Embattled chair of Colorado Republicans says she will resign, months before primary election

Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post on Mar 13, 2026

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DENVER — Brita Horn, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party, says she will resign after the party’s state assembly in April, not long before the June primary election.

The state party has been engulfed in internal strife for years — facing issues that Horn cited in her resignation letter, released Thursday night. Since she took the reins of the party in March 2025, she said vitriol, hostility, threats of violence, blackmail and “continued efforts to divide our party further” have continued.

Brita Horn, the chair of the Colorado Republican Party. (Photo provided by Brita Horn)“Under the continued threat of further division, legal attacks and escalation within our party, it has become clear that those intent on prolonging this conflict will not stop,” Horn wrote. “We cannot allow this party to be weaponized against our efforts to elect more Republicans.”

Horn, a former Routt County treasurer, was elected to a two-year term. But she lost a pair of no-confidence votes in February and March, Colorado Republican Party Secretary Russ Andrews said.

Horn had succeeded former GOP Chair Dave Williams. Horn was part of an effort in 2024 to oust Williams, a divisive and hardline figure in Republican politics.

She hasn’t helped soothe divisions during her tenure and left the state party in financial straits, Andrews said. According to the most recent federal fundraising report, the party is more than $236,000 in debt, with only $64,000 in cash on hand. Andrews accused Horn of spending frivolously with her personal lawyer, who was acting as an adviser.

Between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 31 of this year, the party raised about $440,000 while spending $615,000, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Colorado Democrats, by comparison, reported raising just over $1.3 million while spending about $25,000 more. That party ended January with $191,000 in the bank and no debt.

“Brita was not capable of raising money, but she was very capable of spending it,” Andrews said in an interview. “As a result, we’re in a massive hole that the next chairman is going to have get us out of.”

He thanked Horn for her service, and for knowing when to hang up her hat. She will stay on through the April 11 state assembly, where many candidates in this year’s elections are seeking support to appear on the party’s June 30 primary ballot.

After Horn’s resignation becomes official on April 17, Andrews is poised to be the last member standing on the party’s central committee. Vice Chair Richard Holtorf, a former state representative, resigned his post in February.

Andrews said he hoped to recruit from the party’s deep pool of candidates for governor to find someone interested in helping to unite the party — and capable of raising money.

He cast the turmoil as a challenge heading into an election year, but also as an opportunity to rebuild after years of strife. He hoped Horn’s resignation would give Republicans a chance to unite behind a single leader and put old fights behind them.

“Sometimes, if you have a house filled with rats and termites and mice, you have to burn it down and start anew. That’s not always a bad thing,” Andrews said. “We need to redo the party, and I think we can find the right people to do that.”

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