June 20, 2023 11:58 AM UTC

Ex-GOP Chairman Joins Chorus of Dismay Against Dave Williams

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• by: Colorado Pols

Former Colorado Republican Party chairman and longtime political consultant Dick Wadhams is not generally speaking a figure who inspires much in the way of sympathy. Both as party chair and campaign manager for such high-profile losing efforts as Bob Schaffer’s 2008 U.S. Senate campaign against Mark Udall, Wadhams presided over a pivotal period of decline for Republicans that presaged the party’s massive losses beginning in the 2018 elections and continued through last November.

Although Dick Wadhams isn’t all that great at winning, in recent years he has become an increasing source of criticism over the far-right faction of the party that bedeviled his chairmanship–a faction now in firm control of the party under far-right conservative firebrand Dave “Let’s Go Brandon” Williams. Up until this weekend’s op-ed from Wadhams in the Colorado Springs Gazette’s paywalled political blog, we hadn’t seen any direct criticism from Wadhams of his successor in the job.

As of today, the gloves are off, and the schism of a generation within the Colorado Republican Party is on:

The Republican state chairman, Dave Williams, a MAGA stolen-election conspiracist who refuses to acknowledge the destructive impact Trump has had on Republican candidates, is now openly attacking Republican elected officials who do not conform to his own narrow ideology.

Williams recently attacked U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn and former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, which is virtually unprecedented for a Colorado Republican state chairman. Interestingly, Lamborn overwhelmingly defeated Williams in the 5th Congressional District Republican primary election in 2020…

Williams now brags about an “agreement” he has reached with the Colorado Libertarian Party that would allegedly prevent Libertarian candidates from being “spoilers” in competitive races such as the 8th CD. But Williams essentially grants veto power to the Libertarians to say which Republican are unacceptable to them as potential Republican nominees.

Williams specifically named O’Dea as someone whom the Libertarians might object to and would therefore be unacceptable as a Republican nominee.

In the context of what Williams sells as the biggest beneficiary of his controversial deal with Colorado Libertarians to give that minor party a say in the selection of Republican candidates, the close CD-8 race, Wadhams warns how a Libertarian “veto” over Republican candidates could produce a nominee who can’t compete with incumbent Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo. Wadhams goes on to condemn Williams’ “virtually unprecedented” public attacks on fellow Republicans, and the “narrow ideology” Williams relies upon to justify his continuous friendly fire.

Early this morning, Williams provided his answer–again, via the Colorado GOP’s official mouthpiece:

When former GOP chairman Steve Curtis went down for election fraud, Curtis didn’t have to endure public attacks from his former employer. We can only conclude that criticizing Dave Williams is a greater offense to today’s Colorado Republican Party than voter fraud. Williams seems hell-bent on tearing apart whatever remains of the Republican coalition in Colorado, and alienating everyone who doesn’t want to participate in Williams’ intra-party purity purges. It’s not just about Dick Wadhams or any individual critic, it’s about Williams’ leadership going unchallenged no matter how bad the situation gets. Williams’ preposterous excuse last week that he is “deliberately” not raising money is just the latest sign that things are indeed very bad.

It can’t go on forever. There are enough Republicans in Colorado who still entertain the hope of regaining political competitiveness that a replacement–or alternative–to Dave Williams’ self-destructive Colorado Republican Party looks increasingly likely, perhaps along the lines of the “Peak Republican” shadow campaign organization set up last year to supplant the thoroughly dysfunctional El Paso County GOP. And the objective for Colorado Republicans for 2024 won’t be to win…so much as save face.

We wouldn’t open our wallets to fund that either.