Colorado Progressives Demand GOP Legislative Candidates Renounce Party Support Over Bigoted Emails

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DENVER: Two months after the Colorado Republican Party issued calls to burn Pride flags, ignore gun laws, and remove children from public schools, reports emerged Friday showing the state party had sent at least six endorsement emails attacking legislative candidates for participating in Pride events and standing up for LGBTQ rights. ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest multi-issue progressive advocacy organization, called on GOP candidates Robyn Carnes (SD16), Stan VanderWerf (SD12), George Mumma (HD25), Dan Woog (HD25), Rebecca Keltie (HD16), and Nathan Butler (HD26) to condemn the hateful messages directed at their opponents and to renounce the support of the Colorado Republican Party.

“For months now, candidates and officials have turned a blind eye to the antics of the state Republican Party leadership unless it directly harmed their own campaigns,” said ProgressNow Colorado executive director Sara Loflin. “With these official endorsements, the unhinged and hateful rhetoric from the party headquarters is now a big problem for these candidates, forcing Colorado voters to question whether they agree with party leadership or they hope to accept the party’s tainted help without anyone noticing.”

On Friday, the Colorado Sun also reported that some Republican candidates were “moving on” without their state party, including former party chairman Kristi Burton Brown, who is a candidate for the Colorado State Board of Education.

“Attacking a lawmaker for the simple act of attending a Pride parade and calling him ‘anti-American’ is revolting and should not be tolerated by any opponent,” added Loflin. “If the former state party chair, who herself had ties to militia groups and total abortion bans, won’t accept the help from the Colorado Republican Party, then so can the rest of them. These candidates should make it clear to voters that they refuse to work with the state party and condemn their hateful messages.”