The embattled leader of Colorado’s House Republicans was nearly ousted Monday by right-wing members of his own caucus, throwing his leadership into doubt and reigniting lingering ideological tensions among Republicans.
The vote — an even 9-9 split to keep Rep. Mike Lynch as minority leader — came five days after Lynch’s 2022 arrest for drunken driving was first made public in a story by The Denver Post. The tie was the bare minimum that Lynch needed to maintain his position in leadership. Rep. Stephanie Luck, a member of the right-wing bloc that opposed Lynch staying on as leader, was not present because she recently had a baby.
Lynch’s future remains uncertain: Rep. Ken DeGraaf immediately sought a revote because of Luck’s absence and said she was seeking to participate remotely. But other Republicans, satisfied that the vote had failed and increasingly frustrated with the proceedings, called for the meeting to adjourn with no further vote.
Still, other House Republicans could seek a second no-confidence vote as early as Tuesday or any day thereafter.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Lynch said he had owned up to the mistake of driving while intoxicated. He said he looked “forward to earning the trust of the members that didn’t vote for me and I appreciate the continued support of those who did.”
Lynch, a third-term legislator who became minority leader after the sudden death of Rep. Hugh McKean in October 2022, is also running in this year’s election to represent the 4th Congressional District. He’s part of a crowded primary field that includes U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who’s seeking to switch from her district, and Lynch’s fellow state Rep. Richard Holtorf.
During a contentious meeting earlier Monday, Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs Republican, told Lynch that he would call for the confidence vote. Bottoms and other right-wing members of the caucus told Lynch that they were being inundated with criticism of the arrest, which was broadly a secret even to Republican lawmakers until The Post reported its details last week.
Bottoms said Lynch’s arrest and failure to disclose the incident were not “quality ethical standards.” DeGraaf, also of Colorado Springs, said he took issue with the “overall nondisclosure” and that he felt Lynch’s history would be a distraction for the caucus this year.
“I think we’ve done great things in this caucus,” he added. “I think we’ve had more cohesion than I’ve seen in the past. I look forward to that continuing.”
Earlier Monday, some members had called for Lynch to step down on his own, before a vote. Lynch declined.
“We are getting slammed on social media right now,” Rep. Brandi Bradley, a Douglas County Republican, told Lynch during the first gathering. “I refuse to cover anything up. I feel bad that you guys are going through this. I feel bad that you made a bad decision.
“But enough is enough. Let’s move forward with some strong leadership.”
After his arrest, Lynch pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, a lesser charge, and to a weapons charge. He was pulled over for speeding by a state trooper, who smelled alcohol in Lynch’s car. He later failed field sobriety tests, and at one point he attempted to pull a gun from his pocket. He remains on probation for several more months.
He was elected to lead the House Republican caucus several weeks after the arrest, with few — if any — colleagues knowing about it.
Two Republican legislators on Monday referred to the silence around the arrest as a coverup, including Bottoms. At one point during the incident, Lynch asked the trooper to call the Colorado State Patrol’s Capitol lobbyist, before he changed his mind and told the trooper he would comply.
According , Lynch also asked the trooper to keep the arrest quiet from the press.
“This is just bad leadership — to say this is not affecting leadership is goofy,” Bottoms said. “… The fact that Mike knew this when he was being elected minority leader, to me, is not OK.”
Much of the criticism against Lynch came from right-wing members of the caucus, who’ve sought to take a more adversarial and obstructionist approach against the supermajority of House Democrats.
The vote was the latest burst of turmoil among House Republicans, who for years have been plagued with on-and-off infighting between the party’s moderate and right-wing factions.
That internal tension comes as Republicans in the House — and in the Capitol generally — find themselves at their weakest point in state history. The previous minority leader, the late McKean, ascended to leadership in 2020 amid those very same debates. Lynch took over after McKean died and then-Rep. Colin Larson lost a close re-election bid in 2022.
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