It seems that one of the Republicans on the State Board of Education has decided to bat for the other team. Despite Republicans holding a majority on the Board, Democrat Angelika Schroeder of Boulder was elected to serve as vice chair on a 4-3 secret ballot vote last week. 

We can only guess at what kind of backroom negotiation took place to secure Schroeder her leadership position. GOP Party Chairman Ryan Call released the following statement in response to this bizarre outcome:

“There will always be healthy debate within our party about how best to advance our conservative principles, and rarely will there be complete unanimity among Republicans with respect to specific policy proposals or on every piece of legislation. However, there is an expectation that the election of a Republican majority to any legislative or partisan policy-making body will result in Republicans being chosen for leadership of that body.”

“I’m very disappointed, and I’m sure many Republicans who voted, donated and worked to help maintain a Republican majority on the State Board of Education are also disappointed in the outcome of the leadership vote for vice chair. Had the opposition party won a majority on the State Board of Education in the most recent elections, I do not believe Democrats would have chosen to divide their loyalties or their votes for board leadership.”

It’s important to work across the aisle, but that doesn’t mean the victor needs to forgo the spoils. Whoever has been deluded into thinking that a vote for the opposition party was a good idea, has let down a lot of people that – as Call points out – worked to secure that Republican majority.