Colorado Republicans split their votes for a Republican presidential nominee at the Republican State Convention, while battling over election issues like civil unions and gay rights in Magness Arena last Saturday.
Romney received 13 of the 33 delegates, the most delegates of any candidates.
More than 7,000 party activists, media, elected officials and delegates gathered to nominate candidates to the primary ballot, choosing delegates from Colorado to be part of the Republican National Committee hosted in Tampa this August and to adopt a platform representing the official electoral vision of all members of the party.
3,074 delegates attended, in addition to 1,036 alternate delegates. The remaining people in attendance were guests of the convention.
“We’re here fighting for our children and grandchildren,” said Ryan Call, a Colorado State Republican chairman, adding that nothing President Barack Obama has done nothing to help unemployment. “[The] real unemployment rate is closer to 12 or 14 percent.”
Call also said the party had a positive fundraising year in 2011 because Republicans drew in $750,000.
After he ended his remarks, elected officials were allowed three minutes each to speak on the issues.
Each of the four Republican U.S. Representatives were present, including Cory Gardner, Mike Coffman, Scott Tipton and Doug Lamborn. Each Representative stressed the importance of retaining the GOP majority gained in 2010. Lamborn, who represents Colorado Springs and is facing a primary challenger, said, “I live, breathe, drink, eat conservative values.”
State Attorney General John Suthers also spoke, discussing what he perceived as the “unconstitutional” nature of Obama’s health care reform bill, dubbed “Obamacare” by many at the convention.
After the candidates’ surrogates spoke, more than 500 Republicans queued up for the chance to be elected to serve as a National Delegate from Colorado to the republican National Convention in Tampa in August.
Surrogates for the three remaining GOP Presidential candidates, Romney, Texas Congressman Ron Paul and former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich were each allotted 15 minutes to speak their pieces and encourage the election of delegates that supported their candidates.
The only interruption of the business for the assembly occurred when the director of the Colorado Log Cabin Republicans, an organization of gay and lesbian Republicans spoke in support of what he called “Marriage equality,” suggesting the convention should support civil unions and the rights of all people. The crowd shouted and booed, prompting Call to take back the stage and ask all members of the assembly to be respectful.
