Another attempt to oust Rep. Mike Lynch as minority leader devolved into chaos on Tuesday morning, when his critics within the caucus failed to muster a quorum to hold a vote on his leadership.   

Some of Lynch’s colleagues sought to oust him from his post as House Minority Leader on Monday, when the GOP caucus deadlocked on the question of whether to retain him, which meant Lynch kept his post.    

It was the second day of the drama that erupted within the House Republican caucus resulting from the news that Lynch was arrested for drunk driving in 2022.

Today’s saga began with Rep. Scott Bottoms calling for a caucus meeting. But  Rep. Mary Bradfield, the caucus chair, insisted that Bottoms did not have the right to set a time or location for the meeting, and then left the room.

Rep. Richard Holtorf, the minority whip, said he would talk to Bradfield and get it scheduled but noted he can’t force people to show up to the meeting.

Following a conversation with Bradfield, Holtorf announced that the caucus meeting would take place at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning.

That wasn’t good enough for Bottoms, who said he would continue his calls for a caucus meeting on Wednesday.

Dave Williams, the state GOP chair, also showed up for the meeting, peppering Bottoms with questions. 

Bottoms and Rep. Ken DeGraaf also told reporters that one member – Rep. Stephanie Luck – was not allowed to vote in yesterday’s attempt to oust Lynch from leadership. They said she was ready to vote and would have broken the tie. DeGraaf said he had Luck on the phone ready to vote when the meeting was abruptly adjourned after the 9-9 tie was announced.

Luck was anticipated today to participate remotely and cast a vote on the question that has roiled the GOP caucus since Lynch’s drunk-driving arrest became public. 

One lawmaker said the word went out – after Bottoms made his request for a caucus meeting – for members to not show up.

That’s exactly what happened.

Rep. Rod Bockenfeld, of Watkins, told Bottoms and DeGraaf and Rep. Brandi Bradley that he had been told not to go to the meeting. There were no more than six members of the caucus in the room at any given time – 10 is required for a quorum. 

Lynch was arrested for driving under the influence, speeding and being in possession of a firearm while intoxicated in September that year. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced in December, 2022 to 150 hours of community service and 15 months of probation, which ends in June. 

“I have fully accepted, and I own the mistake I made in 2022, that’s what leaders do,” Lynch said in a statement yesterday. “I look forward to earning the trust of the members that didn’t vote for me and I appreciate the continued support of those who did.”

Bottoms told reporters after the caucus failed to convene that he begged Lynch multiple times to “step up and do the right thing” and resign – both over the weekend and again on Monday – to avoid the kind of chaos that unfolded within the caucus. Bottoms claimed Lynch cursed at him and told Bottoms he was hurting the caucus.

Bottoms insisted that Monday’s meeting was a sham and nothing about it was done properly. He added that all they had to do was let Luck vote. 

“We talk about this as Republicans and pick on Democrats” for playing games, and yet the Republican caucus does it constantly, Bottoms said, adding it’s not okay for a representative to stand for minority leader when he’s on probation and calling it the equivalent of lying. 

Lynch pleaded guilty in December 2022, a month after the election for minority leader.

“We have to be jerks for doing the right thing,” Bottoms said. 

Bottoms said he doesn’t have a choice for minority leader and the question of who steps into the role if Lynch is removed is complicated. He said that’s because members have a right to know who knew about Lynch’s arrest and kept it under wraps, and, in his opinion, anyone who participated in the “cover-up” should not be in leadership. 

Lynch clearly has no intention of resigning his leadership post, Bottoms said.

“We are acting like toddlers,” Bradely said. “My 10-year old behaves better.”

She later yelled at Holtorf about how he had handled notifying Luck about Monday’s vote, implying he notified another member who was excused – Rep. Matt Soper – and not Luck. 

“This is what we were trying to avoid,” DeGraaf said. 

Yesterday, Lynch told the caucus, “There’s nothing that hasn’t been exposed.”

He added it has been a difficult time for him and his family.

“I went through the experience like any other citizen. I learned from it, I gained from it, it made me a better person,” he said. “I would not be sitting here with you all today asking for your vote of confidence if I did not believe it would continue to be my job” and put the caucus first. 

He also likened his caucus to a family that has disagreements – “but not on the big issues.”

“We remain unified and focused on the issues that matter most to the hardworking families of Colorado,” he said. “As House Minority Leader, I am proud to lead a caucus that prioritizes the needs and aspirations of the people we represent.”