There was much rejoicing on both sides of the political aisle today when State Sen. Kevin Priola of Adams County finally came out of the closet and admitted to being a Democrat.
The Democrat Party was happy to have him, Republicans were equally thrilled to finally be rid of him.
As the entire Republican caucus alerted Priola to the door aiming straight for his ass, GOP Minority Leader John Cooke of Greeley issued this official statement:
“Perhaps we should not be surprised by Senator Priola’s announcement today that he is now a Democrat. For the last several sessions he voted with the Democrats and championed their legislative causes. This event will not change the trajectory of this election cycle, nor the outcome of this year’s fight for the state senate. As for Senator Priola, his new district will likely not be happy with this announcement and may explore their options for new representation.”
Slam.
Here to sum up why Priola’s decision was the left thing to do:
I hope that the courage that we’ve seen with Senator Priola and Congresswoman Cheney in recent days will be an inspiration to Republicans who can no longer go along with the extremism and the election denying. You don’t have to go along with it #CourageIsContagious #COPolitics https://t.co/Q0CKCbKwfN
— Rep Brianna Titone – COHD27 (@BriannaForCO) August 22, 2022
Priola says he’s leaving the party of election conspiracies and climate denialism to join the party of (checks notes) election conspiracies and climate cronyism.
Priola also says he’s felt marginalized by Republicans for not supporting his legislative efforts in the (checks notes yet again) Democrat-controlled legislature.
OK, so he’s absolutely right about feeling marginalized.
He forgot to mention he is angry about Republicans voting against his #gastax increase, attempt to withhold TABOR refunds, and giving Xcel the ability to bill ratepayers for their EV charging stations. #coleg #copolitics https://t.co/hMEKnjONnw
— Jesse Mallory (@jessemallory) August 22, 2022
The chairwoman of Colorado’s Republican Party also congratulated Priola for making the right move.
Kevin Priola finally made the move to the party he’s consistently voted with. After lying to his constituents, routinely voting for tax increases, & hurting the working families of his district, he’s now admitted his true affiliation: a pro tax-increase Democrat (1/2) #copolitics
— Kristi Burton Brown (@ColoradoKbb) August 22, 2022