Colorado Republican who called LGBTQ+ people 'godless groomers' loses his primary

Colorado GOP Dave Williams speaks for House Republicans during Colorado State Legislature

AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Dave Williams, chair of the Colorado GOP, lost his primary after a campaign email and tweet calling to "burn all Pride flags."

The Colorado Republican who sent out a campaign email calling LGBTQ+ people "godless groomers" has lost his primary.

Dave Williams, chair of the Colorado GOP, lost his primary election for the state’s 5th Congressional District Tuesday night to conservative commentator Jeff Crank, who will face Democrat River Gassen in the November general.

The vote came just weeks after Williams sent out an email to Republican voters that referred to queer people as "barbaric," "creeps," “degenerates,” "godless," "groomers," "predators," “radicals,” and “reprobates."

"The month of June has arrived and, once again, the godless groomers in our society want to attack what is decent, holy, and righteous so they can ultimately harm our children," the email read. It then linked to a sermon from Pastor Mark Driscoll, which proclaimed in the video thumbnail "God hates flags," wordplay on a Westboro Baptist Church slogan that uses a derogatory slur.

Williams' fellow Republicans called on him to resign following the message, with the Jefferson County GOP saying in a statement that "as County Republican Party leaders, the time has come for us to say we have had enough."

"We are standing up for our constituents, our candidates, and all who want to see positive change in our state," the group wrote. "It is clear Dave Williams' leadership does not align with the majority of Colorado Republicans, especially after this last email message. We urge him to step down to allow us to bring in a new Chair who will help build our party, support all our candidates and county organizations, and bring unity."