Dave Williams — the chair of Colorado’s Republican Party, which sent out an email earlier this month calling for Pride flags to be burned — has lost the GOP primary election for the state’s 5th Congressional District.
Now Republican Jeff Crank will face off against Democrat Axel Brown, a former social worker, in November.
Williams, a former state legislator, faced numerous calls for resignation after he sent out a mass email to supporters earlier this month in which he described LGBTQ+ people as “godless groomers” and used other language falsely equating trans people with pedophiles. Williams also promised that the party would work hard to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the state.
The 5th Congressional District includes Colorado Springs, where five people were killed in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in 2022.
Williams’ email drew sharp criticism — including from members of his own party, who feared that his remarks might hurt the chances of other Republicans to be elected.
“Dave Williams should resign… or be removed,” Valdamar Archuleta, a Colorado Republican running for Congress in another district, wrote in a social media post shortly after the email went out. Archuleta, who is also the head of the state’s chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay organization, said Williams “doesn’t have effective communication skills.”
Two Republican state lawmakers told the Guardian that Williams’ comments were inappropriate. Nancy Pallozzi, the chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, launched a petition to try to oust Williams this month before she was censured for overstepping her authority.
“He’s done so many destructive things in Colorado to not promote unity and [done] things that are outside the boundary and the scope of his role and responsibility as the state party chair,” Richard Holtorf, Colorado’s House minority whip, told the Guardian.
After news of the email broke, Williams told HuffPost in an emailed statement that he makes “no apologies for saying God hates pride or pride flags as it’s an agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority.”
Despite having multiple ultra-conservative representatives, Colorado is also known for progressive policies aimed at protecting transgender residents.
On Monday, the Colorado Supreme Court rejected a proposed ballot measure that would have banned gender-affirming care for transgender minors.