DENVER — The Colorado Republican Party sent out a transphobic email in support of a Republican State Senator who wants nothing to do with the email’s content.
State Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, is running for reelection to represent southwestern Colorado.
Vivian Smotherman is the Democratic challenger. She is a transgender former hog farmer, Navy veteran and most recently worked in oil and gas shutting down old wells.
Thursday’s email, sent and signed by “Colorado Republican Party” identifies Smotherman by using male pronouns.
The party writes, “Smotherman brings nothing to the table other than more anti-conservative anger and an incessant need to post videos about being transexual.”
The email also includes a screenshot of a far-right social media post making more transphobic comments like, “He’s a man pretending to be a woman…” and “In Peru he would be considered mentally ill.”
Smotherman, in a phone call with 9NEWS, said she learned about the email from the Durango Herald, and within one hour of learning about it, received a call from Simpson.
“It was very comforting when Cleave called himself," Smotherman said. "It wasn’t an hour later when he called to apologize.”
Simpson confirmed with 9NEWS that he called Smotherman, and also State Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, the state’s first transgender lawmaker.
“The comments from the state party absolutely don’t align with my values,” Simpson said.
The email from the Colorado GOP followed the transphobic comments with support for Simpson.
Democrats control the State Senate 23-12. If they hold all their seats and win one, they will have a supermajority.
Senate District 6, where Simpson is the current State Senator, covers 14 counties in southwestern Colorado.
The voter registration makeup of the district is:
- 47%: Unaffiliated
- 28% Republicans
- 23% Democrats
At the start of June, The Colorado GOP sent a mass email attacking “godless groomers” and added a social media post calling for the burning of all Pride flags.
The email titled, “God Hates Pride” included an image reading “God Hates Flags,” a nod to the anti-gay slur on the picket signs of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church.
Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams faces a vote next Saturday to remove him as party chairman. Though, he and other party leaders have deemed that meeting to be illegal.
The calls to remove Williams began with that anti-gay email, along with the party’s choice to drop neutrality rules and endorse Republicans in contested primaries, including Williams’ candidacy for the Congressional District 5 primary, which he lost by 30 points to Republican opponent Jeff Crank.
Phone calls to Colorado GOP vice chair Hope Scheppelman and Director of Special Initiatives Darcy Schoening have not been returned. A call to a previous number for Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams went to a generic voicemail that no longer says his name in the recording.