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Senate District 6 candidates denounce ‘fearmongering’ GOP fundraising email

‘I think they’ve hurt me,’ Sen. Simpson said of attacks on opponent’s transgender identity
Vivian Smotherman and Sen. Cleave Simpson, an Alamosa Republican, are both denouncing an email sent by the Colorado Republican Party on Thursday that attacked Smotherman, a transgender woman, for her gender identity. (Courtesy of Vivian Smotherman)

State Sen. Cleave Simpson, a Republican, is denouncing a fundraising email sent Thursday morning in support of his campaign – but without his knowledge – by the Colorado Republican Party.

The email attacks his Democratic opponent, Vivian Smotherman, who is a transgender woman, over her gender identity and repeatedly misgendered her.

Simpson called the email “fearmongering” and said it contained “misinformation” about his campaign, including who he represents in Senate District 6.

A disclaimer at the bottom of the email says that it was “Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.”

Smotherman said she was not surprised to see an attack on her gender identity and said the tactic was indicative of a “MAGA tendency.”

The email accuses Smotherman of bringing nothing to the table other than “more anti-conservative anger and an incessant need to post videos about being transsexual.” It also says that “His entire identity is wrapped into transgenderism.”

Smotherman has rarely brought her gender identity into the conversation during campaign events.

Simpson

Although Simpson was elected to the General Assembly in 2020, redistricting the following year means he now represents Senate District 6, which stretches across the southwest quarter of the state.

Simpson, who sounded frustrated at the distraction during an interview between meetings Thursday, said he had nothing to do with the email or its content.

“Sexual preferences or identity have no bearing in this conversation,” he said. “We have too many other issues that we should be voting on, cost of living being first and foremost.”

Smotherman, who responded with dispassionate resolve, echoed the sentiment.

“We’re still going to focus on the issues, and we’re going to go forward with that,” she said. “If my identity is something that affects their (voters’) perception or their vote, there’s nothing I can do about that and I’m not going to sit and fight with them.”

The senator called Smotherman on Thursday to express his disappointment with the state party.

The state GOP’s intervention threatens to sour for voters what both candidates acknowledge has been a cordial, issue-based campaign.

Under the leadership of Chair Dave Williams and Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman, who also serves as secretary of the La Plata County GOP, the state party has ramped up attacks on the LGBTQ community.

Williams has been under mounting pressure to resign after sending party emails in June that contained the phrases “God hates Pride” and “God hates flags.” Scheppelman has also faced calls to resign by the La Plata County Republican Central Committee, which censured her last week, over the division sown by the state party.

At the La Plata County Republican Central Committee meeting, originally scheduled to try to oust Scheppelman, a former executive committee member Ron Bogs noted the detrimental impact that the divisive emails could have.

“It was stated at the CD3 debate in this room that 24% of this state is Republican,” Bogs said. “By doing that, how many did we cut the numbers? How many don’t want to be a part of this group anymore?”

Williams did not respond to a request for comment.

“They want to make it a central issue of the campaign,” Smotherman said. “It’s falling back on, at this point, just a MAGA tendency. When they have no other avenue of attack on a candidate, they will go personal.”

Infighting at the state level has left some Republican candidates feeling they are going at it alone, The Colorado Sun reported earlier this month.

Simpson said he has tried to distance himself from the Colorado GOP since Williams took over. He noted that Thursday’s email contained several inaccuracies – SD6 contains part, not all of Montrose County, it contains no only the Southern Ute Indian Reservation but also the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, and the district’s shape was changed after redistricting, not after it was “restricted.”

“Really? This is the level of professionalism at the State Central Committee?” he said.

The incorrect description of the district was directly copied from Wikipedia.

Simpson was disappointed by the party’s actions and said he was figuring out other ways to publicly distance himself from the attacks.

“It’s just another example of, I think, the misdirection of the state party,” he said, noting “I think they’ve hurt me.”

rschafir@durangoherald.com



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