilities Proceedings Child Safety
4. HB24-1101 – Empower Victims through Access Restorative Justice
5. SB24-119 – Term Abandonment for Federal Classification
6. HB24-1348 – Secure Firearm Storage in a Vehicle
7. HB24-1330 – Air Quality Permitting
8. HB24-1246 – Electric Grid Resilience Temp Carbon Dioxide Reg

Where was Evans instead last week? We don’t know, but chances are pretty good that he was off doing some sort of campaigning in his bid for Congress.

To use a quote from, well, Gabe Evans: “Do your job!”