The Colorado Republican Party endorsed former President Donald Trump’s bid for another term late Sunday, nearly two months before state voters are set to cast ballots in Colorado’s presidential primary.

In an unprecedented decision, the state GOP’s central committee voted to endorse Trump over objections from some Republicans that the move abandons the party’s policy of staying neutral in primaries.

The party approved the endorsement in an online meeting of its roughly 400-member governing committee, held on the eve of the GOP’s first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, where polling shows Trump holds a commanding lead.

The endorsement resolution passed with 65% of the committee voting in favor, 34% voting against, and the remainder abstaining.

“On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, the Colorado Republican Party wanted to give President Donald J. Trump a big send-off by enthusiastically endorsing him for president in November,” said Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams after the vote, adding that the state party “is more than happy to stand with President Trump because he risked it all to stand for this country.”

Colorado’s GOP became only the second state Republican Party to make an endorsement in the primary, following the Ohio party’s endorsement of Trump in early December.

Republican officials who supported the Colorado resolution said it will send a message that the state GOP stands with Trump following a recent ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court to disqualify Trump from the state’s March 5 presidential primary ballot on constitutional grounds.

Pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump will appear with six other Republican candidates on ballots set to go out to Colorado voters in February. The high court has scheduled a Feb. 8 hearing on appeals by Trump and the Colorado GOP challenging the Colorado decision.

“Donald Trump is so clearly ahead of all of the other candidates,” said Randy Corporon, one of Colorado’s elected members to the Republican National Committee.

“I’ve been talking about the value about not wasting more money, more ad time, more nonsense in these primaries, and we’ll probably see that unfold after tomorrow in Iowa and then moving on to New Hampshire. But for me, this message to send for someone who’s put his wealth, his liberty and his golden years at stake for the country is a very powerful moment,” he said, adding, “I support it strongly.”

Trump leads national primary polls by a wide margin, with his chief rivals – former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – trailing by double digits.

Delta County GOP Chairman David Bradford said during debate over the question that he supports Trump but disagreed with the state party discarding its longstanding position of staying out of primaries.

“I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020,” Bradford said. “I am not against Donald Trump, but I think our bylaws are very clear on maintaining pre-primary neutrality.”

A vocal Trump supporter before winning election last year to the state party position, Williams stressed that the vote is non-binding and wouldn’t bring with it any financial resources.

“This would simply be a symbolic affirmation or statement of support or endorsement for President Trump,” he told fellow Republicans.

Under a new state GOP policy adopted under Williams, presidential candidates had to write the Colorado Republican Party a check for $40,000 to win the party’s approval to appear on the primary ballot.

In addition to Trump, DeSantis and Haley, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also paid the fee. A handful of others paid a discounted rate after agreeing to appear at a fundraiser in the state, including Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, though Bergum and Christie have since withdrawn from the race.

The Trump endorsement doesn’t change the party’s policy of maintaining neutrality in other primary contests, said Williams, who declared his candidacy last week for the open 5th Congressional District seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn.

Colorado’s state-level primary – for congressional, legislative and county offices – is on June 25.

Nationally, Trump has the support of 60% of Republican primary voters, according to fivethirtyeight.com’s roundup of current polling averages, ahead of DeSantis and Haley, who each poll at about 12% support, with others trailing in low single digits.

The site doesn’t list any polls measuring support in Colorado’s GOP primary, but Trump dominated a November straw poll conducted by the state party at its annual fundraising dinner, winning 87% of the vote.

Trump carried Colorado’s 2020 Republican primary by an overwhelming margin against nominal opposition, with 92% of the vote.

Williams noted that the state GOP supported Trump four years ago when he was the incumbent president, even though he faced a handful of primary challengers.

Colorado’s presidential primary takes place on Super Tuesday, when Republicans in 16 states and territories cast ballots.

In order for presidential candidates to win any delegates from Colorado, they must receive at least 20% of the vote in the state’s primary, Williams noted, adding that it’s possible that Trump could head to the Republican National Convention with all 34 of Colorado’s allotted delegates if no one else surpasses the threshold.

Williams said during the central committee meeting that he plans to ask national Republicans for a waiver to allow the state party to use precinct caucuses to allocate its RNC delegates if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t restore Trump to Colorado’s primary ballot.

“We feel that if Donald Trump’s name is removed from the ballot, or the votes are not counted, then that’s a system that we don’t want to be a part of, and we will, for all intents and purposes, opt out and do a caucus system,” he said.

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib told Colorado Politics that the endorsement is a transparent move by Williams to curry favor with Trump.

“Dave Williams is using his position as chair of the Colorado GOP to enrich his run for Congress,” Murib said in a text message after the opposition party’s vote.

“Corruption is the name of the game for the Colorado GOP, so I’m not surprised that they’re endorsing an indicted loser like Donald Trump. This is why the GOP will continue failing in Colorado – they can’t help themselves.”

During debate over the resolution, RNC member Vera Ortegon called the endorsement a good way to change Trump’s perception of the state, noting that Colorado didn’t send any Trump delegates to the 2016 RNC.

“We always leave a very sour taste in his mouth with the state of Colorado,” Ortegon said. “It’s about time we change that feeling, that taste. It is important to tell him, ‘Colorado is with you,’ no matter the headaches and problems we have had in the past – in 2024, we are with you.”

She added that she considers it important to deliver a clear message to Trump: “We like you, we like your policies, so let’s start fresh.”