If Colorado Republican Party members vote to oust Chair Dave Williams this weekend, a group of former party leaders led by Eli Bremer say they’re willing to step up and take the reins.
Bremer, a former U.S. Senate candidate and chair of the El Paso County Republicans, sent a letter to party central committee members saying he’d be chair and offering a unity vision for the party moving forward.
“What (Colorado Republicans) need is a group who can triage the situation and rectify a really bad situation and try to create something good out of it,” Bremer explained. “With that, I started talking to other former successful party chairs and people who are really well respected, who have the right skill set to come in on a short-term basis and try to fix the situation. And I'm very happy with the team that's come together in a unified vision of saying, let's end the drama.”
Bremer would come with a full team including former Weld County GOP Chair Scott James, who would be vice chair, former Mesa County GOP chair Kevin McCarney, who would be secretary, and former Park County GOP chair Dick Elsner, who would be treasurer.
In the letter, they say if selected to replace Williams, the team would focus on restoring relationships with national Republican groups and Colorado congressional campaigns where the party did not endorse the winning candidates, state house leaders and in-state donors. They also said they’ll institute financial oversight.
It’s unclear if Williams, let alone the rest of the current GOP leadership team, will be removed Saturday. They argue the upcoming Saturday meeting is invalid and have sued two local Republicans leading the effort.
“The State Party has the right to govern its affairs according to our bylaws and we won’t allow rogue members to violate the rule of law and confuse other members with their illegal efforts, especially in a time we need to rally around President Trump to defeat radical Democrats,” Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman told CPR News last week.
Bremer added he’s unsure if anyone else will try to run for chair if Williams is removed. He said he’d welcome that but wants to see a full plan.
“I mean, I hope if anybody else decides to jump in, that they put forward a plan, a team,” he explained. “Because if it’s not going to be our team, I hope that we have another team that is competent, if not more so, and experienced and has the ability to get it done.”
He said in the end it’s about helping Republican candidates win in close races.
