El Paso County GOP’s lawsuit against Colorado GOP dismissed ahead of leadership vote
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A judge dismissed the El Paso County GOP's lawsuit against its state counterpart before county members cast ballots to elect new leadership.
The infighting within the El Paso County GOP has been ongoing for months and recently bubbled over to include the entire state party.
Vickie Tonkins, the chairwoman of the El Paso County GOP, has been at the center of the disorder. Since taking office in 2019, party members have accused her of disenfranchising voters, mishandling party funds, inciting violence, and not providing a list of the party’s precinct members.
The complaints were raised to the state GOP with concerns that Tonkins couldn’t lead a fair county reorganizational meeting Saturday, where El Paso County GOP members will vote in new leadership positions.
Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown ordered a special meeting last week “to ensure there is integrity in the election of officers.” Members of the Colorado Republican Party Central Committee voted 139-123 to bring in a neutral party to replace Tonkins and lead the reorganizational meeting.
"This is a pretty extraordinary circumstance and in extraordinary circumstances, the state party will step in," Burton Brown said. "Although the law would actually allow us to step in much more often, we just typically choose not to."
Before the meeting, Tonkins and six other precinct committee members filed a lawsuit against the state GOP, claiming the special meeting violates state law.
According to Colorado Revised Statute 1-3-106, “The state central committee of any political party in this state has full power to pass upon and determine all controversies concerning the regularity of the organization of that party…within any county.”
However, the lawsuit claimed the state GOP had no authority to remove Tonkins or precinct committee members from their positions.
On Thursday, an Arapahoe County judge dismissed Tonkins' lawsuit.
13 Investigates has repeatedly reached out to Tonkins for comment since she filed her lawsuit but she has never responded.
"I appreciate the court standing with longstanding Colorado law and saying that the Republican Party, and any political party, gets to govern itself," Burton Brown said. "Our state central committee is and always has been the final authority on internal party matters."
On Saturday, El Paso County GOP members will vote to elect new leadership for the party. The meeting at Discovery Canyon will be led by Gregory Carlson, the former chair for the Fremont County GOP, instead of Tonkins.
"This gives El Paso County a chance to reset as Republicans, and everyone can trust that the election held on Saturday at Discovery will be fair, it will be legal, there's not going to be any intimidation from the people running the meeting," Burton Brown said.
Those running for party leadership will give speeches before the 350 members cast their ballots for chair, vice chair, secretary and bonus members.
Tonkins announced she will be holding her own reorganizational meeting at Sand Creek on Saturday. Kristi Burton Brown, the chair of the Colorado GOP, said any votes cast at Tonkins’ meeting will not count. Karl Schneider, the vice chair of the El Paso County GOP, said he isn't surprised by Tonkins' decision to hold her own meeting.
"Tonkins going on her own path and having her own meeting is par for the course on how she has conducted herself as the party chair — she has done whatever she wants," Schneider said.
After the recent turmoil within the Republican party, Burton Brown and Schneider said the GOP is headed in the right direction without Tonkins as El Paso County chair.
"We are on a good path right now to rectify the challenges of the past few years, which have all clearly and squarely rested on the shoulders of Vicky Tonkins," Schneider said.
