Drama ongoing in the Colorado Republican Party after vote to oust Dave Williams as chairman

A week ago, the Colorado Republican Party's central committee voted to oust Dave Williams, the party chairman, and replace him with Eli Bremer. Since then Williams has refused to leave, so Bremer filed a lawsuit calling him a squatter and asking the court to evict him. Williams' supporters filed a counter lawsuit claiming the vote was illegitimate and calling Bremer a squatter, a hack and an identity thief.  

The situation was a topic on this week's Left, Right, Center led by CBS News Colorado political reporter Shaun Boyd.

"Williams has been the center of one controversy after another. Does he really have that much support? And how do you see this ending?" Boyd asked CBS Colorado Republican political analyst Dick Wadhams.

"Probably in the courts, or the Republican National Committee will intervene like they did in Michigan when a Dave Williams-lookalike in Michigan got elected and the party's central committee removed her. Then the RNC (there) had to come in and say, 'Get out. You're gone.'"

Wadhams said the timing is bad for this behind-the-scenes drama to be taking place.

"This is Labor Day weekend. This is (typically) the time when you really kick in your get-out-the-vote effort that you've been building throughout the political cycle. Nothing is going on in the Colorado Republican Party because Dave Williams has spent all his time attacking other Republicans, impugning the integrity and reputation of his predecessor, Kristi Burton Brown, of attacking gays and lesbians, of intervening in primaries, spending party money on his own campaign.

"I mean, he has been doing everything but what a state chairman should be doing. And it's more than embarrassing, it's just flat out disgusting and irresponsible. And this guy will go down in history as the as the worst state chair of either party in Colorado history."

CBS Colorado Democratic analyst Mike Dino agreed that the Republican party in Colorado currently is not helping their candidates with a critical general election coming up this fall.

"There are some competitive races out there, and we are just one seat away in the Colorado State Senate from a veto-proof majority. We already have it in the in the state house, and so the Republicans are trying to avoid a veto-proof majority probably over in the state Senate, and would like to get a little more equity over in the state house.

"Candidates are like, 'Hey, we're flying on our own.' There's no help from the state party," Dino said.

Wadhams said it's hard to predict when the situation with Williams will get resolved.

"I don't know where it's going to end. It will probably continue right through the election," he said.

"But it's a fight that needs to happen."