Americans for Prosperity came to the Capitol Thursday — not just some of the group’s legislative specialists, but a whole crowd of liberty loving followers, who Republican lawmakers thanked for their dedication to small-government and their hard work championing conservative causes in recent years.

“I want to say thanks,” said Senate President Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, at a rally in the west foyer of the Capitol. “Americans For Prosperity is a partner of ours. You’re in the trenches. You’re in the neighborhoods. You do the hard work, the grassroots. It starts with people like you who are willing to get out and knock on doors.

“I can tell you this, I don’t think I would be the president of the Senate if it wasn’t for the efforts you and yours did over the previous elections,” Cadman said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with you.”

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Americans for Prosperity Rally at the Capitol from The Colorado Statesman.

Cadman was flanked by conservative Reps. Gordon Klingenschmitt, R-Colorado Springs, Janak Joshi, R-Colorado Springs, Tim Leonard, R-Evergreen, and Sens. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, John Cooke, R-Greeley and Laura Woods, R-Arvada.

Cadman’s comments almost immediately had the building buzzing. Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Westminster, took to Twitter and Facebook to voice his objection.

AFP is funded by the libertarian oil billionaire Charles and David Koch brothers, who have dedicated billions to conservative causes over the years.

“All senators in Colorado were given the Koch brothers’ guide to protecting the wealthy and well-connected,” Ulibarri wrote on Facebook. “This isn’t the way Colorado should do business.”

Cadman told The Statesman that AFP has never been directly involved in his campaigns but that its work promoting conservative causes has been invaluable.

“AFP is really good at mobilizing folks to work in campaign years. They’re great at organizing grassroots and going door to door,” Cadman said. “It’s not a secret that they’ve been out for years knocking on doors and talking to people, and that’s how campaigns work. We consider them allies.”

Cadman was unfazed by the jabs from his Democratic colleagues, ticking off the list of well-known wealthy Colorado donors.

“Apparently, they discriminate against other billionaires, not their own,” he said. “It’s funny they don’t complain about Pat Stryker’s agenda that got them into power in the state 10 years ago. They don’t complain about Rutt Bridges. They don’t complain about Jared Polis. They don’t complain about Tim Gill.”

The AFP legislative agenda titled “6 for ’16” generally seeks to tamp down government spending, lower taxes in part by “protecting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights,” promote school choice and block government interference in energy markets — this year targeting implementation of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan in particular.

Lawmakers touted their own efforts that matched with the AFP agenda. Sen. Cook talked about the bills he is running that would stall implementation of the Clean Power Plan until all related lawsuits have been decided and that would give the Legislature review power over the plan.

Michael Fields, AFP state director, told The Colorado Statesman that the group will work to support Cook’s energy bills and bills that seek to expand charter-school funding.

“A lot of times, some of these legislators (who are) trying to promote economic freedom, to prop up TABOR… don’t have a lot of backing,” he said. “There’s a lot of special interest, a lot of lobbyist down here at the Capitol trying to pull this way and that way for more funding. (Today we’re here) to show legislators that we’re backing them on the most important policy decisions.”

Attendees at the rally also vowed to fight against Amendment 69, which would transition Colorado into a single payer insurance system.

Sen. Woods called upon AFP activists to attend town halls hosted by Democratic lawmakers and to force them to take a stand on the amendment — and to get their positions on tape.

“I am an activist like you,” Woods said. “You need to go to the Democrats’ town hall meetings and you need to call them out on this bill. Ask them why they support it, challenge them with the facts. Every candidate who is running for office, including my opponent, and ask them where they stand on this bill. Get them on record — so record it as well.”

With reporting by Kara Mason.

— ramsey@coloradostatesman.com