For most of 2010 I was dismissive of the idea that “crazy” Republican candidates would blow elections for the party. In most of the country, I was right. But Colorado turned out to be a mess, with businessman Dan Maes imploding as soon as he won the nomination for governor, and Senate candidate Ken Buck making some unforced errors that cost him a close race.
The GOP chairman who presided over those losses was Dick Wadhams.
He’s had enough.
“I have loved being chairman, but I’m tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party’s role is,” he said.… His departure leaves state Sen. Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch as the front-runner in the March 26 chairmanship race, although Republicans now expect other candidates to jump in. Harvey could not be reached for comment.
Wadhams referred to Harvey in his letter to the state Central Committee announcing he was dropping out of the race but did not mention the lawmaker by name.
“I have tired of those who are obsessed with seeing conspiracies around every corner and who have terribly misguided notions of what the role of the state party is while saying ‘uniting conservatives’ is all that is needed to win competitive races across the state,” Wadhams wrote.
Would Wadhams have even won, though? As Dave Catanese
has been pointing out
, the “nuts” (the conservative purists powered by the Tea Party) have been taking over state parties everywhere the chance arises.
