Despite being grossly outnumbered by Democrats in the state legislature, two Republican women played major roles in crafting the property tax reform bill passed on the last day of the legislative session.

Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer of Weld County and Rep. Lisa Frizell of Douglas County were Republican sponsors of the bill along with their Democratic counterparts. The bill is not the last word on dealing with sky-high property taxes. The debate will continue through the November general election as two statewide property tax initiatives will probably be on the ballot.

But it is very significant that in a state legislature where Democrats outnumber Republicans 46-to-19 in the House and 23-to-12 in the Senate these two Republican women were in the middle of the fight and not on the sidelines. Though many Republicans do not think the bill goes far enough in dealing with property taxes, Kirkmeyer and Frizell definitely made the bill much better for property tax payers from a Republican perspective.

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Democrats are in a dominant position in Colorado at all levels not seen since the 1930s and if Republicans are ever going to break through the deep anti-Trump sentiment of 1.7 million unaffiliated voters, 48% of the electorate, who have driven these Democratic victories, it will be strong Republican women elected officials who will lead the way.

At the risk of not including every prominent Republican woman in elected office, these outstanding individuals come to mind:

House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs held together an often divided Republican House caucus throughout the session while offering effective, substantive opposition to the ideological overreach of dominant Democrats.

Pugliese was a key leader in the campaign in November 2023 which defeated the discredited Democratic property tax proposal of Gov. Jared Polis, Proposition HH, which was rejected by a massive 20-point margin, 60% to just 40%.

Sen. Janice Rich of Grand Junction is a former Mesa County Clerk who defends the credibility of Colorado’s election process against the shrill voices of stolen-election conspiracies. Rep. Mary Bradfield of Colorado Springs had to ironically overcome an illegal attempt by stolen-election conspiracists to keep her off the primary ballot in 2022.

Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas broke through gender barriers as a state trooper in the Colorado State Patrol before being elected Douglas County Coroner.

As a commissioner she has been the target of despicable mailers from cowardly anonymous sources. She is now running for state representative.

El Paso County Commissioners Holly Williams and Cami Bremer, and Weld County Commissioner Perry Buck had deep records of public service before being elected.

Mesa County Commissioners Janet Rowland and Bobbie Daniel have distinguished themselves in dealing with the scandal involving the criminally indicted former Mesa County clerk, Tina Peters, who has been charged with illegally tampering with election equipment.

Bent County Commissioner Kim MacDonnell has been a strong voice defending rural Colorado water and she serves on the board of History Colorado.

Even though municipal elections are non-partisan in Colorado, several Republican women are leaders in city government.

Aurora City Councilmembers Francoise Bergan, Danielle Jurinsky and Stephanie Hancock anchor a conservative majority on the council successfully dealing with crime and homelessness in the city.

Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet is a leader among metropolitan Denver mayors. Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham upset a longtime Pueblo Democratic leader to win the office.

Other than U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, Republican congressional candidate Deborah Flora is the only woman running in the four competitive congressional primaries. Flora was an influential radio talk show host and is a passionate defender of parental rights.

Unlike U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who fled the 3rd Congressional District after being reelected by just 546 votes in 2022 in a district with a 9-point Republican advantage, Flora would not engage in the kind of embarrassing, inappropriate behavior that has defined Boebert’s congressional tenure. Flora is one of six candidates in the 4th CD Republican primary.

The irresponsible, conspiratorial behavior of Tina Peters is in stark contrast with the professional performance of Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes, who has been a leader in defending the integrity of Colorado’s election process along with county clerks such as Brenda Corbet of Clear Creek County, Kelley Camper of Custer County, Hayle Johnson of Jackson County, Susan Corliss of Kit Carson County, Pam Bacon of Logan County, Kim Purcell of Montezuma County, Annie Kuntz of Washington County and many others.

The current Colorado Republican leadership is mired in an unethical and punitive inquisition to purge and purify the party of anyone who disagrees with them.

But by their outstanding records of leadership, these Republican women are showing Colorado Republicans the way forward.

Dick Wadhams is a former Colorado Republican state chairman of worked for U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong for nine years before managing campaigns for U.S. Sens. Hank Brown and Wayne Allard, and Gov. Bill Owens.