A state senator in Colorado is resigning from the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, citing the party’s complicity in the Jan. 6 insurrection and 2020 election denial as the reason.
“I cannot continue to be a part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen,” Sen. Kevin Priola said in a statement. He also cited his party’s lack of action on climate change, saying his GOP colleagues “consistently and proudly seek to impede progress … and I can’t, in good conscience, be silent about that.”
The announcement represents a stark rebuke of former President Trump and the national Republican Party.
It also deflates the GOP’s hopes of retaking the Democratic-controlled Colorado Senate, one of the most targeted legislative battles in the country. Democrats now hold a 20-15 advantage, making a flip less likely. Priola went out of his way to advocate against his party in the 2022 midterms, saying: “Democrats in charge because our planet and democracy depend on it.”