House Republican Leadership Elections [Nov 06, 2026]

We will call the meeting back to order. The motion was made to dismiss. Once again, I understand that people have a question, but we are following the rules. The rules were emailed out. The rules have been what we have followed this session, last session. They were voted on by the caucus, and it specifically states we can have the meeting within one week. We have done this historically for over eight election cycles. We have done it last cycle the exact same way, even when all votes were not in. We have everyone seated to include the representative elects that were here. Therefore, the chair rules that the motion is out of order, and we will proceed with the elections.

I object.

No, you can't just do that. Let's have the discussion in here with the reps, and let's have this meeting properly.

I'm not RMGO.

All right. Besides being Rule 16 overall on the meeting by our own caucus chair, I move for dismissal because this is a consequential election, and we have people that are possibly here that are not here that should be here, and we don't know. Now, having this happen in the past, this last time, having our own representatives disenfranchised from their vote for leadership should have been a wake-up call. As far as being within the rules, the rules are seven days. The only thing that mentions in the timeframe of this meeting is a notification of seven days. Now, that is in a different section. That needs to be rewritten. I have motions for that as well. And that needs to be – that should be seven days, not a four-day notice, three days after election while ballots are still being cured in a very consequential manner. Yesterday, there were ten races that were still not statistically callable, and that's by the AP. So none of them, of course, have been certified by the Secretary of State. So what we risk in doing this meeting today is having a point where a vote would be consequential. Only 10 people in this room should have – nobody in this room has their race called. Only 10 people have their vote by AP called. Every one of those votes is 10%. Everybody that we add afterwards is 10%. If a race fails because the Democrats are also curing ballots, which is what we should be doing, or we should be up there listening to the – in the debates for the majority party and find out what's going on there.

This is specifically to this order. Okay.

I'm going to continue my time.

What was my time?

Okay.

Thank you, Mr. Caucus Chair. Representative DeGraff, you and I have went back and forth through email. And again, you continually cite the bylaws, which, by the way, you approved in 2024. Seven days. That is binding. The seven days you're referring to is to change the rules, which by your own admission, you know, you keep saying in a different part of the rules. Because the part of the rules that you're citing is seven days notice to change the rules, which we are not doing right now. we are having leadership elections and the bylaws make very clear within seven days of the general election for the last eight cycles which is 16 years we've held the leadership elections on an average between two to three days after the election so this is no different than 2024 which you are a part of where there were three outstanding races still and those members didn't get a vote there are outstanding races right now I obviously am very aware in getting multiple updates a day on where those races are at. Those races are, those members are currently losing by a pretty large margin where there's not even enough ballots that even if they cured them at 100%, that they would come back in the lead. And so I think I'm comfortable moving forward.

not outside that. Okay, well, I've said all I need to, so thank you.

I would like the rest of my time to discuss that. Was it three minutes?

The seven days I'm referring to is the seven days after the election.

Doubling down on stupid is not a good idea.

It's an action. I didn't call anybody a name. I cited the action.

Please go ahead. Can you hear me? Thank you, Mr. Caucus, Chair. I nominate Jarvis Caldwell to be our minority leader for the upcoming two years. We have seen a change in governor. Governor's staff will be changing, a change in speaker, a change in minority leader, there is no reason to inject additional change from our side. He's done a fine job. He's kept this ship afloat. He handles things with a steady hand. He recognizes the reality that we work within, and we've seen successes broadly under his leadership. and he supports this entire caucus. So I proudly nominate him to continue in that role.

Members, I proudly rise to nominate Representative Ken DeGraff for Minority Leader. Our caucus needs a change in direction. Leadership is not about titles, controlling members, or demanding loyalty. It's about accountability, protecting your team, and earning trust. We have already lost six Republican seats. Six. Where was the fundraising? Where was the strategy? Where was the leadership to protect our members and invest in the candidates fighting to keep those seats? We've seen Republican members removed from committees and replaced with others perceived to be more willing to vote the way the minority leader and the lobby corps wanted. That's not leadership. That's political control. We were elected to represent our constituents, not take orders from leadership or special interests. We've also had serious concerns about sexual harassment, go without the leadership response members deserved, workplace expectations disregarded, and an aid terminated under circumstances that raise serious questions about compliance with established employment policies. You cannot demand accountability from everyone else while refusing to demonstrate it. Our caucus deserves accountability, transparency in a leader who puts members and constituents ahead of political interests. That is Ken DeGraph.

Yeah, I would like to nominate Scott Slaw.

i would like to nominate scott's law for minority leader

I do.

I do.

I do. I do.

yeah i didn't hear the last part of what you said but i do accept the nomination

thank you rep richardson for the nomination and uh i just first and foremost want to say welcome to to matt and jason uh welcome to the team welcome to the family and uh we use family a lot because it certainly feels like a family because you will see us more than you will see your own family when we get into session that just the reality of things You know the last three days have been some of the hardest days of my adult life because there a few family members that we wanted to be here and they're not here with us, and we miss them. It was nothing because they did anything wrong. They worked hard, and they should keep their heads held high. When I first ran for minority leader, I made promises. I promised you that I would work harder at this than anything in my life. It would be a 24-7 job for me. And I certainly have spent any time that we're not in session all around this state, whether it was Durango, Fort Collins, or Pueblo, or even Los Animas, supporting our members and doing things like raising money for our candidates. And I'm proud to say that raising money for the candidates is one of the most important jobs as minority leader. And within a one-year period, we crushed any prior record for fundraising that any other previous leader did. And we did it in only one year, so I'm proud to say that. And we gave our candidates a fighting chance. Transparency. I promise to be transparent with you. If anything, I'm probably over-transparent. I'll tell you anything. If I know it, then you know it. And that's just how I am. And it's my leadership style, and I'll continue to do that. I'm fair. I told you everybody has a seat at the table when I got elected minority leader. It's not my fault. Some people don't want to sit in that seat. And that's just the reality of it. You know, when I first came into minority leader, I had requests for, hey, this person's having a really hard time being on a certain committee, judiciary committee, and it's hard on their family. Could you remove them from that committee to help their family? And I did that. I was asked to put somebody else back on a committee who got removed for bad behavior. I didn't have to, and I did that. I looked out for our people. I was fair when I got started here, and I'll continue to be fair. We have an amazing staff here that I think is well-respected by everybody in the caucus, and they're going to stick with us, and they're going to go through, and they're going to be by our sides, and I appreciate that. Look, I think I have, what, 30 seconds left? I'm just going to say this. We are in an uncharted territory here in Colorado. The socialists are at the gates, and we're the ones on the front line pushing back, and there's a lot of people, millions of people that we represent collectively who are counting on us to stay together and stand firm because we don't know what's coming down the pike here in this coming session. And it's going to be one of the most radical sessions that I think this state has ever seen. And so I would appreciate your vote and continue on the work that we've been doing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to leave my resume of decades of successful leadership in the Air Force. and so I'm going to just tell you why I'm running for election. Last election, I raised a concern, not an accusation about the appearance of somebody earning $75,000 on a non-monetized podcast associated with the 501c4. My character was assassinated for asking a question, but the question itself remains unanswered, although the question is continually asked. Now I'm looking at a funding stream in which the caucus political advisor is also running a tax against sitting incumbents and against candidates advanced to the ballot by Colorado delegates. Effectively, this minority office has been weaponized against the will of the people. Current administration has worked with consultants to fund smear attacks against constitutional candidates, not knock on doors, but to undermine the delegates who put them there. Millions of dollars to often undermine or put the hand on the scale. Ultimately, this has resulted in six lost seats, less representation for Republicans. They are left without a voice. We cannot ignore the censure of our minority leader by the state assembly and the subsequent resolutions reinforcing it that are making their way around from county to county and district to district. This is a vote of no confidence. Our party is on county. The former chairs on county. The entire state assembly. because a federal judge ruled that a 75% requirement was bogus and issued a writ of mandamus, a weak command that would have closed the primary consistent with the will of the Central Committee, and that is why the State Assembly did the censure. What does it look like to those counties, districts, and delegates when we elect somebody they believe has betrayed them? While the ballot may be a secret, these votes will be known. I support the self-determination of the Republican Party. Rebuilding the caucus will be difficult. We need to start identifying and training potential candidates immediately and continually, need to build the bench, but those individuals need to trust that this caucus won't reward their efforts with a $469,000 boot to the face.

I've invited anyone interested in primary me to spend days shadowing me. We should all be looking at and preparing for our replacement. As caucus leaders, I'll stay in my lane and won't conspire against your districts. Our bylaws state that the leader cannot support primary opponents to sitting Republican House incumbents, yet seems contrary to the spirit to use PACs controls to combine our money with money being deployed against the most constitutional ally in the Senate. You complain about the appearance of dysfunction while simultaneously appearing to lean heavily on the scale against the very delegates that you also represent. Bloodletting before a fight is not a good strategy. But that's what this is. Intraparty bloodletting and profiteering through open primary using money from hidden interest to supersede the representation of the people. This is a referendum between controlled opposition and constitutional representation. I ask for your vote. Thank you for that.

Good morning, members and friends, and as Minority Leader Cardwell said family. I know that this is somewhat of an unexpected move on my part. I've spoken to a handful of you over the last couple days, and this isn't something that I decided to do at this time until it was too late to reach out to many of you, because as you know, and as you can see, I'm out of town. I've been traveling for armed responsibilities the last two days. I'm still here in Vegas, getting ready to board the flight, come back to Denver, so I haven't had time to campaign hard for this, or to even really talk to many of you about this thought at all. So why am I doing it? I decided to do this last night after conversations with a handful of individuals beyond those on this call who advised me that maybe it is what I should do if I feel the way that I do about things. I think all of you know that I have publicly stood up for Jarvis when he's been attacked for certain things, and I consider him a friend. I hope that this doesn't change that at all. It doesn't on my part. If he wins, he will have my support 100%. Additionally, when I considered my philosophical thoughts on where policy should be coming from, I don't know that there's anybody else who aligns more with my thoughts on the matters than Ken does. I think he has a fantastic mind for what America is and what Colorado should be. That being said, about both of them, I don't feel like I can sufficiently support one of them over the other. And there are things that I believe are important that I think maybe I can do better. That's a hard statement for me to make. I do believe it in humility. I don't put a lot of weight on titles. So again, why do I do this? I'm stepping up now because I believe that we are at a critical point here in Colorado. That's nothing new, but maybe it's even more so the case now. I believe we need three things above all others. One, we need strategic leadership in and out of the Capitol building. we need the communication of that strategic leadership at all times. Two, we need an ability to unify the entire caucus. What I have seen in the two speeches that we've heard today has unfortunately not convinced me that either of the other options are capable of doing that. And three, I think we need a person who has a sufficient working relationship or potential with members of both sides of the other side of the aisle. And I do believe that I have working relationships with some of those members as well that may serve us well. I know that most of you have been here longer than I have, but I think that is irrelevant given that we all have such short-term limits. As many of you also did, I came here already with the technical and interpersonal skills that are necessary to be a representative. But I also believe I came here with a different and fresh perspective on the strategy that we need to carry out to the floor and furthermore to Colorado's districts. I can't promise you that I will be perfect. I can't promise you that I will always that we will always agree. But I can promise you that I will always have your back and we and I will work to unite us all. Thank you. And I hope for your vote time. Thank you so much for your comments.

representative dusty johnson please proceed thank you chair hartsook i am proud to nominate a current assistant minority least high winter to remain our assistant minority leader he is shown to be both a strong leader but also a strong friend and a mentor to all of us he is always willing to listen, stands for his district and for all of our principals, and he is well-versed in how to negotiate on the other side, along with constituents outside the building and stakeholders inside the Capitol. I am proud to nominate Mr. Ty Winter and to see him go forth as our Assistant Minority Leader once again. Thank you, Representative Johnson. Are there

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I nominate Larry Don Sucla.

I nominate Larry Don Sucla. He's been a stalwart defender of our constitutional values and I think a tremendous friend to the Western Slope. I think we do need to continue that. Well, I do think we need to change things up. I do think we need to maintain that rural-urban divide, and I think Larry Dunn is the man to do it.

Thank you, caucus. I accept the nomination. I appreciate the kind words Dusty. All I've got to say is I've been a steady hand for this caucus for three years. I've been here through two minority leaders. I've seen a lot of change. I've been a friend to everybody on this caucus, whether it's inside this building or outside if you've ever had problems. I've reached out. I know there's times that we all squab here, but even during those times when times get tough, I put that aside to work with everybody. So it's been an honor to serve you all. I want to continue to be that steady hand and that rock, and I'd appreciate your support. Thank you.

minute warning please go ahead well thank you everybody uh the reason i put the um my name in the hat is i don't think we hear the word people enough there we hear about um everything but people i tell you there's the thing that that helps me more than anything and makes me feel good about myself is not when somebody pats me on the back at the capitol it's when i'm in the feed store in the grocery store and somebody walks up to me somebody i might not even know and they tell me um thank you for fighting for me we are in a position where we haven't been in 30 to 34 years where we are so outnumbered from the other side and that's going to take some unorthodox strategy to stand our ground and one of the things that i'd like to talk about is the the meeting today. If I would have been on the leadership, I would have had our meeting after the Democrats. The Democrats are taking what we're saying right today, and they're going to use as talking points for their meeting in one hour. So think about this. If you're a sporting team, and why did they send out scouts? They sent out scouts so they can watch what the other team is doing. And so we should have made a strategic decision and had our meeting after the Democrats. That's just one thing. We've only got two things, guys, that we can use to stand our ground. And that is going to be the JBC. And that would be the reading of bills. Our bills are only going to be go through if the Democrats decide because they have got the super majority. Now, the JBC member is very special. You hear about, well, it's the economy stupid. Well, it's it's the money stupid in the state capital. And so one of the things that we have to our advantage is we need a JBC member with a backbone. I want to be helping to elect that. And that's why I think all the caucus should be picking the JBC member, because it has to be a unanimous decision to bring the budget forward in the JBC to the floor. And the way that we can use that as a strategic leverage is we need to have a JBC member say, no, we're not going to go to the floor. I'm not going to vote yes to move the budget until you give us some of these things that we need as a caucus. We hear both sides say the same thing, affordability, affordability. Well, I can tell you one thing. You cannot spend your way out of affordability. You cannot hyperinflate housing prices and then make bills that give 400 people a house. And then all you did is you created an artificial competition and you keep the housing elevated. I believe I'm the bridge that I can bring both factions of our caucus together. The people are looking at the house as a start. We have a GOP that is fractured and is completely in disarray. And I think it starts at the house. I'm a bridge that can bring us all.

Both sides. And we got to start talking about the people. Do whatever's best for the people. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm truly honored to nominate Representative Carlos Barron for continuation as a whip. I have watched him in these last two years try to organize us as cats when it comes to going to the well and, in fact, doing it in an organized fashion and with very specific information to help each and every one of us give a good speech in the well. I appreciate that greatly. I have a great deal of respect for Representative Barone, and as I said, I'm truly honored to nominate him to go forward. Thank you.

I'll nominate Larry Don Sucla. I think his fight and his time down at the well has been tremendous, and I think his organizational strategies have been very sound. I think he'd do a great job continuing and being a voice for the people, and especially the Western Slope.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to start off by saying thank you to staff. I work a lot close with staff, and they do a great job being able to help me do my job as WIP. and I just want to say thank you to all the staff for that and of course I'm sorry about my speech here, my throat's a little dry but I've been sick here the last couple weeks thank you for the nomination of course I accept the nomination for the caucus whip position and give me the opportunity, thank you at this time for this leadership role once again as a whip I will continue to ensure we fight on a unified front by keeping our members informed and our strategy clear. I look forward to collaborating with you all during our floor fight meetings. My door is always open. I bring the strong relationships, honest communication, and follow through needed to work through disagreements I commit to listening to the caucus making sure we are prepared for the floor fight If elected caucus whip I will be present for each and every one of you. I will be dedicated to helping our caucus be strong, unified, and effective at the well. And I will do my very best to advance the agenda of the caucus in any positive way I can. If there was ever a time to come together in a unified forum to protect our people of Colorado, it is now. We may be small numbers, but numbers do not have a determination of our effectiveness as a caucus. Regardless of the challenge ahead, I believe we will still have a purpose, a voice, and a responsibility to the people of Colorado. I respectfully ask for your vote and your support. Thank you.

Well, thank you for nominating me for that. I really appreciate it. I want to just say this. We need to air our differences out before we go on the 11th of January. And then when we get these done, we need to be a team of 16. And I believe that I'm the one that can bridge that gap and get us together. I can't get there because the flooding that has been going on, 160, the Archuleta County, I'd have to go all the way around. And that's why I'm still stuck here because of all the stuff that we went through. It is time to bridge the gap between us. And the way that we can do that is if you like me and put me on the team, I can remember when I was first there, I want to help the new members. I want to help the new members understand so they don't drink from the fire hose and they know all of the ins and the outs of the chess game. Because right now we're playing a chess game with a group of people that really don't care how we feel. And if we do not have backbone, I have backbone. I've had it since I was a little kid. I've had more damn weapons than probably anybody else in the room there because of the backbone. I have backbone to fight for the people. It's all about the people. And I would ask for your vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Caucus Chair. All right. We will now open nominations for minority caucus chair. Do we have any nominations?

Thank you, ma'am. Do we have any further nominations for minority caucus chair? Representative Larry Don Sucla.

Thank you, sir. Okay, we have two nominations. Are there any further nominations for minority caucus chair? Is there any nominations for minority caucus chair? Is there any nominations for minority caucus chair? Seeing none, we will start in the order of those nominated. please make sure when I call on you that you let the caucus know that you accept the nomination. And if we can get the timer started, Representative Hartsock, it's all yours.

Thank you, Rep. Hartsook. Next, Representative Max Brooks, you have three minutes, sir. I will let you know when you have one minute left.

Thank you, sir. Okay, so I don't know. Do you want me to just carry it through? All right. So because we only have one nomination for caucus chair, it is done by acclamation. And so congratulations, Representative Hartsook, on being elected the House caucus chair again. Congratulations, and I will turn it back over to you.

Second.

Representative Verone moves to second. The meeting is adjourned at 10-10. Thank you so much. Have a great day.