Hannah Metzger
Audio By Carbonatix
Colorado’s election results this November will help determine party control of the United States House of Representatives and, potentially, the direction of the entire country.
Democrats only need to gain three seats to take the U.S. House from Republicans this year. The party has named Colorado’s 5th and 8th Congressional Districts, both currently held by Republicans, among its primary targets for the 2026 midterms, particularly U.S. Representative Gabe Evans in the 8th District. Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District also recently shifted from a solid Republican district to a battleground.
As Colorado Republican candidates prepare for battle, the state party meant to support them is falling apart at the seams. Colorado GOP Chair Brita Horn announced she is stepping down on March 12, citing party division and legal attacks. Horn’s resignation was the third in under a year, coming one month after vice chair Richard Holtorf quit, and nine months after Holtorf’s predecessor, Darrel Phelan, did the same. Both Holtorf and Phelan blamed their departures on an inability to work with Horn.
Not only does the party have no leadership, but it also has no money. The Colorado Republican Committee was over $230,000 in debt and had just $67,000 cash on hand by the end of February, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
These current issues stem from long-time drama in the party. Before Horn, Dave Williams chaired the Colorado GOP, ushering in an era of controversies that included him making a string of anti-LGBTQ statements, endorsing candidates in the Republican primary, kicking a reporter out of a GOP assembly, and using party resources to promote his own run for Congress.
As chair, Williams sued Horn and a group of other Republicans who tried to recall him. When Horn was elected chair in March 2025, she attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, but a group of Williams supporters kept the case going until this February, racking up court costs and prolonging ongoing discord within the party.
“As a parting gift, Chairman Williams used the Colorado GOP to engage in lawfare against some of his political enemies, including the incoming Chair,” says Alec Hanna, executive director of the Colorado Republican Committee. “When Chair Horn was elected, his associates tried multiple different tactics to continue this frivolous suit. The suit was eventually dismissed, but not until months of litigation, which cost the committee several hundreds of thousand dollars.”
“We have been working diligently to pay off all our bills and anticipate being debt-free soon,” Hanna adds.
The committee’s lawyer, Steven Klenda, filed a complaint in Denver County District Court on March 17, detailing over $210,000 in unpaid legal fees that the state GOP owes him. Klenda did not respond to requests for comment.
The Colorado Democratic Party is attempting to capitalize on its rival party’s woes. In a March 24 release, the Democrats celebrated having zero debt and fundraising over $145,000 in February — compared to the less than $17,000 the state Republican Party raised that month.
“This fundraising isn’t an accident – it’s proof of a healthy political party focused on recruiting candidates and building positive change in people’s lives,” says Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party. “Our report shows what we’re seeing on the ground every day: People are energized and ready to do the work to move Colorado forward. We’re building the resources we need to organize, compete, and win this November.”
Local Democrats aren’t the only ones stepping in. Republican President Donald Trump recently got involved in a Colorado congressional race, signaling concern from the national level.
Trump prompted Republican candidate Hope Scheppelman to drop out of the primary race for CD3 in exchange for a job in his administration. Scheppelman, former vice chair of the Colorado GOP under Williams, was challenging Congressman Jeff Hurd; Trump himself had previously endorsed Scheppelman over Hurd in late February.
“We decided that Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, should in no way, shape, or form, be impeded from winning the District in that the Democrat alternative is a DISASTER for our Country,” Trump posted on Truth Social on March 20. “Therefore, I will be fully supporting Jeff’s Re-Election to the House of Representatives, giving him my Complete and Total Endorsement! Every true MAGA supporter and Republican, if they truly care about saving our Country, will do everything in their power to unify together, and defeat the Crazed Radical Left Democrats this November.”
The Colorado Republican Party will convene for its state assembly on April 11 to nominate candidates for the ballot. Horn will lead the proceedings, with her resignation effective on April 17.
The party’s central committee will pick a new chair in the spring, giving them just a few months to try to turn things around before the November election.
