The Biggest Loser: Dave Williams

Even as votes are still being counted, even in a night of upsets, Colorado's biggest loser is clear: Dave Williams, the head of the Colorado Republican Party. He's lost the Republican primary for Colorado's 5th Congressional District to Jeff Crank, whose first run for the seat in 2006 was stymied by Doug Lamborn. When Lamborn decided not to run again, Crank jumped in again...as did Williams.

But Crank, a former radio talk-show host, now won handily over Williams, who spent $20,000 of the party's money on his own campaign. And he's not the only one going down; almost every candidate endorsed by the Williams-led Colorado Republican Party is losing.

Except, of course, for Lauren Boebert, who left CD3 to run in CD4 after Ken Buck decided not to run again. The race has already been called for her.

But almost all the other candidates endorsed by the Colorado Republican Party — eighteen in all — have lost, or soon will. Williams was named party chair in March 2023; a staunch election denier and supporter of former president Donald Trump, early this year Williams said he'd be holding the rest of the state GOP to his far-right standards. And then he broke precedent by having the party endorse candidates in competitive primaries.

"If there are certain Republicans who want to act like Democrats, then they can join that party," he says. "We're going in a different direction than previous Republican parties."

And that direction? Straight down.

Although Williams won't be going to Congress, he still has a job: as head of the Colorado Republican Party.

But after his antics this year — demanding a litmus test of party candidates, using party money for his own candidacy and, most revoltingly significant to many members of his own party, sending out anti-LGBTQ+ emails — that could end soon, too.

After all, the National Republican Congressional Committee just released this statement from spokeswoman Delanie Bomar:

“Congratulations to Jeff Crank on his primary election victory. His plans to secure our southern border and fix Biden’s broken economy have clearly resonated with voters. As a longtime radio host and small business owner, Jeff's unique connections with Coloradans make him the perfect representative for the district. We feel confident voters will send Jeff to Congress this November."

And by then, Williams could be on the trash heap of history. With any luck, he'll have company.