The Colorado Republican Party said Tuesday that it will cancel its presidential primary and instead hold a caucus if a court ruling stands denying former President Donald Trump a place on the ballot.
The party made the vow on social media platform X hours after the state Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Trump engaged in an insurrection surrounding the 2020 election and thereby disqualified himself from next year’s primary.
The state GOP said if that ruling isn’t overturned on appeal, the party would “convert to a pure caucus system” in order to pick its nominee, thus avoiding the primary-ballot issue altogether.
Mr. Trump has already vowed to appeal the state high court’s 4-3 decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The four-justice majority acknowledged that it was breaking new legal ground with its ruling, but said under the Civil War-era 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, Mr. Trump did foment an insurrection by encouraging the chaos that delayed counting of the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021.
That, the justices said, means he is barred from holding office — and therefore under Colorado law is not qualified to appear on the primary ballot next year.
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach,” the majority said in an unsigned opinion.
Mr. Trump has not been convicted by any court of criminal charges of insurrection or even charged, but the state justices said the finding by a lower court that he engaged in one was sufficient to deny him a place on the ballot.
After the ruling Vivek Ramaswamy, one of Mr. Trump’s competitors for the GOP nomination, said if the decision isn’t overturned, he would boycott the primary and called on the other primary candidates to do the same.
That prompted the state party’s response: “You won’t have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.”
A primary is an election and is run by the state. A caucus, meanwhile, is an internal party affair and, the GOP indicated, thereby not subject to the state’s office qualification rules.
However, the state Supreme Court decision could still be used against Mr. Trump in the general election should he emerge as the GOP’s nominee.
The decision has managed to further unite the Republican Party, with everyone from Trump supporters to his biggest detractors denouncing the court.
Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has said Mr. Trump’s legal troubles should cause the party to avoid him, said the court decision was wrong.
“I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being president of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being the president of the United States by the voters of this country,” Mr. Christie said.
He added: “I know it will be counterintuitive to a lot of people who listen to me about Donald Trump, but I hope it just goes to prove you. I don’t hate him at all. I just think what he’s done is horribly wrong and that he has reserved the right that we would give him as voters to lead us again.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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