Search Results for: ryan call

Why You Don’t Hear From Ryan Call Anymore?

6
  by: Colorado Pols June 16, 2021 at 3:37 PM MDT

Former Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call.

Former Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call, who was a major player in Colorado politics before being ousted in 2015 at the onset of a major scandal that scrambled the state GOP for years afterward, has been relatively quiet in recent years. In September of 2020, Call basically eighty-sixed himself from a future in Republican politics by signing onto a Lincoln Project roster of Joe Biden Republicans.

Well folks, as Colorado Newsline’s Chase Woodruff reports, there may be a more straightforward explanation for Call pulling back from the GOP spotlight:

The former chair of the Colorado Republican Party is facing potential legal disciplinary sanctions over allegations that he “misappropriated” nearly $280,000 from a pro-Donald Trump super PAC between 2016 and 2019.

The allegations against Ryan Call, who served two terms as state chair of the Colorado GOP between 2011 and 2015, were disclosed in a complaint filed against him this month by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, a division of the Colorado Supreme Court that handles attorney disciplinary matters. The OARC’s complaint was obtained by Newsline through a public records request…

Filed with the state Supreme Court’s Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge on June 2, the complaint alleges that Call embezzled nearly $280,000 from Rebuilding America Now through a variety of methods, including by secretly awarding himself a $5,000-per-month consulting contract and reporting false campaign-expenditure information to the Federal Election Commission. The complaint describes Call’s actions as criminal theft. [Pols emphasis]

“Respondent knowingly misappropriated $278,169.45 from (Rebuilding America Now),” the complaint states. “Specifically, he transferred $278,169.45 of RAN funds to himself, knowing that the funds belonged to RAN, and knowing that he was not entitled to the funds and that RAN had not authorized him to take the funds for his own purposes.”

Call, a formerly prominent figure in Colorado Republican circles who has maintained a low profile since 2019, did not return multiple calls and emails seeking comment.

That’s all bad news for Ryan Call, and it could be just the beginning–as the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party’s independent expenditure committee both during and long after he served as state party chairman, Call faced intense scrutiny from rival factions over his money and strategic management. Revelations that Call was cutting himself in on cash flow from the Rebuilding America Now PAC may mean it’s time for the GOP IEC and every other entity Call had fiduciary influence over to reopen its books–or let infamous red-on-red gadfly Matt Arnold do it for them.

If you were funding Colorado Republicans in the last decade, results clearly show you wasted your money.

Ryan Call may have helped waste money a little more, you know, efficiently.

Neville: Removal of Ryan Call As Chair of Fundraising Committee Would Be “Wise Move”

12
  by: Jason Salzman May 15, 2019 at 11:38 AM MDT

(It’s war. For Colorado Republicans, it’s always war. – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

House Minority Leader Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock).

Republican leaders expressed what appeared to be cathartic disagreement yesterday over whether to support a move by Colorado’s Republican Party to recall a state lawmaker for backing a gun-control bill, after the lawmaker, whose his son died in the Aurora theater massacre, campaigned on the issue.

The dispute prompted a top Colorado Republican to say it would be a “wise move” to oust the former leader of the Republican Party from his chairmanship of a key GOP fundraising committee.

Colorado’s GOP House minority leader, Patrick Neville of Castle Rock, made the comment on KNUS radio during day of intense infighting among conservatives, which opened wounds, inflicted by Republicans on themselves, that have been festering under the party’s skin for at least a decade here.

The pain was evident on Twitter, where warriors representing factions of the Republican Party put aside restraints and publicly denounced one another’s stances.

After a conservative radio host Chuck Bonniwell slammed Tyler Sandberg, who was former U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman’s campaign manager, for telling a news site that Trump has a “less than zero” chance of winning in Colorado, Sandberg tweeted, “Chuck, take my advice, put down the meth pipe.”

But the proposed recall campaigns, opposed by the deep-pocked oil and gas industry and other corporations, were the focus of most of the day’s debate.

Former Colo GOP Chair Ryan Call came out against the recall campaign of State Rep. Tom Sullivan of Aurora, which led to this conversation on KNUS 710-AM’s Chuck and Julie Show, with Neville and hosts Chuck Bonniwell and Julie Hayden:

(more…)

Brett Barkey and…Ryan Call?

0
  by: Colorado Pols August 22, 2017 at 3:26 PM MDT

Colorado Republicans sure are enthusiastic about the office of State Treasurer.

Republican Brett Barkey, currently the District Attorney in Judicial District 14 (northwest Colorado), officially joined the GOP field for Treasurer on Aug. 11. We apparently missed the news of Barkey’s announcement — it’s never a good idea to send out a press release on a Friday — which means there are now five declared Republican candidates in the field for Treasurer (and probably more on the way).

Barkey seems to have a pretty good resume, though not necessarily one that suggests a future run for State Treasurer, and he’s got a recognizable name on his campaign committee registration. Take a look:

Screenshot of candidate committee page for Brett Barkey.

Yup, that’s the same Ryan Call who was the former Chair of the State Republican Party. Call’s name hasn’t come up all that often since 2015, so it certainly raised one of our eyebrows when we saw it.

BREAKING: Steve House Ousts Ryan Call

18
  by: Colorado Pols March 16, 2015 at 10:10 AM MDT

MONDAY UPDATE: A telling “Retweet” from ousted GOP chairman Ryan Call says it all:

callpalacio

And with that, Ryan Call washes his hands of you. FOX 31:

Just four months after helping to engineer the Colorado GOP’s first big statewide victory in 12 years, Chairman Ryan Call is out of a job.

Steve House was elected over Call by more than 400 Republican delegates at the party’s the annual meeting in Douglas County by the Republican State Central Committee.

Call, who was seeking a third term, was ousted as a result of frustration from both the grassroots and establishment sides of the party.

AP:

Call said the party still faces serious challenges going into the 2016 elections, and he wished House “the best of luck.”

Even though the party is coming off its best election in years, some Republican activists say results could have been better with someone else in charge.

Last November, Colorado saw 100,000 more Republican votes than Democratic votes. But Democrats hung on to the governor’s office and the state House.

—–

UPDATE 12:00PM: Steve House’s victory over Ryan Call now official, reportedly a 57-43% margin. House now giving his victory speech.

—–

Word just reaching us from the Colorado Republican Party’s reorg meeting–former Adams County GOP chairman Steve House has defeated incumbent Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call on the first ballot. We’ll update shortly with coverage.

And remember, you heard it here first.

GOP recall activists on talk radio circuit opposing Ryan Call

0
  by: Jason Salzman March 3, 2015 at 3:35 PM MST

In the race for chair of the Colorado Republican Party, activists who led recall efforts against Democrats in 2013 have been on the talk-radio circuit dredging up their attacks on the current GOP Chair, Ryan Call, who's facing a serious challenge from former gubernatorial candidate Steve House.

On Monday, for example, Mike McAlpine (who led recall efforts against Sen. Evie Hudak) and Victor Head (who helped spearhead the recall against Sen. Angela Giron) were on KLZ 560-AM trashing Ryan Call in no uncertain terms. The pair was also on KNUS' Peter Boyles Show.

Both activists were responding to Call's assertions Saturday on a KNUS radio show that he'd backed recall campaigns in Pueblo and Colorado Springs to the tune of $140,000, plus other support.

"Let me start by saying that he objected and opposed to the recalls every step of the way," McAlpine said on air. " And only with this $140,000 after a Republican candidate was selected and it was officially Ryan’s job, as state Chair to get someone elected, did he come up with some money.

"This is a man who did not support the grassroots in Colorado," McAlpine continued. " And for him to step out now and paint himself as a person who did, as a leader, and to take credit for all the hard work of the volunteers, of the independent Republicans who came down, the independent Independents, the Unaffiliateds is wrong!  It is just wrong!"

"The elections went through," Pueblo's Victor Head told the radio audience, agreeing with McAlpine. "We won. Everyone was happy.  [Ryan Call] is out there taking credit, you know, waving at everybody, saying, 'Look what we did!'  And we’re standing there like, 'Well, yeah, we’ve still got this huge bill.' And there were just regular guys like me who got stuck with it.  And so we eventually had to have this press conference and say, 'Hey, Ryan basically lied to us, and said he was going to help and he never came through.' And It was only after we basically dragged him out, kicking and screaming, that he said, 'Oh, okay.  I’ll go ahead and make good on that promise, and I’ll cover the legal fees — or well, the Party will.'  And you know, that’s just the type of person he is.  He’s not there to really help empower the grassroots of the Party.  He really is in this simply to self-serve, as far as I can see."

"Now, the local party stepped up, in the face of Ryan," continued Head. "Ryan actually threatened our county chair down here in Pueblo and said, 'Don’t you dare help those recall people!' And she defied him, and of course, you know, the rest is history. We won.  And it’s all grand and happy.  But, that was the big thing we had, was, why are you actually coming out saying what we’re doing is actually a bad idea?  That’s where it really stung.

Ryan Call changes tune about his opposition to at least one recall campaign

7
  by: Jason Salzman March 2, 2015 at 4:12 PM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call.

Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call.

Appearing on KNUS 710-AM’s Jimmy Sengenberger Show Saturday, Colorado GOP Chair Ryan Call emphasized his support for Colorado’s 2013 recall campaigns, when, in fact, Call flat out opposed at least one recall effort.

“From a tactical perspective, frankly, the worst thing that I could do is to get to the head of the column and say that this is a Republican initiative,” Call told Sengenberger Saturday in explaining why he didn't take an earlier or higher profile stance in the recall campaigns. Call pointed out that Republicans would have had a harder time winning over Democrats and independents if the recall campaigns were perceived as GOP-led.

This contrasts with what Call told Fox 31 Denver at the time about his decision not to support the recall campaign of Democratic Sen. Evie Hudak:

Call: “This recall election would undermine our efforts in the governor’s race, the U.S. Senate race and to win a senate majority if voters perceive that Republicans are trying to win a majority through recalls.”

“The job of the Republican Party is to get Republicans elected when there are regular elections,” said Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call. “And there are already a lot of things competing for our time, attention and resources. [BigMedia emphasis]

Hudak recall organizer Laura Woods, now a GOP state senator who went by the name "Laura Waters" at the time, told KNUS radio host Peter Boyles that Call obstructed their efforts.

(more…)

Did Ryan Call abandon two GOP candidates who could have won close races?

8
  by: Jason Salzman February 25, 2015 at 11:38 AM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Ryan Call, Steve House.

Ryan Call, Steve House.

It's not easy to fact check some of the allegations flying around in the contest between Ryan Call and challenger Steve House to become chair of the Colorado Republican Party. But it's worth a try, especially when the salvos appear in the media.

On public television Friday, for example, the Independence Institute’s Dave Kopel reported an “allegation” that Call could have put two state legislative candidates “over the top” if he’d helped them pay for advertising during the “last couple weeks” of their campaigns, as they were "fighting hard" for a victory. But Call refused, and they lost.

Kopel (Watch at @1:30 here): House’s particular claim against Call is that Call refused to provide the support for two candidates who ended up losing very close state legislative races, Tony Sanchez, who was almost elected to the state senate, and Susan Kochevar, who almost won a house race, and her win would have put the House in Republican hands. So the argument is that they were close. They were fighting hard, and Ryan Call wouldn’t do a mailer for them in the last couple weeks that could have put them over the top. I don’t know the details of that. But that would be the allegation. Certainly, any chair of major party has to be able to work with all the groups of the party, the sincere moderates, the squishy moderates, the hard-core ideological people—and then have strategies to help them all get elected. [BigMedia emphasis]

Yes, you’d want a major party chair to work with all sides, but is the allegation true? Did Call screw his own party up?

(more…)

Gardner Backs Ryan Call in Contentious GOP Chair Fight

15
  by: Colorado Pols January 30, 2015 at 9:06 AM MST

Republican Ryan Call

Ryan Call

Colorado Republican Party Chair Ryan Call is facing a tough re-election fight against former Adams County GOP Chair (and candidate for governor) Steve House. We've gone through some of the reasons that Call might be ousted despite a fairly successful 2014 election season, with perhaps the main point of contention over Call's annual salary as Chairman.

House has already picked up the endorsement of Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, and yesterday, Call pulled out his big gun: Sen. Cory Gardner has his back. Here's Sen. Gardner in an email to GOP Party activists, hitting on what Call supporters no doubt believe are key messages:

Ryan has traveled extensively across our great state to meet with Republicans and he developed a plan to rebuild our Party. After listening to more of you, he created the 365 Plan. 

The 365 Plan was simple: Register and engage voters; support and train volunteers, candidates and elected officials; coalition building; raise the funds to win; build a sustaining ground program and work for Republican victories 365 days a year. In other words, we need a full time State Party – one that can operate year round – if we want to take on the Democrats, unions and liberal special interests.  This starts will a full time State Chairman.

Because of Ryan’s leadership, the Colorado GOP fundamentally changed to become a political operation that runs like a business.  Field offices opened a full year prior to the election and continued to grow to 13 field offices, more than we’ve ever had in an off year election.  Each office was filled with volunteers, paid walkers and staffers who made over 795,450 calls and knocked on over 1 MILLION doors!  This was the largest field program our state has ever seen!

Our Party needs a principled conservative with the experience, vision and fortitude to lead in 2016. I have no doubt that Ryan will dedicate 100 percent of his time, energy and talent to continue to build the Colorado Republican Party so we can gain on our 2014 successes. That is why I’m endorsing Ryan Call for Chairman of the Colorado Republican Committee and I hope you will join me. 

This endorsement from Gardner was not unexpected, but it is the first real test of Gardner's ability to operate as the de facto leader of Colorado Republicans. Is the endorsement of "Con Man Cory" enough to seal up another term for Call?
 

“Last Call For Ryan Call?” Opponents Lay Out Grievances

10
  by: Colorado Pols January 20, 2015 at 12:41 PM MST

lastcall

The campaign by grassroots Republicans to oust Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call continues, with supporters of Call's opponent in the upcoming leadership (s)election Steve House circulating a list of "grievances" against Call that some of our readers will remember fondly:

What is the Record of the Chairman in the Last Four Years?

– 42% increase in active unaffiliated voters, (100,000 in 2014 alone!)
– 12% decrease in state positions held by GOP (51-45-51), NET 0 
– No or small support of county candidates to state offices
– Organized an interference in the state primary for his governor
– Opposed and worked against the Recall efforts 
– Turned on his own and fell to the left's race baiting ‪#‎Chickengate‬
– Donated to Democrats 
– Outsourced all GOP legal matters to his own firm
– Stacked the Executive Committee 
– Inflated salary and expenses 
– Would not support Tony Sanchez against Kerr 
– No real respect for conservative grassroots 
– Ignored most voting irregularities including Adams and Boulder
– Brought pro-common core, pro-amnesty Jeb Bush to CO 
– Supported the RNC rules changes against grassroots 
– Tried to eliminate straw polls 
– Most fundraising came from RNC, not Ryan Call
– No or low amount of small donors (major sign of failure),
– Doesn't promote the constitution or platform
– Didn't publicly oppose the corruption in Mississippi 
– Silent on O'Keefe video of CO Dems promoting voting fraud
– Supports failed candidates and officials who vote against our own platform
– Presided over a disastrous assembly in Boulder in 2014 with not enough food, no outside vendors allowed, no weapons allowed (only CC, after a fight and a search). 
-The list goes on and on.

Ryan Call is Good For Washington and Bad for Colorado

A lot to chew on in this laundry list of grievances against Call, but it's obvious that the "Tea Party" grassroots is no more happy with Call after four years than they were when former chairman Dick Wadhams was on his way out the door in 2011. Wadhams ended his tenure after a disastrous 2010 election cycle, in which Republican candidates imploded and squandered a major "wave year" opportunity. After that experience Wadhams did not run again, saying "I'm tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party role is."

Despite the dissatisfaction among the conservative grassroots with Wadhams, it's widely believed that he could have won re-election to the job of state chairman had he chose to stay in the running in 2011. In 2015, we can't say the same of Ryan Call–who has had a very difficult time as well keeping a fractious and frequently off-message Republican caucus on track, and lacks Wadhams' forceful personality to command respect. Lingering anger over the shenanigans in the GOP gubernatorial primary last year, which saw Bob Beauprez elevated by national Republicans over grassroots pick Tom Tancredo also works against Ryan Call, especially with the possibility of the party helping Beauprez recoup his own campaign loans looming.

And by God, make sure there's enough food for everyone at the state assembly.

Steve House Challenging Ryan Call for State GOP Chair

4
  by: Colorado Pols January 9, 2015 at 11:17 AM MST

SteveHouse-FB

Check out the last comment from Steve House.

State Republican Chair Ryan Call looks to have serious opposition in his bid for re-election from former Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve House.

We told you this fight was coming back in December; despite a pretty successful 2014, Republican Party activists are not sold on Call and are not happy that he continues to take home a hefty salary for a position that was never intended to be a full-time job. As we wrote last month:

Republican activists remain irritated at the hefty salary awarded to their Party Chairman, a practice that began in 2007 when Dick Wadhams was elected Chair and pushed through changes to the Party bylaws that turned a largely-volunteer position into a full-time job. The State Republican Party was a mess when Wadhams took over, which made it much easier for Wadhams to advocate for a "temporary" change that would allow him to earn more money in a sort-of dual role as Chairman and Executive Director. But the "temporary" change initiated by Wadhams wasn't altered when Call succeeded Wadhams as Chair in 2011; in fact, the Republican Party (via the Colorado Republican Committee) now pays monthly salaries for Call as Chairman and Shana Kohn as Executive Director. Democrats also now employ a full-time Chairman and Executive Director, though the salaries are considerably higher for the GOP.

This looks like it's headed for a full-on battle, with House already claiming he has the support of Attorney General Cynthia Coffman (see image at right from Facebook). House is independently wealthy and doesn't need to take the same salary that Call has enjoyed for years, and that may end up being the major sticking point rather than Republican success at the ballot box.

Sorry, Ryan Call: El Paso County GOP Stands By “Dr. Chaps”

22
  by: Colorado Pols August 27, 2014 at 8:27 AM MDT

UPDATE: In a statement earlier today, Democratic CD-5 candidate Irv Halter calls on Rep. Doug Lamborn to condemn Gordon Klingenschmitt's remarks:

“Gordon Klingenschmitt offended Coloradans from both parties and all walks of life with his offensive and out of touch comment comparing a U.S. Congressman to ISIS,” said Halter.  “His statement shows that he has no interest in being a leader in El Paso County who will attract businesses to our region.  Instead, it is clear that he will be an embarrassment.  I also believe his so-called apology was less than adequate from someone who purports to be a man of character who, like me, graduated from the Air Force Academy.  I ask Congressman Lamborn, who has appeared on Klingenschmitt’s online show, to join me in condemning his remarks as inappropriate for political discourse and insulting to our U.S. Congress.”

—–

Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call, GOP HD-15 nominee Gordon Klingenschmitt.

Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call, GOP HD-15 nominee Gordon Klingenschmitt.

KOAA-TV's Greg Dingrando reports, the El Paso County Republican Party is standing up for embattled Colorado House candidate Gordon "Dr. Chaps" Klingenschmitt in the wake of his outlandish attack on Rep. Jared Polis last weekend, suggesting that Polis would "join ISIS in beheading Christians" for…actually, it doesn't really matter why he thought that statement was justifiable.

Reports KOAA-TV, local Republicans who know "Dr. Chaps" best are standing by him:

"Democrats like Polis want to bankrupt Christians who refuse to worship and endorse his sodomy. Next he'll join ISIS in beheading Christians…" said Klingenschmitt.

It's a comment that has Democrats shocked and appalled yet county Republicans are still defending him…

The Colorado State Republicans are denouncing him from the party, but El Paso County Republicans are standing by him. [Pols emphasis]

"He's part of our team. Whether we agree with him or disagree with him," said El Paso County Republican Chairman Jeffrey Hays…

"They're using that as a smoke screen to get people's attention away from their bad policies of a constant effort to control people," said Hays.

He said it's a smoke screen Republicans aren't afraid to fight right along side Klingenschmitt.

"I want to win. I believe in value of us winning. He represents a whole host of views the Republican Party will have [Pols emphasis] so absolutely we want him to win," said Hays.

While we pick our jaws up off the floor, read again from our friends at Right Wing Watch:

Just let that sink in: a man who thinks that "Obamacare causes cancer," that the Bible commands people to own guns in order to "defend themselves against left wing crazies," and that the FCC is allowing demonic spirits to "molest and visually rape your children" is now a Republican candidate for office. [Pols emphasis]

Not just a candidate, the GOP's primary election winner to succeed Rep. Mark Waller in HD-15. A candidate who, in the view of El Paso County GOP Chairman Jeffrey Hays, "represents a whole host of views the Republican Party will have." We haven't heard from other local political figures close to Klingenschmitt, like Sen. Bernie Herpin, but at some point a lack of condemnation is reasonably tantamount to support–especially as the story blows up nationally. In any event, we should be able to accept the word of the county GOP chairman as official.

Right?

Last Monday, Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call sort-of denounced Klingenschmitt's comments, while making it clear that he wasn't going to let those conniving Democrats turn this into another "Todd Akin" situation–you know, "trying to brand all Republicans." Because obviously, "his views do not reflect my personal position or" (this is the important part) "the position of the party." This isn't the first time that Call has had to condemn a Republican elected official's indefensible remarks (see: Marble, Vicki and Saine, Lori), but it seemed for a moment like he was working from a better prepared script.

Ryan Call, call your office.

Good Luck With That, Ryan Call

14
  by: Colorado Pols May 20, 2013 at 1:17 PM MDT

See you in 2016?

See you in 2016? Maybe?

As the Durango Herald reported over the weekend, Republicans in Colorado are still looking for that elusive candidate to challenge either Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper or Sen. Mark Udall. We've discussed many times in this space that Colorado Republicans are basically paralyzed under the vice grip of the Tea Party and the far-right; the only way to win a statewide election in Colorado is to run as a moderate, but the GOP can't get a moderate out of a primary. Perhaps both a cause and effect of this problem has left Republicans with quite literally nobody to turn to for help.

In that context, it's hard not to feel sorry for Colorado Republican Party Chair Ryan Call, who can't do much anymore but just admit that the GOP has no bench. From the Durango Herald:

Republicans have whispered about a handful of possible candidates – including two prominent Four Corners politicians – but the party appears to be running into trouble fielding top-tier candidates for these races. Political scientists and strategists say this is just the latest edition of troubles that have dogged the party for the last 10 years…

…The Colorado Republican Party is down but not out, state chairman Call said.

“There’s no question that the bench, if you will, of candidates has suffered as a result of election losses in the past,” Call said. [Pols emphasis]

Call is correct, but it's more than that — even Republicans who have won recent elections (such as Rep. Cory Gardner) aren't really part of a bench that could succeed statewide. Republicans, and Call, know what they don't need.But they still have to square that with a Tea Party crowd doesn't agree about much of anything, even amongst themselves.

Colorado Pols readers have heard this all before, of course, but it's pretty incredible to see the State Party Chair basically admit that Republicans have no bench. The truth shall set you free, or something.

CO GOP Chair Ryan Call to be Challenged by DougCo GOP Chair Baisley

2
  by: Michael Lund January 17, 2013 at 9:33 AM MST

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

When it comes to Ryan Call, Ken Clark and Jason Worley are not impressed.

In the past week on Grassroots Radio Colorado (airing weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM), show hosts Worley and Clark have been heard to call for current GOP State Party Chairperson Call to own up to his responsibility for the devastating November election losses “like a man”, and step down from his leadership position.

Last Friday on Grassroots, Arapahoe County Tea Party Chair Randy Corporon was filling in as guest host, as he often does.  Worley and Clark were on a “top secret” special assignment.  The guests that day, freshman State Representative Justin Everett (HD-22) and John Ransom from Townhall.com/Finance pleaded with Corporon to throw his hat into the race for the GOP Chairmanship.  Their enthusiastic request was modestly evaded.

And then yesterday, Mark Baisley, Douglas County GOP Chair, appeared on Grassroots to announce his candidacy for the position.

Ryan Call probably isn’t too worried.

He has endorsements from approximately half of the current County GOP Committees that will eventually vote to decide who leads the state party, as well as support from GOP notables such as AG John Suthers, and Rep. Cory Gardner.

Call’s ascendency two years ago came in a firestorm of name calling and finger pointing around previous Chairman Dick Wadhams, who withdrew his candidacy for reelection after the debacle that was The McInnis-Maes-Tancredo Show and Ken Buck’s losing challenge to Democrat Michael Bennet’s senate seat.  

Stating his frustration with trying to herd the un-herdable cats of Colorado’s GOP, Wadhams said in a recent Lynn Bartels blog post for the Denver newspaper’s political blog, The Spot (January 11, 2013) “he was “tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party’s role is.”

In the same column, Bartels quoted Wadhams pointing to fundraising as another piece of the fallout from his decision to withdraw. He said donors were reluctant to give money to a GOP that is “run by an idiot.”  Wadhams said that Call was the donors’ pick for the CO leadership position.

The “idiot” refered to in Wadham’s quote is most likely Senator Ted Harvey, who was challenging Call at the time with support from liberty and grassroots groups in the GOP.  

Could the same divisive scenario be setting up for this spring’s GOP Chair election?  Well, Baisley is no Ted Harvey, although they appear pretty similar on paper.

Worley and Clark were happy to give Baisley a soapbox to announce his candidacy, as they have with other successful GOP candidates.  But they didn’t hold back with their criticism of Call, who they said runs a party that’s not all too inviting to liberty groups’ participation.  Worley points out that he and Call went to high school together, but they still butt heads.

Callers to Grassroots Radio last Friday echoed some of Wadhams’ concerns from 2011, namely the danger of splitting a minority Party whose wounds continue to weep along ideological fractures, and the proven abilities of a candidate to deliver in the Chairmanship’s two biggest responsibilities:  winning elections and fundraising.

Baisley addressed both concerns.

He asserted his longstanding friendship with Ryan Call and said they have always worked well together.  He’s offering to unite the all who believe in limited government with his “model of respect,”  where everyone is invited to share their talents in defeating the Dems – apparently to include  “nuts” and “idiots.”

As proof of his capabilities, Baisley cited his success in organizing over 3,000 Douglas County volunteers, activitating a localized ground game for getting out the vote, and the notable coup of electing seven conservatives to the Douglas County School Board which eventually tossed the American Federation of Teachers union from the district.

As far as fundraising, Baisley reduced its importance as secondary to the ground game, but noted his successes, just the same.  On the finance committee during Bruce Benson’s tenure ten years ago as leader of the Colorado GOP, he helped raise more than $10 million for the Party.  In Douglas County this election cycle, enough funds were generated to cover all GOTV costs, max out a contribution to Mike Coffman’s congressional campaign, while filling in gaps in other legislative races, he said.

Addressing Ryan Call’s claim of early support from the counties, Worley and Clark enthusiastically point out that new leadership in the counties committees could undermine some of those initial endorsements.

Then  Baisley said he had heard from some county leaders, who said if they’d known Baisley was running for the Chair, they would never have endorsed Call.   They promised Baisley they wouldn’t be seen campaigning actively for Call.

It all sounds very encouraging for Baisley, if you can believe Grassroots Radio.

But can he herd cats?

G u L PCO mJXxtVOGb

What Planet Does Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call Live On?

2
  by: Colorado Pols July 2, 2012 at 9:38 PM MDT

From an absurd fluff piece in the Durango Herald Saturday, we must conclude…not this planet:

Social issues won’t be winning elections this year, and Colorado’s Republican Party chairman knows that…

The Hispanic vote will play a major role in the election this year, especially in swing states such as Colorado and Nevada where that demographic is booming, according to national news reports…[b]eyond grass-roots engagement, the party will push more Spanish language radio and television, he said.

The Republicans are also broaching the subject of immigration reform, Call said. The president has “failed to deliver” on his promises in that realm, creating an opportunity for Republicans to step in, Call said. [Pols emphasis]

President Obama’s executive action to hold off on deportations of illegal immigrants who came to the country as children takes a “piecemeal approach,” the state chairman said.

Instead, Republicans are advocating permanent guest worker permits and the use of higher education and military service as pathways to citizenship. [Pols emphasis]

Folks, we don’t know any other way to say this: Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call has entered into a state of clinical denial. This is the same Ryan Call who denounced his fellow Republicans for their failure to pass the ASSET bill this year, which would have allowed undocumented students to pursue higher education in Colorado at affordable rates:

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in the vote,” Call told FOX31 Denver. “I am. It does make it more difficult for Republicans to talk about issues that are important to the Hispanic community when a bill like that can’t get through the legislature.” [Pols emphasis]

Are you aware of anything that has happened since the end of April, when Call said this, to make his point less valid? If not, can you explain to us why Call is acting like the legislative battle over ASSET, and its defeat at the hands of Colorado House Republicans, never happened?

Furthermore, President Barack Obama’s recent immigration policy changes do use military service as a criteria, like Ryan Call says he wants. The idea that anything resembling comprehensive immigration reform palatable to Hispanic voters could pass the current Republican Congress is nonsensical. Does Call really think Hispanics don’t know this?

Because the polls say they do.

With apologies to the Herald’s Emery Cowan, the author of this story, the only way Mr. Call gets away with misrepresenting his party’s agenda to this laughable extent is when the interviewer is as ignorant about what the GOP actually stands for as their state chairman pretends to be.

GOP Chairman Ryan Call To House GOP: You Screwed Up

4
  by: Colorado Pols April 27, 2012 at 11:48 PM MDT

FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reports:

Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call, who is now focused on improving the party’s standing with Latino voters ahead of the November election, told FOX31 Denver Friday that he’s disappointed that House Republicans this week killed a measure that would have made college more affordable for undocumented students who qualify…

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in the vote,” Call told FOX31 Denver. “I am. It does make it more difficult for Republicans to talk about issues that are important to the Hispanic community when a bill like that can’t get through the legislature.” [Pols emphasis]

Perhaps you’d like to ask the suddenly introspective Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call why, if he felt so strongly about the need to pass this bill as he told the New York Times and anyone else who would listen…he never lobbied his own legislators to actually do it?

“It’s awkward and inappropriate for a party chairman to get involved and to tell lawmakers what to do about voting on various policies,” Call said.

“They are all trying to strike a balance, in this case, between two important conservative principles. We are a party that believes very much in economic opportunity, educational opportunity and enabling people to achieve the American Dream through hard work; but we are also a party of law and order and we believe that violations of the law shouldn’t be overlooked.

“I defer to lawmakers to strike that balance,” Call continued. “And voters will hold those lawmakers and our party accountable in November at how good a job they’re doing.” [Pols emphasis]

Wow, folks. We think that bit about it being “inappropriate” for party chairmen to speak their minds is a bit of a cop-out (like that ever stopped Dick Wadhams), but setting that detail aside, this could be as close to off-reservation as Chairman Call is ever going to get.

With that, we’ll turn this surprising moment of candor over to our readers. How right is he?

Get Your Own House In Order, Ryan Call

13
  by: Colorado Pols October 23, 2011 at 5:22 PM MDT

Not like we haven’t been saying it for years, but we wanted this report from FOX 31’s Eli Stokols noted for the record–a recognition by Colorado Republicans of a serious problem.

Sort of.

A Wednesday article in the New York Times uses two Colorado Republicans to underscore how tough talk on illegal immigration in GOP presidential primary debates may hurt the party’s chances with Latino voters, a key constituency in 2012 swing states…

The Times story reports the obvious: that the increasingly heated rhetoric on the subject of illegal immigration, an obvious play to the conservative base, is going to hurt the eventual nominee’s chances with the crucial Latino vote come general election time.

And Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call is willing to admit that.

“The discussion of creating electrified fences from sea to sea is neither prudent nor helpful,” Call told the Times. “They’re throwing red meat around in an attempt to mollify a particular aspect of the Republican base.” [Pols emphasis]

…Interestingly, the Times article also includes a quote from Colorado state Rep. Robert Ramirez, R-Westminster, who cast a decisive vote earlier this year against a proposal to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants in Colorado, effectively killing the bill despite his own stated ambivalence on the issue.

“We can’t pretend the Latino vote doesn’t exist,” Ramirez told the Times. “It’s time we became the party of inclusion.”

We’ll start by saying that Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call is right. As we have warned for years, the hard-line campaign against illegal immigrants by Republican politicians has short term political benefits, rallying anti-immigrant sentiments in that segment of the conservative base–but long term peril for Republicans as they proceed to alienate the fastest-growing bloc of voters in the United States. We have consistently given this warning, even as Colorado Republicans mimicked Arizona’s reviled anti-immigrant legislation with their own bills here, and Republicans at all levels endorsed the gubernatorial campaign of Tom Tancredo in 2010.

That’s right. You want to be the “party of inclusion?” Great! Doug Lamborn, Mike Coffman, Bob Schaffer, Bob Beauprez, Cheri Gerou, Cindy Acree, Kent Lambert, Marsha Looper, Spencer Swalm, Greg Brophy, Shawn Mitchell, Ted Harvey, Josh Penry…the list goes on and on…that is, Tancredo’s endorsement list…have got some soul-searching to do first.

So while it’s neat that Ryan Call and Rep. Robert “Maybe Next Year” Ramirez feel empowered to complain about Herman Cain’s regrettable “electric fence” comments in the New York Times, we’d note right back–everything they said applies as much right here in Colorado as it does in a national news story, one that Call feels he can discuss without hurting any local feelings. What Call said above about Herman Cain, and what Rep. Ramirez says about “inclusion,” applies at least equally to fellow Colorado Republicans they work with every day.

Isn’t that where the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party should start?

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Ryan Call Doth Protest Too Much, Fearing Brandon Shaffer Edition

16
  by: Colorado Pols May 27, 2011 at 9:06 PM MDT

It’s a funny thing about all this clamor and staged hand-wringing over whether, or when, Colorado Senate President Brandon Shaffer plans to start a run for the CD-4 seat presently held by freshman GOP Rep. Cory Gardner–as FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reported Tuesday:

Looking to keep the pressure on Senate President Brandon Shaffer following last week’s statement from a top Democrat that he was planning to run for Congress, Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call sent Shaffer a letter Tuesday asking him to “break his silence.”

…Republicans have mercilessly attacked Shaffer over lawmakers’ failure to re-draw Colorado’s congressional district lines during the just-ended session at the Capitol.

That battle, now headed to the courts, stalled when Democrats and Republicans were unable to compromise on a map…

Specifically, Republicans took aim at Shaffer, who they suspected of trying to gerrymander the Fourth Congressional District, which includes his home town of Longmont, so it would be more favorable to him and a potential campaign next year.

So, we’ll start with the obvious thing we’ve said repeatedly when this silly allegation has come up: every Democratic proposed redistricting map drew CD-4 with a significant GOP advantage. What’s more, Shaffer, like House Speaker Frank McNulty, wasn’t even a member of the Joint Select Committee on Redistricting–yet it was McNulty who scotched his party’s maps in favor of his own, remember? Has anybody accused Shaffer of anything even remotely equivalent?

After you dispense with the only material allegation being made against Shaffer, the rest of this is just childish hectoring. It’s the spring of an off year, the midterms were barely six months ago. The world can wait until the summer or fall for these campaigns to begin. It seems like this is some kind of payback for the way Democrats attacked Bob Schaffer in the fall of 2007, but the problem then was Schaffer himself doing the announcing and un-announcing.

So once you cut through the noise, what’s left if the only real allegation here is baseless hypocrisy? Why would well-adjusted adults, who have their jobs because they’re considered to be smart like Ryan Call, waste their and the media’s time biting at Sen. Shaffer’s ankles?

If you don’t see where we’re going with this, you haven’t been watching the news this week.

In Which Ryan Call Displays Wadhams-Grade Mendacity

22
  by: Colorado Pols April 10, 2011 at 5:45 AM MDT

Check out this video clip from 9NEWS’ Your Show interview with new Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call this week–who was it trying to make those cuts to education smaller again? Really?

Host: Can you provide some more instances where Republicans have reached across party lines at the state level?

Call: Well even most recently–and the budget bills, I think, give a great example of that level of cooperation in terms of trying to find some common ground and compromise. Not everybody is always happy with the outcome, and that’s often, maybe, a good measure that not everybody got what everybody wanted. And for example, here in Colorado, originally the Democrat governor, Gov. Hickenlooper, had proposed about $335 million in cuts to K-12 education. Republicans came back and said, ‘that’s not how we want to prioritize our spending in this state.’ [Pols emphasis] And so they countered, and we ended up compromising with limits of cutting only $250 million.

So, uh, that’s a pretty imaginative rewriting of history to say the least–after Republicans uniformly praised Hickenlooper’s proposed budget cuts to education, after Don Beezley’s charter/squatter bill, or Republicans on the Joint Budget Committee voting against school breakfast funds…every Republican education-related talking point for the last fifty years…

Here’s just one of dozens of news reports that make a liar out of Call–Durango Herald:

“Republicans are introducing bills that would cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, money we don’t even have,” Pace said.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans – who are still in the minority – blame Democrats for the fiscal crisis because of their insistence on minimizing cuts to schools… [Pols emphasis]

The highest praise for Hickenlooper, a Democrat, comes from Republicans. Both McNulty and Kopp say they will try to defend the governor’s budget plan that deals a large, permanent cut to public schools. [Pols emphasis]

Really, folks. This is industrial-strength, lucid and audacious prevarication. It’s so far over the top and out of character, yet delivered with such a sincere deadpan, that you almost have to admire Call’s chutzpah. We understand why Republicans would use Hickenlooper’s budget proposal as cover for these unpopular cuts–but to claim credit for protecting public education?

That’s just too much. The “Tea Party” is going to freak, and nobody else is going to buy it.

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John Suthers, Walker Stapleton back Ryan Call for CO GOP chair

10
  by: Donald Johnson March 5, 2011 at 11:42 PM MST

Ryan Call is picking up some of the most important endorsements possible in his run for chair of the Colorado Republican party, according to this news release:

Attorney General Suthers and State Treasurer Stapleton join Legislators and Party Leaders from Across the State in Endorsing Ryan Call for State GOP Chairman

Denver – Ryan Call is pleased to announce his first list of campaign supporters.

“I am truly honored for the support of these Republican leaders from all over Colorado,” said Call. “From fellow county party activists to statewide elected officials, the range of experience these supporters possess underscores my intent to work with both local and elected leaders to gain large Republican victories in 2012.”

The following are supporters of Ryan Call for Colorado Republican State Party Chairman:

Attorney General John Suthers

State Treasurer Walker Stapleton

CU Regent Sue Sharkey

State Senator Nancy Spence

State Senator Ellen Roberts

State Senator Jean White

State Representative/Assistant Majority Leader Mark Waller

State Representative Bob Gardner

State Representative Spencer Swalm

District Attorney Mark Hurlbert

District Attorney Russ Wasley

Congressional District 1 Chairman Gabriel Schwartz

Congressional District 2 Chairman/Summit County Chairman Debra Irvine

Congressional District 3 Chairman Ralph Walchle

Former Arapahoe County Chairman/Bonus Member Dave Kerber

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder/Bonus Member Nancy Doty

Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson

El Paso County Treasurer/Former Clerk and Recorder/Bonus Member Bob Balink

Former El Paso County Chairman Wayne Williams

Former Adams County Chairman Clark Bolser

Former Arapahoe County Chairman Nathan Chambers

Former State Republican Party Chairman Don Bain

Former State Republican Party Chairman Bob Martinez

State Republican Party Treasurer/Former State Solicitor General Richard Westfall

 

Ryan Call Mulling State Chair Run

0
  by: Colorado Pols February 8, 2011 at 9:09 PM MST

Denver GOP Chair Ryan Call is reportedly weighing a run at becoming the next Colorado Republican Party Chair. Call became the head of the Denver Republicans after Mary Smith stepped down in 2008.

Call has been involved with GOP politics in the state for over a decade. An attorney, Call served as legal counsel for the Colorado Republicans under outgoing State Chair Dick Wadhams, and was the Denver County Chair of the 2008 presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

If Call does end up running, he will face a field of candidates that includes State Senator Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch among others. The Republicans will pick their new state leadership on March 26th in the conservative stronghold of Castle Rock.

Rep. Paul Ryan joins Coffman in calling Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme”

15
  by: Jason Salzman September 21, 2011 at 10:45 PM MDT

(Doubling down on the crazy? – promoted by Colorado Pols)

In a Post titled, “It’s Alive! Despite GOP Warnings, Ponzi Scheme Meme Is Alive and Well on Capitol Hill,” Talking Points Memo’s Evan McMorris-Santoro reports today that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WIS) has joined Rep. Mike Coffman in saying, on the radio, that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.

He points out that “GOP superstar” Mitch Daniels told the New York Times that the phrase is not wrong but “too frank.”

McMorris-Santoro links to a Huffington Post piece by Jordan Howard quoting Ryan on the Laura Ingraham show today:

When asked by host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday whether the country’s social insurance program is a Ponzi scheme, Ryan replied, “That is how those schemes work.”

“So if you take a look at the technicality of Ponzi — I would — it’s not a criminal enterprise,” he said, according to a transcript. “But it is a pay-as-you-go system where … earlier investors or, say, taxpayers, get a positive rate of return and the most recent investors — or taxpayers — get a negative rate of return.”

Coffman didn’t explain last week on KNUS why he thinks Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, because KNUS host Steve Kelley failed to ask him about it.

A call to Coffman’s office yesterday for comment was not returned.

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Ryan “Squeaky” Call New Colorado GOP Political Director

22
  by: Colorado Pols July 2, 2008 at 7:20 PM MDT

Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams announced today that he is hiring “wunderkind” operative Ryan Call (isn’t that what they called John Marshall?) as political director and counsel, presumably because Wadhams finally realized that he can’t collect every paycheck.

Call comes to the Colorado GOP on a “leave of absence” from the storied law firm of Atherton and Zakhem, where business was probably slowing anyway. Welcome to the gravy boat, says Dick.

Release follows.

Colorado GOP Hires Political Director

The Colorado GOP today announced the addition of Ryan Call who will serve the Party as Political Director and as In-House Legal Counsel.

“Ryan brings an incredible amount of experience both legal and in grassroots activism to our team,” said state GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams. “He will play a critical role in our efforts moving forward through to the 2008 general election.”

As Political Director and In-House Counsel, Call will be responsible for supporting county parties, and statewide campaigns.  He will also be responsible for the day-to-day legal and compliance needs of the Republican Party, and will be coordinating the Party’s legal strategy and poll-watching operations for Election Day.

“I am extremely pleased to be joining the GOP team,” Call said. “The Colorado Republican Party has done a great job in recruiting extremely competitive and talented slate of candidates across the board this year. I’m confident we will have a strong showing in November.”

In addition to his experience as an attorney and as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Republican Party, Call is in his second term as Vice-Chairman of the Denver County Republican Party.  Previously, he served for two years as the National Co-Chairman of the College Republican National Committee, and has worked on numerous statewide and local campaigns.  

Call has also served on numerous boards and commissions, including as a member of the Alumni Council at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, and was appointed by Governor Owens to the Access to Justice Commission.  He also serves as a member of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Advisory Panels on Election and Campaign Finance Law, and is a member of the Colorado Lawyers Committee Election Law Taskforce.

“This is a critical election year, and Colorado voters may ultimately decide the outcome of the Presidential race and control of the United States Senate.  We have an exceptional and growing team of campaign staff and field operations, and I’m looking forward to doing my part to ensure a Colorado victory for John McCain, Bob Schaffer, and each of our Republican candidates,” Call said.  

Call is taking a leave of absence from the firm of Zakhem Atherton LLC to serve as Political Director and In-House Legal Counsel.  John Zakhem will continue to serve as outside counsel to the Republican Party.  Call will officially begin working for the Colorado GOP on July 15.

 ###

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Forget “Recall Polis,” Let’s “Make CO Red Again”–With Nazis!

10
  by: Colorado Pols January 17, 2020 at 2:06 PM MST

After the failure of last year’s half-baked recall attempt against Gov. Jared Polis, which limped across the finish line with at most half the required number of signatures need even without factoring for error, one of the two groups nominally dedicated to the recall effort became a headline-making controversy after doling out thousands of dollars in unspent donations to a few original organizers and “friends.” This was particularly offensive to donors since the committee in question, the “Official” Recall Polis committee, publicly disparaged the petition campaign to recall Polis and spent no money on the effort.

When we last heard from the registered agent for the “Official” Recall Polis committee Juli-Andra Feuntes, she was facing potential legal action from the Donald Trump presidential campaign after renaming the committee “Colorado For Trump”–to which Fuentes responded by making an acronym of T-R-U-M-P, which now stands for “Truth will Restore the republic and Unbiased Media gives Power to the people.”

That bizarre report from last October was the last word we’ve had about the “Official” Recall Polis campaign and the recipients of that moribund committee’s loose change, until this week when a budding conflict on a new-ish conservative Facebook group named “Make CO Red Again” was brought to our attention:

Readers will recall that Renee McGill, the Weld County lead organizer for the “Official” Recall Polis Committee, pulled down a $3,000 check from the unspent donations to the committee. McGill is now the administrator of the Make CO Red Again Facebook group. Obviously, given the failure of the Polis recall and the controversy over the money McGill was “gifted,” she should expect to have hurdles to overcome in future political organizing roles.

And she’s not the only one!

The moderator of the Make CO Red Again Facebook is a man our longtime readers know very well: Nate Marshall, a one-time Republican state house candidate whose 2014 run for office against Democratic Rep. Max Tyler imploded after Marshall’s not-so secret online life as an unabashed neo-Nazi became public. Marshall had been allegedly recruited to run against Rep. Tyler by former state Sen. Tim Neville, and was backed by the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) at the party assembly. When it came out in remarkably similar fashion to the recent outing of a neo-Nazi working at local AM radio station 710 KNUS that Marshall was steeling himself for an “Aryan Revolution” that “begins in just over 40 hours,” the chair of the Jefferson County GOP demanded Marshall pull out of the race.

So if by this point you’re thinking that this is not a Facebook group respectable Republicans should ever want to be a member of, we’d say that’s an astute observation. It is therefore a bit perplexing to understand why…so many…Colorado Republicans…are members of Nate Marshall’s Facebook group:

(more…)

Neville: “Establishment Republicans” Oppose Recalls Because They’re Not Profiting from Them

5
  by: Jason Salzman July 30, 2019 at 3:30 PM MDT

(You’re not supposed to say that part out loud — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado House Republican leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock thinks “establishment Republicans” don’t support efforts to recall Democrats from office because the establishment Republicans aren’t “profiting from it.”

While Neville said his organization, RecallColorado.com, is “willing to work with anyone and spend money on any of these recalls” in Colorado, “there’s a lot of different establishment Republicans out there trying to discourage that, because they’re not profiting on it.”

Neville made the comments during an interview on KLZ AM-560’s Rush to Reason show Thursday.

It’s not news that Colorado Republican Party leaders are bitterly divided on whether Democrats, including state legislators and Gov. Jared Polis, should be recalled from office.

What’s new is Neville’s accusation that opposition from establishment Republicans stems from their not making money from the recalls.

So-called establishment Republicans who’ve come out against the recalls include Ryan Call, who’s a former leader of the Republican Party; Cole Wist, a former state lawmaker; State Sen. Bob Rankin (R-Carbondale); and Tyler Sandberg, a prominent GOP political operative.

Sandberg did not immediately return a call seeking to know whether he opposed the recall efforts because he was not profiting on them.

But some folks who could arguably be called “establishment Republicans,” such as state GOP vice Chair Kristi Burton Brown and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, appear to support recalls, so the division between establishment and grassroots Republicans on the recall question may not be so stark.

In addition to Neville, recall campaigns have been supported by non-establishment Republicans such as pro-gun activist Dudley Brown.

Journalists have raised questions about whether Neville’s family members and their allies are themselves profiting from the recall campaigns.

9News’ Marshall Zelinger questioned GOP state leader Ken Buck on the topic in April:

Zelinger: House Minority Leader Patrick Neville has come out supporting recalls. His family could benefit from recalls because that’s their business. Should it be appropriate for elected officials and their families to profit off of recalls and elections? By being hired for election purposes–this is an added election outside of a cycle–perhaps this is being done in a way that benefits the family business?

Buck understood the logic behind the question but didn’t answer it.

Buck: So, Patrick’s brother is a consultant in the business and certainly there were some resources from the House fund that were used in the last cycle and his brother ran some of that political operation. I think that is something that Patrick and the elected Republicans in the state House will have to decide. It’s not something the state party will intervene in in any way

9News anchor Kyle Clark raised the profit issue after Brown and allied Republicans, like Burton, dropped their plans to recall Aurora Democratic lawmaker Tom Sullivan in July.

KYLE CLARK: The failed attempt to recall Democratic State Rep. Tom Sullivan did not raise one dollar and it did not spend a dollar. We learned that from some financial filings. Now that sounds funny unless you heard us saying weeks ago that this recall was really about a gun rights group called Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. The head of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners says, they funded the entire recall and guess what? They don’t have to disclose their donors. So we are left to take that special interest group at its word that this was not just a fundraiser designed as a recall that was never going to succeed. We are left to take them at their word that they took in $30,000 and spent more than that $45,000 on a failed signature-gathering effort. If those happen to be your dollars, and your trust, my condolences.

RECALL RECAP: Where Do Republicans Stand Now?

2
  by: Jason Salzman June 11, 2019 at 10:35 AM MDT

The vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, Kristi Burton-Brown, wrote on Facebook today that “in order to accomplish the most good in the shortest time” she and her allies are abandoning an effort to recall Colorado State Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Centennial) and instead are focusing on “recalling Democrat Senators who are not up for re-election in 2020.”

It’s not clear if Brown’s new strategy will win over fellow Republicans who opposed this year’s recall efforts. But here is a sampling of range of opinion within the Republican Party, as expressed before Brown’s announcement today.

OPPOSED TO RECALLS

Former State Rep. Cole Wist (R-Centennial) — “Recall fever is at odds with governing. It is designed to keep you riled up, to keep the contributions flowing, to feed the beast.“

Tyler Sandberg, former Colo Congressman Mike Coffman’s Campaign Manager — “Great work taking a swing seat and making it safe for Democrats. Real bang up job, guys.”

Ryan Call, Former Chair of the Colorado Republican Party — “…what we saw during the legislative session is consistent with what most Democratic candidates said they would do while they were running.”

 

SUPPORT RECALLS

State Rep. Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock), GOP House Minority Leader, “This is unprecedented overreach. We need to do something. If there is a grassroots effort that starts percolating up, then I am going to help them.”

Kristi Burton Brown, Vice Chair of the Colorado Republican Party. — “Rep. Tom Sullivan needs to be recalled because, like the rest of the Democrats in the legislature this session, he did not represent the families of Colorado.”

Dudley Brown, founder of Rocky Mountain gun Owners, “I hope you’ll consider making a generous contribution to our Red Flag Recall fund.”

CU Regent Heidi Ganahl and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) — (clapping in support)

 

LEANING AGAINST

Former State Rep. Jack Tate (R-Centennial) — “There’s something that’s just too partisan, too much of a do-over with a different voting base than I am comfortable with.“)

Michael Fields, Colorado Rising Action– “Recalls can identify people, but it also can strengthen elected officials that survive them.”