Colorado Democrats jeered Thursday at news Attorney General Cynthia Coffman plans to abandon petitioning onto the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot and instead pursue the nomination through the caucus and assembly process.

Saying she “felt removed from the grassroots” and that her “heart just wasn’t in it,” Coffman made the announcement Tuesday night in a telephone town hall, as reported by Colorado Politics.

She joins five other Republicans who will be vying to get the support of at least 30 percent of delegates to the April 14 state assembly, a process that begins March 6 at precinct caucuses. Coffman’s move – or her “switcheroo,” as the Democrats derisively dubbed it – the three GOP candidates with the heftiest fundraising totals remain circulating petitions, which require 10,500 valid signatures and are due March 20.

“Petitioning onto the ballot really takes the people out of the nomination process, and my heart just wasn’t in it,” Coffman said in a release making clear her decision. “Instead, I want the opportunity to connect with voters and earn their support. This can only be accomplished through the caucus and assembly process, and I am energized for the fight.”

Hold on a second, state Democratic spokesman Eric Walker said, pointing to an earlier Coffman statement that she was going the petition route because it wouldn’t interfere with her day job as the state’s chief legal officer.

In an email, Walker quoted Coffman’s initial reasoning: “The petitioning process will allow me to balance my time between the campaign trail and serving the people of Colorado in my current role as the state’s attorney general.”

“Now that she’s going through the caucus and assembly process, we can assume Cynthia Coffman will spend less time working and more time appealing to the most extreme right-wing activists in the state,” Walker suggested. He added that it appeared she’d already acknowledged the caucus process will require “more time politicking,” leaving less time “working for Coloradans.”

To support his contention, Walker plucked a quote from leading GOP strategist and former state Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams, who told Colorado Politics, “Wherever two or more potential Republican delegates are gathered a candidate needs to be there – in every corner of the state.”

Don’t worry about Coffman and her ability to manage her time, a campaign spokeswoman shot back.

“With new tools available via social media as well as a groundswell of support from grassroots volunteers and party faithful, she’s confident she has the infrastructure she needs to reach delegates and earn their support online and on the campaign trail without sacrificing the time she needs to devote to her current duties as attorney general,” Coffman aide Keeley Hanlon told Colorado Politics in an emailed statement.

The primary is June 26.