(Promoted by Colorado Pols)
Constituents of House District 15 in El Paso County have been represented for almost two years by a homophobic, gaffe-prone politician with ethical challenges: Dr. Gordon Klingenschmitt, aka “Dr. Chaps“. Now, unless mass sanity strikes, they will probably be represented by another gay-bashing, hot-tempered, inexperienced politician: David O. Williams.
“Chaps” announced that he would not run again for HD15; he is now running against Bob Gardner for SD12,term-limited Senate President Cadman’s district. Chaps’ long-suffering constituents should have had a reprieve from embarrassing stories about their duly elected representative. Klingenschmitt’s greatest hits have included claiming that a brutal assault on a pregnant woman was God’s punishment, saying that Rep. Jared Polis wants to behead Christians, and being under IRS investigation for possible financial misconduct.
Unfortunately, House District 15’s new Republican nominee, David O. Williams, looks to be potentially every bit as embarrassing as Chaps. Homophobia? Check. Lack of elected experience? Check. Hot temper – Shoot first, then aim? Check. Dubious financial history, only ever employed in his father-in-law’s business, kicked out of the only two positions he’s ever been elected to ? Check. Add to this access to weapons and $2,000 from Rocky Mountain Gun Owners in 12/2013, and EPCO HD15 voters may have another embarrassingly rocky two years ahead of them.
David Williams is the son-in-law of his employer, Doyle McAlister, who was a registered sex offender in 2013. McAlister’s company, MKW Global Sourcing, is primarily in the Chinese export-import business. MKW employs Williams as Program Manager.
Williams ran for HD15 in 2014, but Dr. Chaps got the nod from the El Paso County delegates. Williams’ homophobic behavior is well known, and has included booing a “Log Cabin” gay delegate; threatening someone else with an AR15; discriminating against funding of gay clubs as UCCS Student Body President, and fostering a climate of gay-bashing and bullying during his tenure, because of which he was finally impeached.
However, David O. Williams won 72% of the assembly votes at the El Paso County Assembly on March 26, 2016. This was enough for Williams to become the Republican candidate on the November ballot, edging out his opponent, Josh Hosler.
So, HD15 voters, you’ve suffered through all of the Dr. Chaps trauma and mortification. Please Think! . There will eventually be a perfectly good Democrat in the race. (EPCO Dems will meet April 15, and the State Dem convention is April 16). Consider a libertarian. A moderate Republican. But please don’t elect this inexperienced, hotheaded, gay-bashing young gunhead to represent you in the state legislature.
Notes:
h/t to Elliot Fladen for the David Williams alert.
h/t PCG – I have made extensive use of the research of Progressive Cowgirl, a longtime Polster who has since moved on to greener pastures.
Because David Williams is a common name, note please that this is not the David O Williams who writes excellent pieces for the Colorado Independent.
Nor is it David K Williams, a libertarian candidate for Colorado Attorney General.
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Why on earth would residents of HD 15 be reluctant to vote for this gentleman? Your description makes him sound like the perfect representative for this constituency.
Republican primary voters are against same sex marriage, and for "religious accommodations" to allow discrimination by businesses, by 30 point margins according to this 2015 Quinnipiac poll of 1200 Colorado voters.
So you're right, MM, it's a safe position to take in R-controlled El Paso County. But it also puts a lid on any Republican voters ambitions for statewide or national office, as Colorado voters in general approve of same sex marriage rights by those same wide margins (~60 to 30 or higher), according to the same Q poll.
Even in El Paso County HD15, half of registered voters are unaffiliated, according to the Secretary of State's latest registration statistics. If we went to open primaries where these folks could help select the party nominee, I'm guessing that results might be different.
Even in State Senate district 12, where Chaps wants to replace Cadman, there is a much higher proportion of Democrats and Unaffiliated,competitive with Republicans.
The point is that these folks can get elected from EPCO in GOP primaries, but they are not competitive anywhere else in the state.
It's true that, if you want to find freakishly nut-job politicians, all you need to do is look in state legislatures. The appalling thing is that they do represent their constituencies. Those unaffiliated and Democratic voters aren't enough to elect someone else.
However, these nut-jobs can, and often are, elected to national office. Ken Buck, Con-Man Cory and, not Colorado's fault, Louie Gohmert, to name a few.
Voters aren't all that consistent. Pretty much all GOP pols oppose same sex marriage, choice, and other things the majority of Colorado voters support. That has by no means stopped all Rs from winning statewide. While it's pretty impossible to win statewide in Colordo while being viewed as an extremist on either the right or the left (there will never be a Senator or Governor Klingenschmitt), simply opposing positions that poll well or supporting positions that don't do not necessarily make statewide election here impossible. If they did we wouldn't have our present crop of Rs holding statewide office. All the ones who hold those offices now are pretty much on the same page…. just present as less wacko to average voters.
Screw open primaries. Bernie Sanders is only in the race because he is getting Republican and independent votes. I like the closed primaries where Democrats can choose their own candidates, just like Republicans. This is a huge Democratic advantage in Colorado.
In the general agreement that Colorado needs to do Presidential primaries instead of caucuses, does anyone know if there is sentiment for "open" primaries? And will there be a unified primary for Presidential and all other offices?
See my comment above. I'm not in favor of open primaries. I am in favor of getting rid of caucuses, but that got nixed by voters a number of years ago, so no legislator will have the guts to take this issue on and I can't imagine what special interest group cares. The Republican ones all agree with this BS and the Dems know that it's easier to beat the Reps when they nominate nuts like this.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
They’re just replacing one homophobic curmudgeon with a younger telegenic homophobe.
Shouldn't it be: EPCo and not EPCO?
That's how JeffCo does it.
This seems like an appropriate article to compliment this thread…
Christian ‘prophet’ loses his buttocks to a hungry lion while trying to prove God would save him
And wasn't there some fundy a year or two ago who was playing with a poisonous snake during a revival service when things went sideways? Guess he wasn't pure enough….