Republicans left the Colorado Capitol last May hopeful of winning more offices and even taking control of the Senate. But they returned in January to an expanded Democratic majority in both chambers instead, finding themselves at the worst legislative disadvantage the party had seen in 85 years. 

At the conclusion of the 2023 legislative session defined by Democratic priorities, the minority party is conflicted on what impact its members made. 

Leaders of the Senate and House Republican caucuses touted their policy accomplishments during post-session press conferences on Tuesday, but they also lamented a legislative process they feel no longer leaves room for their members. 

“We bring a lot of expertise to the table. Whether you agree with them or not, those voices should at least be heard. We feel that didn’t happen much this session,” said House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington. “In this very historic super-minority situation that we’re in, being in that position makes it really hard to figure out how we can still contribute.”

Throughout the session, House Democrats repeatedly limited debate on bills ranging from gun control to abortion rights to property tax relief. The Democrats applied previously rarely-if-ever-used House rules to speed up votes after Republicans spent hours, and sometimes days, debating and filibustering bills. 

Tensions came to a head on Monday, the last day of the session, when the GOP caucus walked out of the House chamber after leadership ended debate on an amendment to Senate Bill 303 – a property tax relief bill Republicans said had been rushed through in the last week of the session. The Republicans, who had been planning the walkout since the morning before debate was limited, did not return for any of the final votes of the year. 

Party politics weren’t as dramatic in the Senate, but the Republicans in the chamber said they feel similarly disenfranchised. 

“I can certainly see why (House Republicans) did what they did,” said Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, referencing the passage of SB 303. “It is a clear indication of the frustrations we’ve expressed in different ways.” 

“The overreach is palpable,” he said.  

The Republicans denounced the passage of many core Democratic bills, including the package of gun control legislation, eviction protections for tenants on government assistance, and limits on hospital facility fees. They also criticized the rejection of a handful of Republican-backed bills, such as tax credits for teachers, veterans and parents. 

Despite their accusations of being silenced by Democrats, Republicans cheered amendments they got on Democrat bills. For example, Senate Bill 172, which lowers the threshold for workplace harassment, was amended to protect companies that put policies in place to prevent harassment. They also cited Senate Bill 169, the bill to raise the minimum age on purchasing firearms, which they amended to allow those under 21 to still possess, but not purchase, a firearm. 

Among the bipartisan bills Republicans celebrated: Making it a felony to falsely report mass shootings, restricting governmental nondisclosure agreements, and making all auto theft a felony, regardless of the value of the vehicle. 

Republican members of the Joint Budget Committee also saw successes, such as creating the Office of School Safety and pledging $10 million for school resources officers, and funding the community crime victims grant program. 

“We were actually able to get more amendments on bills than in previous sessions,” Lynch said. “I’m satisfied with the bills we got across the line. … It seemed like, in years past, more Republican bills got killed.” 

Lundeen added: “The conversations that we’ve had have led to our caucus punching above its weight.” 

But those accomplishments didn’t come easy, they said.

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, who has served in the state legislature since 2007, said this was “the most challenging session” he’s experienced. While he said Senate Democrats and Republicans work well together, “we had to fight harder to get the wins that we got.” 

Republicans also argued that too much time was spent on “ideological issues,” such as gun control and abortion, and not enough time was spent on issues that “truly impact every single Colorado citizen,” such as property taxes, cost of living and drought. They said the measures advanced by Democrats did not solve these problems. 

Lundeen said he believes the people of Colorado “will respond negatively” to the Democrats’ actions this session, but he doesn’t think Republicans will be taking control of the legislature any time soon because of “the broader political environment we’re in.” 

Will relations between the two parties be better next year?

Lynch said he thinks the House Democratic leaders learned some things this year, and that he did, too. But he’s not sure he’d do anything differently. 

“We’ll continue to build relationships on the other side,” Lynch said. “As far as tactics, those are the only tools that we’ve got.”