Trump-backed Colorado GOP chair loses House primary

Republican candidate Jeff Crank has won the GOP primary for retiring Rep. Doug Lamborn’s (R-Colo.) seat, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, dealing a blow to Donald Trump.

Crank, an official at the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity who enjoyed the endorsements of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), defeated state GOP chair Dave Williams in the Republican primary for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. Williams had been endorsed by Trump.

The primary exposed clear divisions between largely conservative hardliners. Williams has been mired in controversy since taking the reins of the state GOP. He has drawn criticism from within his party after resources were used to tout Williams's congressional run, prompting a Federal Election Commissions (FEC) complaint.  

The tipping point for some in the party came earlier this month when Williams and the state party posted anti-LGBTQ content, including a state GOP post on X that said “Burn all the #pride flags this June,” prompting Republicans to push for his ouster. 

Williams’s fate as state GOP chair remains in limbo for now.  

The 5th Congressional District went for Trump by 10 points in 2020, making Crank the favorite for the seat in November.