Leading Colorado’s Republican Party is a great grift if you can get it

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Though we’ve all heard it before, it is still striking to me what some people will do when they get desperate. None is more striking and desperate than all Republican State Party Chairman Dave Williams has gone through to earn a living, while at the same time working to grow his power and influence in the political world.

Don’t get me wrong, we should all make earning a living a priority in our lives. It becomes a problem though when that priority’s need replaces good judgement and ethical behavior. Unfortunately, after numerous failed attempts to increase stature, status, and pay, this is where Chairman Williams finds himself, desperately focusing on self- interest at the peril of the state’s Republican Party.

Dave served in the Colorado General Assembly from 2016 — 2022. Like many, he left this job early because it doesn’t pay a living wage. So, in 2022 he launched a bid to replace his $ 40,000 per year salary in the state House to pursue the much better paying $ 174,000 per year salary of a US Congressperson. Of course, this wasn’t his stated purpose for running.

At the time he claimed the current US Congressman from Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, Doug Lamborn, wasn’t conservative enough — a ludicrous assertion by any objective standard. After he failed in his congressional pursuits, he became a $ 15 per hour aide in the state House to bridge the gap between that failed congressional run and his next attempt to earn a living through an elective position, Colorado Republican Party Chair.

This is a job that traditionally pays $ 100,000 per year but is directly tied to fundraising. A quick search of campaign finance records shows fundraising has been abysmal for the Republican Party since Dave took over, which means the dollars aren’t there to pay his salary.

If the story ended here, I wouldn’t be writing this piece. I recently read The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. Just like the Joads took increasingly desperate measures as their situation became more desperate, so has Chairman Williams. It started with trying to change the fundamental primary election voting process for Republicans.

If successful, this desperate measure would have disenfranchised, literally, hundreds of thousands of voting Republicans. The idea was, if he couldn’t win a congressional seat in a primary election, he would have to cancel the primary and win in the assembly process. Luckily the state Republican Central Committee saw through the plan and defeated the effort.

Again, the story doesn’t end here. Now that the door to congressional office has closed once again, all of Chairman Williams’ effort and attention has now turned to going all in on the reelection of former President Trump.

The official GOP website is nothing more than an effective endorsement for Trump, Chairman Williams has stated his personal support for Former President Trump in numerous social media posts and emails, and now the state Republican Party is calling on the Republican State Central Committee to officially endorse the former president, all with the hope Chairman Williams gets a job in the administration if the former president prevails and holds office, once again.

While I am sincerely rooting for Chairman Williams ability to feed his family, these desperate measures are clearly inappropriate. Prior to a recent ambiguous and nebulous change to the rules, championed by Chairman Williams, it was clearly, and necessarily, a violation for anyone holding an official position within the Republican Party structure to endorse a candidate in a contested Republican Primary.

The idea is nominees for the Republican Party ticket shouldn’t be chosen in backroom deals by party bosses. They should be chosen by a vote of the people.

Chairman Williams, along with others in the party, have completely obliterated the idea and practice that it should be up to Republican voters to choose our nominees, all because he needs a job.