If the Colorado Republican Party had employees in April, they didn’t get paid

BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

It’s the rst time in at least 20 years the Grand Old Party didn’t pay any employees in Colorado.

And the party’s actual bank accounts have less money than the $120,540 a recent ling said the party had on hand, the GOP ac- knowledged in an addendum led with the Federal Election Commission. e Colorado GOP raised only about $58,000 in the rst four months of the year, including less than $15,000 in April. e party spent more than $15,000 last month, with $9,100 going to health and dental bene ts. It’s unclear if anyone is working for the party; no sta is listed on its website. crats threaten Pastor” are among the subject lines of his emails. e emails include buttons to donate but talk more about state legislative proposals than how the party will rally behind candidates for o ce or assist campaigns. e lack of a payroll for a state party in Colorado is unusual.

“ e executive board has formed a committee to investigate the discrepancy and will likely lead to the restatement of previous reports to account for the error,” the document concluded.

Questions about the party’s nances point to rocky beginnings for Party Chairman Dave Williams, an election-denying former El Paso County lawmaker who won control of a divided state GOP in March.

Williams didn’t return phone calls, text messages or emails from e Colorado Sun seeking comment. Colorado Public Radio reported last month that Williams was also working a full-time job as a legislative aide.

“ ere have been other cycles where the party pays only one or two salaries in the o year,” said Kristi Burton Brown, who chaired the party during the last election cycle. “If they want to run it all-volunteer, they certainly can.” e party raised only a little more than $18,000 in the rst two months of the year, before Williams was elected chairman.

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Tom Bjorklund, the party’s new treasurer, referred questions to Williams. e initial April report Bjorkland led reported only $3,000 in contributions. An amended report was led later.

Williams was elected on a platform that included falsely insisting that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. But he told e Sun in March that his critics should “relax,” and said he was focused on attacking Democrats.

A sampling of his emails since he became chairman show he’s been doing that. “Democrats Defend Perverts,” “ ey hate you,” “Democrats’ Witch-Hunt of Trump” and “Demo- e Colorado Sun co-owns Colorado Community Media as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. It is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.

From January through April, Colorado’s GOP spent more than $263,000. at compares with $539,000 spent in the rst four months of 2021, another nonelection year when ve people were paid for their work in April. Of this year’s spending, $73,000 went to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for legal services.