Colorado Republicans remove party chair after his email attacking LGBTQ people, call for Pride flag to be burned

UPDATE: Lawsuits have been filed by Dave Williams and his possible replacement.

Colorado Republicans overwhelmingly voted to remove state party chairman Dave Williams by a vote of 161.66 to 12 on Saturday. Some people's votes only counted for a fraction of a full vote.

The move comes after Williams sent an email attacking Pride Month and referring to the LGBTQ+ community as "godless groomers." He also called for the burning of all Pride flags on social media.  

More than 100 Republican leaders across Colorado had previously signed a petition to remove their state party chairman from his position.

"We will be getting a new chair of the State GOP!" Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer wrote in a post on X after the vote.

It isn't the first time Williams, a state representative whose district includes El Paso County, has come under fire. But for many Republicans, it was the last straw.

Since he took over as GOP chair, Williams has attacked Republicans who don't subscribe to his views and used state party resources to support his campaign for Congress.  As CBS Colorado's Shaun Boyd has reported, Williams used Colorado's Republican party's logo and reduced postage rate to send mailers attacking his opponents. 

Williams has said those who sign the petition are "weak establishment Republicans" who are "waging civil war." He said he wouldn't apologize, even if it meant losing his position.

In June, he lost his primary bid for Colorado's 5th Congressional District against Jeff Crank for Colorado's 5th Congressional District against Jeff Crank in June.

"Instead of focusing on what unites us, under the leadership of Dave Williams the message from the State GOP has been one of division fueled by hateful narratives," Kirkmeyer said in June. "It is past time to part ways with Dave Williams. His tactics are undermining our ability to lift up Colorado."

Williams and the Colorado Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.