DENVER — At least a dozen county Republican parties are calling for Dave Williams to resign as state party chair following anti-LGBTQ messages he shared last week.
They’re now demanding a special meeting, where they hope to have him voted out.
“This is really a fight for the soul of the Republican Party of Colorado,” said Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams.
While Dan Williams shares a similar name with the Republican Party chair, as far as he’s concerned, the similarities end there.
He says Dave Williams is in it for himself.
“Very self-serving not at all in the interest of Colorado or trying to get to real solutions,” he said.
Dan Williams is joining dozens of other Republican leaders across Colorado, calling for Dave Williams to resign.
“Ours isn't the party of hate. I think this call during Pride month to burn flags, for example, is an aggressive act,” said Dan Williams.
He also added his name to a joint statement that was signed by elected leaders in Teller County, calling for Dave Williams to be removed as chair.
“We condemn any attempt to abridge the freedoms of any law-abiding group or individual in the State of Colorado, and it will not be tolerated in Teller County,” the statement read. “This call to burn pride flags was authorized and approved by the State Party Chairman and is not reflective of the Republican Party in Colorado and does not reflect the views of the Teller County Elected Officials of either party.”
Dan Williams says the problems with Dave Williams started well before last week.
“It’s actually a controversy brewing for some time since he's become the party chair,” said Dan Williams.
Dave Williams, who’s also running for Congress in Colorado’s 5th District, has been accused of using party resources to promote his campaign.
Politics
Colorado Republicans call for special meeting to decide fate of party chairman
The party shared multiple posts on social media, as recently as Monday, encouraging its followers to vote for the party chair over his Republican opponent, Jeff Crank.
Crank leads Williams in fundraising for the Republican nomination, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Records show Crank has raised $302,000 to Williams’ $171,000.
A few days ago, the Colorado Republican Party officially endorsed its chairman in the race.
“I've never seen something so unabashed by using funds that we give to the state party, designed to get other people elected, to be used for himself,” said Dan Williams.
Kelly Maher, a Republican strategist and political commentator, filed a complaint with the FEC in April, accusing Dave Williams of using the state party as his slush fund to benefit his campaign.
Dave Williams has refused to resign in the wake of his anti-LGBTQ messages.
Instead, he has doubled down on his comments and said he will not apologize.
“We make no apologies for saying God hates pride or pride flags as it’s an agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority, and the only backlash we see is coming from radical Democrats, the fake news media, and weak Republicans who bow down at the feet of leftist cancel culture,” Dave Williams told Denver7 in a statement last week.
Republican officials representing their parties in a dozen counties have requested a special meeting of the state central committee, where they hope party officials will vote to remove Williams as chair.
Jefferson County Republican Party Chair Nancy Pallozzi, who has been organizing the effort, said she believes they have the necessary votes to get rid of Williams.
Williams is threatening to make public a list of Republicans who requested the special meeting.
“We especially look forward to the list of so-called Republicans who plan on signing the petition for a special meeting to defend the Pride Month agenda as we will be sure to publicize it and notify all convention delegates and their respective central committees of their support for Pride Month,” said Dave Williams.
Dan Williams, a former Army colonel, said he won’t be intimidated by threats.
“That's what makes folks like me and the rest of us, particularly in rural Colorado, fight even harder,” said Dan Williams.
Party rules leave it up to the chair to choose the date, time and location for the special meeting.
Those who want Dave Williams removed as chair are hoping he’ll call that meeting before the RNC convention in July.
If Dave Williams doesn’t call the meeting before then, Dan Williams said they may have to reach out to the national party for assistance.
Denver7 stopped by the Colorado Republican Party headquarters in Greenwood Village on Tuesday seeking to interview Dave Williams about the latest efforts to oust him, but were told he was not in the office.
