Colorado Republicans Walk Out of Legislature in Protest

Colorado Republicans walk out of legislature following frustrating session Republicans in the Colorado state legislature ended the year’s legislative session with a protest, marching out of the room in unity after sitting through a legislative year on the sidelines.

With a two-thirds Democratic majority in the state Senate and House of Representatives, Republicans resorted to filibusters and stalling tactics to delay the passage of certain bills throughout the 120-day session.

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“What we saw through this session is … an overwhelming amount of power,” Minority Leader Rep. Mike Lynch said. “It makes it really hard to find out how we can still contribute to our districts. We were out of tools.”

Colorado House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, back center, makes a point during a press conference in the House Chambers of the Colorado State Capitol Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Denver. The Republican leadership spoke about the recently-concluded legislative session. (Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado via AP) Philip B. Poston/AP

One such filibuster ran for 18 hours. Colorado law dictates that a filibuster can last as long as a person can talk, and no other work in the chamber can be done while it is going on. But the speech during the filibuster must be connected to the bill the legislature is trying to pass.

Another tactic the party used was requesting that the entirety of a bill be read out loud, which could take hours to complete. The tactics eventually led state lawmakers to invoke Rule 14, which needs a simple majority to pass and can limit debates on a bill to as short as an hour.

Colorado used to be considered a swing state but has moved to the left. The last time Colorado’s Electoral College votes were cast for a Republican was in 2004 when George W. Bush ran for reelection.

Although liberal, the state is not considered far Left, as Democrats in both chambers prevented the passage of more progressive laws, including killing a bill that would have allowed “safe injection sites,” where someone could use illegal drugs under the observation of medical professionals.

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State lawmakers did successfully raise the age at which a person can purchase a gun to 21 and enshrined abortion and various laws supporting transgender people into the state constitution.

Colorado’s session ran from Jan. 9 to May 9, 2023.