The Colorado GOP this week sent out a transphobic email attacking the Democratic opponent of state Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, who is running for reelection in the toss-up Senate District 6 — a race that could have big implications on the trajectory of policy at the Capitol.
The email Thursday repeatedly used male pronouns to refer to Vivian Smotherman, a transgender Durango farmer and Navy veteran. It also included a screenshot of a social media post from the far-right “Libs of TikTok” account saying Smotherman is “a man pretending to be a woman” and that “in Peru he would be considered mentally ill.”
“Given Senator Simpson’s commitment to improving prosperity in rural areas and his wide-ranging support across SD-6, there is not one good reason to vote for Smotherman,” the Colorado GOP email said. “However, we have seen several Colorado elections in which gender identity garners votes from people wanting to be progressive and fearing they’ll be labeled as ‘anti-trans’ for not supporting the media’s DEI candidate.”
The party said Democratic state Reps. Stephanie Vigil and Brianna Titone — referring to Titone by her dead name — benefited from diversity, equity and inclusion pushes to win their elections. Vigil identifies as gender fluid while Titone is the first transgender person elected to the legislature in Colorado.
Smotherman called the email a fear-mongering distraction.
Republican campaigns have been privately complaining about the emails the Colorado GOP has sent out recently in support of the party’s candidates running in toss-up districts. The missives have included offensive remarks and unsubstantiated allegations about their Democratic opponents.
The emails come as Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams has come under fire for not doing enough to support Republican campaigns across the state. But now some are wishing the party would just stay away altogether.
“I already called Vivian to let her know I did not have advance knowledge of this and the attacks do not align with my value system,” Simpson told The Colorado Sun, adding that he plans to voice his frustration to the party, too.
He pointed out that he has sponsored a bill with Titone.
“I’ve been a Republican my entire life and largely a part of the calculus to run for reelection was to demonstrate you can be a conservative Republican under the gold dome and still be effective,” he said. “If you treat people with dignity and respect you can still build some small wins.”
Simpson called the state party’s email a “step backward” in his cause.
Williams or Colorado GOP Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Sun on Friday. Neither did Darcy Schoening, the director of special initiatives at the Colorado GOP, who sent out the email.
In Senate District 6, the Colorado GOP’s decision to wade into the contest could be particularly damaging.
A nonpartisan analysis of election results in the district between 2016 and 2020, completed as part of the state’s redistricting process, estimated it leans 1 percentage point in Democrats’ favor. But the 2022 election results tell another story.
Gov. Jared Polis won the district by 11 points, while U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet won it by 8 points and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won it by 5. Polis, Bennet and Weiser are Democrats.
Democrats hold a 23-12 majority in the Colorado Senate, one seat shy of a supermajority. That makes Simpson’s race critical.
Democrats will be defending two competitive Senate seats in November and trying to pick up three others.
The state Senate districts with races this year will be up for grabs for the first time since their boundaries were redrawn in 2021 as part of the state’s once-a-decade redistricting process. When Simpson was first elected in 2020, his constituency was more conservative and his district included counties in southeastern Colorado. Now, the district has shifted westward and the electorate is more favorable to Democrats.
Senate District 6 includes all or parts of Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan and San Miguel Counties. Major cities and towns in the district include Durango, Pagosa Springs, Cortez, Telluride and Alamosa.
Still, Simpson is known as a low-key moderate Republican who works across the aisle. He’s won the endorsement, for instance, of Democrat John Salazar, a former congressman who lives in District 6. His reputation means he is expected to have a solid chance of winning reelection.
Smotherman, in an interview with The Sun, said Simpson offered “a very sincere and genuine apology” when they talked. She said the Colorado GOP’s claims that she is focusing her campaign on her identity are false.
“It’s something we’re not surprised at,” she said of the email. “We were hoping we could avoid it and stick to the issues.”
Smotherman said she and Simpson have agreed to keep their campaigns focused on the debate over how to improve the lives of people in Senate District 6.
Election Day is Nov. 5. Voters will begin receiving ballots in October.
