January 23, 2017 02:25 PM UTC

Athanasopoulos attacks Hays as race for GOP state chair heats up

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Hot red-on-red action! – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

POLS UPDATE: Breaking news Monday afternoon via the AP’s Nick Riccardi, incumbent GOP chairman Steve House will not run again. Also reportedly not running for governor in 2018. The Denver Post’s John Frank reports:

Steve House announced Monday that he would not seek another term as the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party — nor make a bid for governor in 2018.

House served a tumultuous two years as the party’s leader after his historic ouster of the incumbent chairman in 2015 with the backing of the more conservative members of his party.

Months into his term, House faced an unsuccessful coup attempt led by Attorney General Cynthia Coffman that involved accusations of extramarital affairs and threats. And he came under fire in the 2016 election for his perceived bias against Donald Trump, drawing serious death threats.

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On Facebook last week, Colorado GOP state chair candidate George Athanasopoulos accused his opponent, Jeff Hays, of being a “former Amycare supporter.”

Athanasopoulos, a former GOP congressional candidate, is referring to a bill (S.B. 11-200), sponsored by former State Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Colorado Springs), that set up Colorado’s health insurance marketplace, Connect for Colorado, which offers Obamacare-approved insurance plans to consumers.

But did Hays, chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, really support S.B. 200?

In an interview last week, Athanasopoulos couldn’t cite evidence of Hays supporting S.B. 200. But he did talk a lot about Hays’ close ties to Amy Stephens, even after S.B. 200 had become law.

Athanasopoulos pointed to a 2012 Colorado Observer article identifying Hays as Stephens’ “fundraising committee chair.” And a 2012 Gazette blog post names Hays as a “Stephens consultant.”

During her 2012 primary, Stephens’ opponent Marsha Looper accused Stephens of welcoming Obamacare to Colorado.

Looper had the support of grassroots Republican activists who fumed throughout the year (and to this day) on talk radio and elsewhere about Stephens’ betrayal of conservative principles by backing “Amycare.”

Stephens pointed out to reporters at the time that her bill was endorsed by the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and other conservative entities–and that she wanted to keep Obamacare out of Colorado.

At one point during her bitter primary battle against Looper, the Stephens campaign established a “STEPHENS TRUTHTEAM” to argue that if Colorado didn’t set up its own healthcare exchange, the federal government would do so. And Stephens’ campaign pointed out that Obamacare doesn’t cover abortions.

In a 2012 letter-to-the-editor signed “Jeff Hays,” Hays apparently endorsed Stephens. The letter was penned to the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Hays: I’ve seen good leaders and bad during my Air Force and business careers, but the best had three primary characteristics: integrity, competency, and energy. Republican House Majority Leader Amy Stephens has all three in abundance….

Amy Stephens applies her abundant energy in leading her colleagues, listening to constituents, mentoring new representatives, and raising support for her fellow Republicans. She fights for her values and for the people of Colorado. Her honors and awards are numerous, but she values the affirmation of her constituents and the respect of her colleagues far above any plaque or title.

Integrity, competency, and energy — three hallmarks of successful leaders and three reasons to support Republican Amy Stephens for HD19.

Hays, who’s an Air Force veteran, did not return an email seeking comment about the letter and his past position on S.B. 200.

Athanasopoulos’ Facebook post called Hays a “corporatist” and an “advocate for Colorado’s ill-fated Medicaid expansion.”

Athanasopoulos: “Former Amycare supporter, advocate for Colorado’s ill-fated Medicaid expansion, and Amy Stephens’ fundraising committee chair, Jeff Hays, has announced his candidacy to become Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party…

…Jeff is a corporatist. He helped bring Obamacare to Colorado and is now surrounding himself with supporters who advocate for bigger government, as long as it’s their brand of bigger government.

Hays and Athanasopoulos are the only candidates who’ve announced they’re running for Colorado GOP state chair, who is elected by statewide Republican leaders at a convention.

The current chair, Steve House, is expected to announce today whether he’ll be seeking another term. If he chooses not to run again, Colorado GOP Vice Chair Derrick Wilburn may enter the race, Wilburn has said.