Former Colorado Republican congressman leaves the GOP, reshuffling the gubernatorial race
The number of Republicans running for governor in Colorado has shrunk by two. State Sen. Mark Baisley is leaving the race to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent John Hickenlooper. And former Congressman Greg Lopez is leaving the Republican Party to run for governor as an unaffiliated candidate.
Fifteen years ago, former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo ran as a third-party candidate and got 36% of the vote. Lopez believes he will syphon off votes from both parties' nominees.
"This is not an easy road for me but, at the end of the day, it is the right road," he said.
It is also a road less traveled, with 19 Republicans competing in the primary.
"I'm not changing who I am," says Lopez. "My values are the same. I'm just changing who I answer to."
Instead of a party, he says, he's answering to the people, 50% of whom are unaffiliated in Colorado.
"What I'm leaving is a two-party system that rewards division versus results," he said.
He's also leaving a state party that's struggling. The Colorado GOP is about $150,000 in debt, and it hasn't even booked a venue for the state assembly in April.
"Within the next week, we're going to have a big announcement and we're going to tell everybody exactly what's going on," said Chair Brita Horn.
Horn says a lawsuit filed by supporters of the former chair drained party resources. With the lawsuit now dismissed, she says, the GOP is refilling its coffers.
"We're in the trenches doing the work. Our heads are down and we're doing the work of the party," she said.
Dick Wadhams, Colorado GOP Chair from 2007-2011 and a political analyst for CBS News Colorado, says the party should have booked a venue months ago.
"They're behind the eight ball right now," Wadhams said. "I would be very nervous if I was the state chairman right now."
He says the party was $600,000 in debt when he took over as chair but, he says, it didn't have the added challenge of raising money with a president as unpopular as President Trump is in Colorado. Still, Wadhams believes a Republican who focuses on the issues can win statewide office in Colorado this year. He is less confident that an unaffiliated candidate can win.
"Someday ... I think we will elect an unaffiliated governor, to be honest. I think the state is kind-of moving in that direction. But, we're not there yet," Wadhams said.
Lopez disagrees.
"The problems that Colorado is facing, they don't fit neatly into party boxes, and neither do the people," he said.
Lopez needs to gather about 1,000 signatures from each of the eight congressional districts in the state to make the ballot. He will also have to run a statewide campaign without backing from a major party -- so it will be an uphill climb. But a recent poll showed Coloradans aren't happy with either party right now.
Most of the Republicans running for governor are hoping to make the primary ballot at the state assembly. They need 30% of the vote or -- if no one reaches that threshold -- a first or second place finish to advance.
