Colorado Libertarians ink pact with state Republicans to stand down next year in crucial races

Colorado's Libertarian Party has agreed with state Republicans to stay out of competitive races in next year's election where a right-leaning, third-party candidate could be a spoiler, the chairs of both parties announced Tuesday.

Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams said the agreement he negotiated with Hannah Goodman, his Libertarian counterpart, will boost the chances of Republicans winning crucial 2024 legislative and congressional races.

Williams said in a statement that he hopes the unprecedented move will "ensure that these races are not spoiled by a third-party candidate so that together we can break the stranglehold radical Democrats have over our state."

Said Goodman, in a letter addressed to Williams released by the Colorado GOP: "We would prefer to work with you, and not against you, to support the Colorado that your voters believe they are supporting. We are committed to working with you to end their one-party rule here in Colorado."

Williams told Colorado Politics that the agreement will only affect what he described as competitive races, where a Libertarian candidate's votes might make a difference.

Republicans in Colorado have long complained that Libertarian nominees siphon off votes from GOP candidates, sometimes allowing Democratic nominees to win with a plurality. Libertarians, however, have also long maintained that their candidates aren't spoilers and caution Republicans against counting on the votes their nominees receive.

The Libertarian Party is the largest of Colorado's officially recognized minor political parties, with 39,830 active, registered members as of June 1. Although the party's members account for just 1% of the state's 3.8 million registered, its nominees routinely garner 2-3% of the vote, enough to swing the results in tight races.

Williams cited Democrat Yadira Caraveo's 0.7 percentage point win last year over Republican Barb Kirkmeyer in Colorado's new 8th Congressional District, where Libertarian nominee Richard Ward took nearly 4% of the vote — far more than Caraveo's razor-thin margin.

Democrats swept the ballot in Colorado last year, winning every statewide race and five of the eight congressional seats while increasing the party's majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly.

"We must seek new opportunities to build coalitions that will help restore balance back to Colorado, and this new partnership is a critical first step if we are going to win in 2024," Williams said.

In the letter, Goodman outlined the agreement, which requires that Republican nominees pass a loosely defined test involving a commitment to "liberty."

"We are calling upon the Republican Party to take our goals and objectives into serious consideration and run strong liberty minded, anti-establishment candidates going forward," Goodman wrote. "If the Republican Party runs candidates who support individual liberties, we will not run competing candidates in those races."

Added Goodman: "Furthermore, we reserve the right to run our candidates if you choose not to put forth strong liberty candidates."

Williams acknowledged that Republicans can't count on the Libertarians standing down in targeted races if the party nominates just anyone.

"They are not looking for the perfect candidate, but they are making clear that our party needs more nominees who will fight for limited-government in Denver and Washington D.C.," he said in an email to supporters.

He elaborated on how possible scenarios might play out in a text message to Colorado Politics.

"At a minimum, the Libertarians will make it known to Colorado Republicans if a primary candidate is acceptable or not," Williams said. "For example, if Joe O’Dea runs in CD8, they will object and make it known that they prefer their own nominee in the general election."

O'Dea, the GOP's unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate nominee, has been floated as a potential challenger to Caraveo, though he doesn't live in the district. In last year's election, numerous leading Republicans, including former state Rep. Ron Hanks, who lost the primary to O'Dea, withheld their support from the Republican nominee over his positions on abortion and other issues.

Williams told Colorado Politics that he forwarded the agreement to the National Republican Congressional Committee and minority leaders in the state House and Senate. He added that the state GOP "will also act as a liaison" with the groups to "express the Libertarian Party’s thoughts on the field of candidates.”

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who routinely describes himself as small-l libertarian-leaning, mocked the announcement in a Twitter post.

"And if you run more pro-liberty candidates who support a woman’s right to choose, the freedom to marry who you love, reducing the income tax, private property rights to build housing on your own land, and legal cannabis and psilocybin small businesses then… maybe you can start calling your nominees Democrats," Polis wrote.

And if you run more pro-liberty candidates who support a woman’s right to choose, the freedom to marry who you love, reducing the income tax, private property rights to build housing on your own land, and legal Cannabis and Psilocybin small businesses then… maybe you can start… https://t.co/gfIk4xYoj8

— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) June 13, 2023

Dick Wadhams, a Republican poltiical consultant and former state GOP chairman, told Colorado Politics he applauded Williams for having the discussion but was skeptical about any long-term benefits the agreement might yield.

"The Libertarian chairwoman said they will not oppose Republicans who support individual liberties, but that's a pretty broad definition," Wadhams said. "You never know where they're going to come down on any issues. They're all over the map on various issues."

Wadhams added that Williams might not be the best arbiter of what constitutes a good Republican who deserves a shot without a third-party spoiler.

"After watching Williams attack people like Congressman Doug Lamborn and former Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers in the last couple weeks, count me as somewhat leery about him deciding on his own that a Republican candidate does not support individual liberties," Wadhams said.

"It's nice he's spending time on this, but it doesn't go to what really ails the Colorado Republican Party, which is Donald Trump and people who refuse to acknowledge the cold hard reality that Donald Trump has defined the last four election cycles in Colorado for Colorado Republicans."

Colorado Democrat Party Chairman Shad Murib dismissed the pact between his Republican and Libertarian counterparts in a text message to Colorado Politics.

"The Colorado Republican Party’s problem is not Libertarians spoiling elections for them — their problem is that their platform is opposed by the vast majority of Colorado voters," Murib said. "If their path to victory is to embrace folks who are even more extreme than them, I’d remind them that two wrongs don’t make a right."