November 29, 2016 10:36 AM UTC

Trump backer announces bid for GOP state chair

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

After an unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), George Athanasopoulos announced this morning that he’ll be running to be Colorado Republican chair.

Athanasopoulos, who was an early Trump backer, made the announcement on KNUS 710-AM’s early morning show, hosted by Peter Boyles, who was also a loud Trump supporter.

The current GOP chair, Steve House, plans to finish his term and will decide in January whether to seek another one.

“My term ends in March and I will serve out my term completely and a decision on whether I run again or not will be made between January 1st and inauguration day,” House told me via email.

Boyles inaccurately alleged on air that House has announced that he’d not run again.

“I watched Steve House lead the walkout on Trump,” said Boyles, referring to the GOP national convention in Cleveland. “Now, you wonder why the state of Colorado is blue.”

In fact, House not only did not lead the walk out, he participate in it at all.

House has navigated turbulent waters as chair, including a coup attempt led by GOP Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and others. He was also accused by party activists of opposing Trump during the GOP  primary.

But, despite Clinton’s win in Colorado, most political observers thought the GOP performed above expectations here, winning Coffman’s seat and the Colorado State Senate.

In his comments to Boyles, Athanasopoulos said it won’t be hard to turn Colorado red, in part by sticking to conservative principles.

“We are broken as a party in the state of Colorado,” Athanasopoulos continued on air. “You need look no further than, Colorado, we’re a blue state.”

“This was not an easy decision for me,” Athanasopoulos told Boyles. “But I had a lot of people talk to me about it and ask me to run.”

During his congressional campaign, Athanasopoulos espoused some positions that were in line with Trump, including allegations of rigged elections, but he emphasized to me that he was not a lock-step Trump supporter.

Athanasopoulos advocated unorthodox views, including his position that a father has legal rights to stop an abortion because “that child is of him. It’s part of him.”

Updated on Nov. 30 to state that House did not participate in the GOP walkout at the RNC convention, as incorrectly stated by Boyles.