A Republican who planned to challenge state Rep. Barbara McLachlan for House District 59 may not make the ballot.
Joe Brinkerhoff was registered with the Green Party on the day of the 59th House Republican Assembly in late March when he was nominated to run, and therefore his candidacy was not certified, said Ronnie Zaday, secretary of the 59th House District Republican Central Committee.
At this time, McLachlan does not have an official Republican opponent, she said.
Brinkerhoff said a clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles changed his party affiliation, but he did not intend to change it. He called the change “a clerical error.”
He plans to protest the decision. It wouldn’t have made sense for him to attend Republican Party meetings if he had changed his party, he said.
Brinkerhoff may appeal the decision to the State Republican Party, said Daniel Cole, a spokesman for the party.
Before announcing his candidacy, Brinkerhoff said he believed he had corrected the error.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
