September 26, 2024 03:19 PM UTC

Dave Williams Triumphs In Colorado Republican Party Leadership Battle

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• by: Colorado Pols

As Colorado Public Radio’s Megan Verlee reports, an El Paso County judge has once again upended the struggle to determine who is in control of the Colorado Republican Party, perhaps decisively this time–ruling that the vote to remove state party chairman Dave “Brandon Out” Williams organized by pretender-chairman Eli Bremer was not sufficient to accomplish the goal:

In making his determination on a motion to dismiss the case, Judge Eric Bentley concluded bluntly that Bremer and his supporters’ “claim to have ousted the Williams faction fails, as Plaintiffs did not have the votes required by the CRC’s Bylaws.”

The CRC is the Central Republican Committee, a 414-member body made up of elected officials, party organizers and activists. Colorado GOP rules state that the central committee can remove any party officer at any time for whatever cause, “by a vote of three-fifths of the entire membership of the CRC eligible to vote at a meeting called for that purpose.”

Bremer’s side interpreted that phrase to mean 60 percent of the CTC members present at a given meeting are all that is needed to remove the party chair. Williams argued — and the judge agreed — that the vote must be 60 percent of all voting members of the committee.

Although the “official” meeting that voted overwhelmingly to keep Williams as party chairman saw more participation than Bremer’s alternative meeting that voted to dump Williams, what mattered most to the judge was that each side boycotted the other’s meeting, thus ensuring that neither side had the requisite 60% of the total membership to cast a decisive vote. The judge rejected the contention from Williams’ opponents that only 60% of those present were needed, and no matter how much you may despise Williams that does seem like the correct interpretation of the rules.

What this decision will not do is resolve the confusion resulting from some national Republicans having already recognized Bremer’s alternative chairmanship, most importantly the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) who is on the ground in Colorado supporting congressional candidates Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd. Winning the case over who is in charge of the party doesn’t resolve the larger questions about Williams’ competence as chairman and highly questionable use of party resources, so it’s hard to imagine national Republicans simply coming home.

As for Bremer?

Bremer told CPR News that the ruling was unexpected and didn’t appear very logical. He said he’s talking with his lawyers and “evaluating the options going forward.”

Even if Bremer appeals, the question is now guaranteed to not be resolved by the November elections–and there’s an argument that it’s too late for even a leadership change to make a difference, too much valuable time wasted. Under Williams’ self-dealing leadership, Colorado Republicans are headed into this election in their worst state of disarray since at least 2010, putting a state senate supermajority in reach for Democrats–the last sliver of veto power the Colorado GOP wields.

No matter what happens, that will be Dave Williams’ legacy.