Dave Williams (born 1987) is an American

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

politician from

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. A Republican, Williams represented

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

District 15, which encompassed Colorado Springs and

Cimarron Hills Cimarron Hills is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Cimarron Hills is an enclave of the City of Colorado Springs. The CDP is a part of the Colorad ...

in El Paso County.

Career

Williams was first elected to the State House in 2016 after winning 67.84% of the vote. Previously, Williams served as vice-chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party. He works for his family-owned company as Vice President of Logistics. Williams was the first Latino elected to House District 15. His mother's maiden name is "Sanchez" and their family has roots going back to Mexico and Southern California. Williams is considered part of the hardline right-wing faction within the Colorado Republican Party. He doesn't believe in compromising with Democrats and independents. Since Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

, Williams has questioned the results of the election and has promoted unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. On December 7, 2020, Williams and 7 other Republicans requested to the Speaker of the House

KC Becker Kathleen Collins Becker is an American politician who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from the 13th district from 2013 to 2021, as Majority Leader from 2017 to 2019, and as Speaker from 2019 to 2021, as a member of the Democrati ...

that a committee be formed on "election integrity" to conduct an audit of the Dominion Voting Systems used in Colorado's 2020 elections in spite of no evidence of issues. The request was rejected, with Becker criticizing it as a promotion of "debunked conspiracy theories." In July 2021, Williams and

Ron Hanks Ron Hanks is an American politician who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2021 to early 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Hanks represented District 60. Hanks generated controversy on numerous occasions, most notably fo ...

held a town hall at Colorado Springs in which both made multiple false claims of election fraud. Williams claimed that 5,600 dead people voted in the

2020 Colorado elections Colorado state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The deadline to register and receive a ballot by mail in Colorado was October 26, 2020. Voters may register in person and vote or pick up a ballot at Voter Service Centers ...

and that fraud played a role in Democrat John Hickenlooper's victory against Republican

Cory Gardner Cory Scott Gardner (born August 22, 1974) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who served as a United States senator from Colorado from 2015 to 2021. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional distr ...

. In December 2021, Williams announced his campaign bid aimed at challenging Rep.

Doug Lamborn Douglas Lawrence Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. His district is based in Colorado Springs. Early life and career Born ...

. He attempted to get listed on the ballot as Dave " Let's Go Brandon" Williams, but this was rejected by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. In the 2022 Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

for

Colorado's 5th congressional district Colorado's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. The district lies in the center of the state and comprises Colorado Springs and its suburbs including Cimarron Hills and Fort Carson. The distri ...

, incumbent representative

defeated Williams and two other Republican Party challengers. During the 2022 legislative session, Williams and the majority of Republicans rejected a resolution passed by the state house meant to urge congress to pass voting right legislation. Williams proposed two failed amendments to the resolution which included calling for a audit of the 2020 election, thanking the pro-trump rioters that stormed the Capitol and decertifying the election results in favor for Trump. On March 11, 2023, Williams was elected chair of the

Colorado Republican Party The Colorado Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. The party's headquarters is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The state party chair is Kristi Burton Brown. The Colorado Republican ...

for a two-year term. Williams' position as chairman of the party has been controversial among several other Republicans. Under his leadership, the party has faced a significant loss of funding, an increase in infighting, and the party veering further to the right.

Colorado Politician Accountability Act

During the first year of his first term (2017), Williams introduced a bill (HB17-1134) titled the "Colorado Politician Accountability Act". The bill was designed to crack down on sanctuary cities by allowing public officials of sanctuary cities who had not sought to overturn the local sanctuary law to be sued by citizens if an illegal alien committed a crime, and also by making elected officials of sanctuary jurisdictions liable to penalties for "rendering assistance to an illegal alien". The bill was defeated in the House but Williams and two Senate co-sponsors reintroduced it with few changes in 2018 as HB18-1178.

References

External links

Campaign website

State House website
* Colorado House Republicans
profile page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Dave 21st-century American politicians Businesspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections American far-right politicians Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Colorado Living people Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Politicians from Colorado Springs, Colorado 1987 births