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May 14, 2024 11:09 AM UTC

Williams, Boebert Close Ranks As Further Colorado GOP Endorsements Loom

  • 11 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: The Colorado Republican Party has officially endorsed former State Rep. Janak Joshi over current State Rep. Gabe-ish Evans ahead of the June 25th Primary Election in CO-08. The announcement includes an extra-dickish swipe at Evans and Americans for Prosperity, the latter of which is spending big money trying to defeat State Party Chairman Dave Williams in his bid for Congress in CO-05:

“While the Party would ultimately support Gabe Evans if he wins the Republican Primary election, his refusal to disclose key issue positions and any possible history of criminal or ethics violations, plus his ties to the face conservative organization Americans for Prosperity (which raised 70 million to defeat President Donald J. Trump) make him much more likely to be defeated by the Democrats through his inability to convince voters that he is the best choice for CD8, especially with libertarians vowing to run a spoiler candidate against him.”

Via Caitlyn Kim at Colorado Public Radio

—–

Dave Williams, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R).

As Ernest Luning reports for the Colorado Springs Gazette’s political blog, Colorado Republican Party chairman and CO-05 congressional candidate Dave “Let’s Go Brandon” Williams and CO-04 carpetbagging calamity Rep. Lauren Boebert, both enjoying the coveted endorsement of ex-President Donald Trump as well as the much more controversial state party endorsements in their respective primaries, are going public with campaigning as a unit:

“We’ve got enough cranks in Congress already,” Boebert posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “The PEOPLE want Dave Williams!”

Williams, the chairman of the Colorado GOP and a former state lawmaker from Colorado Springs, is running against Americans for Prosperity executive and former talk radio host Jeff Crank in the 5th Congressional District, which covers most of El Paso County…

Boebert’s tweet quoted a post on X by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, who slammed a fundraising invitation for Crank’s campaign that cited Gaetz’ support for Williams as a reason to donate to Crank.

In contrast to the very public protestations against the state party meddling in their own primaries by candidates running against Boebert in the crowded CO-04 race, Jeff Crank has run a much lower-key campaign primarily carried by the Koch-funded conservative group Americans For Prosperity’s spending on his behalf. In what’s been characterized as an epic showdown between the GOP’s MAGA and so-called “establishment” wings, the establishment hasn’t put up much of a fight to stop Dave Williams from running away with the GOP CO-05 primary. Because Williams’ whole purpose in taking the job of GOP party chairman appears to have been to turn the party into his personal campaign vehicle, whatever attention Williams has been paying to his responsibilities as party chair will end on June 25th.

This allows for the possibility that, at least in the short term, failing Williams upward will let others repair the damage caused by Williams’ pillaging of the state party that much sooner.

The next shoe to drop, as readers know, are expected imminent endorsements in two other Republican congressional primaries: Boebert’s abandoned CO-03 race, where former state Rep. “Raging” Ron Hanks is expected to pick up the party’s official support as a longtime FOD (friend of Dave)–and in the swing CO-08 race where former Rep. Janak Joshi is favored by the MAGA right over AFP-backed state Rep. Gabe Evans. Jeff “You’ve Never” Hurd in CO-03 suffered a major credibility hit with the MAGA right when he refused to commit to voting for Trump in November, and Rep. Evans cleared the way for the party to endorse Rep. Joshi by refusing to fill out the party’s new primary candidate questionnaire.

In the cases of Boebert and Williams, where each have gone to extraordinary lengths to bigfoot the aspirations of both morally and vocationally superior Republican candidates in safe districts, the damage done is strictly among fellow Republicans. The same is true with the party’s expected endorsements in CO-03 and CO-08, the difference being that these primary endorsements could endanger Republican chances of winning these seats in November. Even if Hanks and Joshi don’t win, they each are set to drag the other candidates in their races off message ahead of the general election.

Everything taking place here is the collateral damage, or at the very least extreme difference, of Dave Williams’ personal ambition. Once Williams made the choice to get the party involved in his own primary, the rest of these treacherous primary endorsements were certain to follow. Williams’ anemic fundraising in his congressional race is just more proof of the extent to which Williams is relying on the resources of the Colorado GOP to win his primary. Rolling out the coattails for his close longtime friends is a bonus, but also incidental. In the end, bending the state party to serve Dave’s will has been all about Dave.

Catch him if you can.

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11 thoughts on “Williams, Boebert Close Ranks As Further Colorado GOP Endorsements Loom”

  1. Anyone have a thought about which Democrat will emerge in CO-4 or CO-5? 

    Anyone get a hint that there will be enough Republican antagonism that a Democrat could win in CO-4 or CO-5? 

  2. Meanwhile next door…

    The Nebraska GOP is rejecting all Republican congressional incumbents in Tuesday’s primary election

    It’s an oddity that lays bare the bitter divide between Trump loyalists who control the Nebraska GOP, as well as several county Republican parties, and the more establishment-type Republicans who were previously at the helm, said John Hibbing, a longtime University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor.

    1. Showing the (limited) power of the Nebraska Republican Trumpified MAGA party endorsements (italics), results are

      • Senate special:  Ricketts 78.8% Weaver 14.7%
      • House 2: Bacon 61.6% Frei 37.9%
      • House 3: Smith 74.1% Watz 18.6%

      Other races:

      • President:  Trump 79.6%, Haley 17.8%
      • Senate:  Fischer 79.6%, Kowalski 20.1%
      • House 1: Flood 81.2%, Connely 18.4%

      1. Thx John. Haley continues to pull 20% +/- 3 just about everywhere even after pulling out 10 weeks ago. Hopefully those protest votes show up in November as we may need them to offset the Kennedy votes. 

          1. What I've seen is most encouraging … as people learn more about RFKjr, Biden loses fewer votes

            Business Insider said

            According to new polling conducted by The New York Times, Siena College, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, 44% of RFK Jr.'s supporters said they're mostly voting against the other candidates in the race….

            In April, Business Insider reported

            In the survey, NBC found that a greater share of Trump voters flock to the noted vaccine skeptic's campaign when their presidential choices are expanded beyond just Trump and Biden. Trump leads Biden by 2 points (within the margin of error) in a two-on-two rematch, but the advantage flips to Biden by the same margin when the field is expanded to Biden, Trump, Kennedy, Jill Stein, and Cornel West.

            The numbers aren't going to be huge.  Most recent poll with a full set of candidates shows

            General Election: Trump vs. Biden vs. Kennedy vs. West vs. Stein
            Economist/YouGov

            Trump 42, Biden 41, Kennedy 3, West 1, Stein 1

            Independent & third party candidates tend to look good until people start looking into them … and fade as the election draws closer.

            1. Yes, as some of you may have heard (cough, cough), I am usually annoyed by left-wing spoiler candidates throwing elections to right-wing Republicans (see Nader, Ralph in 2000, or Stein, Jill in 2016).

              I fully anticipate that Cornel West and Stein will siphon enough votes in Michigan to award Trump that's state electoral votes which is why Biden needs to work Arizona and Georgia like his presidency depends upon them – because it does.

              That said, RFK, Jr. is different animal. I would describe him as a more exotic version of Ross Perot who was a screwball – relatively mild by comparison to RFK, Jr. – but attracted fellow paranoid crackpots. (I remember Perot and wife dancing on stage on election night in 1992 to Patsy Cline's "Crazy" which was basically his campaign theme song.)

              I do think that most Dems flirting with Jr. will come home if they are properly enlighted about some of his more bizarre beliefs and history. The annelid in his cranium is just one of the more surprising facts about him. He's also experienced mercury poisoning from eating too many tuna fish sandwiches as a kid although he said that is all better.

              All of this stuff may turn him into an even more attractive candidate for the Q-Anon/Jewish space laser constituency out there meaning you're right, he very well MAY pull significantly more votes from Trump than Biden.

              BTW, neither Trump nor Biden wants to run the risk with RFK, Jr. on the debate stage.

              Election 2024 Live Updates: Biden and Trump Aim to Have Two Debates – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

              They've tentatively agreed to privatize the debates.

              Perhaps the commission can retaliate by hosting the fringe spoilers’ debate featuring RFK, Jr., Stein, West, and Randall Terry who is apparently running on the Right to Life Party ticket.

              1. Biden doesn't have a prayer in Georgia, and when he loses Michigan thanks to the combination of RFK Jr. and disenchanted Muslim voters and lower youth turnout, he'll have to sweep Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada in order to win, which is looking extremely unlikely as Nevada tilts right hard.

                The fascist felon is absolutely going to win.

                1. Nevada is really bad news with Biden being 14% down. A few months ago, there was a poll out of Nevada putting Biden behind by double digits. I was convinced he was trailing Trump there but not by anything like that amount.

                  But this latest poll shows that Biden is trailing by double digits in Nevada in May just as he was last winter. 

                  I agree with you, Sparky. It's looking like we are going to have Act II of this obscene, tragic comedy come next January.

                  1. standard polling caveats go here … amounting to “nobody knows” more than an survey at this point is a snapshot, focused on whoever is being talked to. 

                    RealClearPolitics lists Nevada polls taken in late April/early May

                    Source …………..dates ………….. #….type..MoE…DJT…JRB…margin

                    NY Times/Siena ..4/28 – 5/9…… 614 LV…..4.5….51….38….Trump 13

                    The Hill/Emerson..4/25 – 4/29..1000 RV….3.0….45…..44….Trump 1

                    So, it is either well within a margin or error or not …

                    1. Sure, the only poll that matters is that one in November, or the poll during the last 3 weeks of October if you live in Colorado and other ewarly voting states.

                      And, between now and then, maybe Biden will broker peace in Gaza and apologize to the Palestians and will lock up Michigan's EV's. But I'm dubious.

                      And maybe Putin will die and democracy will erupt in the Russian Federation. But I'm dubious.

                      And the newly democratic Russia will flood the market with cheap oil and gas driving the prices down in the US and making people in MAGA-land happy, joyous and free. But I'm dubious.

                      And maybe the Mullahs in Iran will have an epiphany and decide that the Quran has been misinterpreted and the Prophet did not call for the subjugation of women or the construction of nuclear weapons but really was pro-human rights and same sex marriage. But I'm dubious.

                      And maybe the election of a socialist president Mexico next month, Claudia Shinebaum, will stop masses of immigrants from fleeing over the southern US border because she will provide them with all the free stuff they seek in the US of A. But, again, I'm dubious.

                      Anything is possible but I prefer to focus on the probably and the likely.

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