June 13, 2016 02:48 PM UTC

Trump Confirms Colorado Visit to Dismay of Republicans Statewide

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Western Conservative Summit, an annual July event organized by the Centennial

Institute — which is affiliated closely with Colorado Christian University — has been trying for weeks to get its followers to encourage Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump to attend their 2016 gathering. Apparently, it worked.

As Joey Bunch confirms for The Denver Post:

Donald Trump is set to make his the first public trip to Colorado during his presidential campaign on July 1 to speak at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver.

The summit is rearranging its schedule to hear from the presumptive Republican nominee at 10:30 a.m. at the Colorado Convention Center that Friday. The event, which started in 2010, would otherwise have started on Friday evening. It wraps up the following Sunday afternoon.

“We’re very excited that he’s coming,” said Jeff Hunt, executive director of the conservative Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, which puts on the summit.

“Our attendees have been telling us they want to hear from him.”

This is certainly a big win for Hunt and the Centennial Institute, but for Republican candidates seeking office in Colorado in 2016, it’s an absolute nightmare. Trump’s appearance in Colorado will again have reporters chasing folks such as Congressmen Mike Coffman (R-Aurora) and Scott Tipton (R-Cortez) — and whomever wins the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate — to expand on their support (or lack thereof) for the likely Republican Presidential nominee.

It’s considerably easier to duck questions about Trump when the man isn’t anywhere near your home state, but when he shows up to Colorado just days after the June 28th Primary, there will be nowhere for politicians such as Coffman and Tipton — both of whom face tough Democratic challengers in November — to hide from the media. And for those Republicans who have tried to distance themselves from Trump, they are going to have to explain once more where they really stand in regards to the man who will top the GOP ticket this fall.

“Do you support Donald Trump for President?” It’s time to start polishing those answers, Colorado Republicans.