June 06, 2014 03:45 PM UTC

Nothing Escalates GOP Infighting Like a Mug Shot of Dudley Brown

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• by: Colorado Pols

We've been following the strange alliances and political Party struggles associated with the Republican Primary in SD-19, where Republicans Lang Sias and Laura Waters Woods are running for the nomination to take on Democratic Sen. Rachel Zenzinger. This is one of those Primaries worth watching whether or not you live in the northern Arvada Senate district, because it has become a symbol of the implosion of the Jefferson County Republican Party and a harbinger of greater internal battles to come.

Just a few days ago, we told you about a (very) long email promoting a website called LangSiasExposed.com, which appears to be the brainchild of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) and their leader, one Dudley Brown.

Today, someone named Jay Vogel (@JayLewisVogel) Tweeted out an old mug shot of Dudley Brown that appears to stem from a 1988 charge of "Unlawful Use, Controlled Substance" in Larimer County (Vogel says it was for cocaine possession). It's possible that Vogel is mixing up his mug shots, since Brown was also arrested in Denver in 1991 on charges of "Disturbing the Peace" and "Assault," but either way, this isn't something that Brown probably wants to see made public again.

What makes this whole episode particularly fascinating is that Vogel appears to be a resident of Illinois who is both an NRA member and an ISRA member (Illinois State Rifle Association). Why does Vogel care about a Colorado State Senate Primary? Apparently he was interested enough in Colorado last fall to donate $25 to the "Recall Hudak Too" campaign that was making a second attempt to recall State Sen. Evie Hudak, but then why would he be an apparent supporter of Lang Sias? Sias, after all, repeatedly refused to sign the recall petitions because he disagreed with the recall approach in general. But wait…there's more!

This odd divide is a symbol of the strange manner in which pro-recall groups have aligned themselves in the SD-19 Primary. Laura Waters Woods is backed by RMGO and the second Hudak recall group (Recall Hudak Too). Sias, meanwhile, has the support of Laura Carno, one of the leaders of the recall effort in SD-11 (Sen. John Morse), and is also backed by the Colorado Second Amendment Association…which was heavily involved in the Morse recall. Oh, and Sias appears to be supported by the folks behind the initial failed recall effort against Hudak (did we mention that Sias has been a vocal opponent of recalls?)

Got all that? It's all very politically-incestuous and strange, but the outcome will have very real repercussions well beyond just this Senate District.