The sad tale of Kevin Priola.
This is not the way.
You may have heard the news: Colorado State Senator Kevin Priola (R-Henderson) switched his party affiliation.
Not to unaffiliated, but to Democrat.
The announcement not only made news in Colorado, but across the nation.
For nearly five years, I worked with Senator Kevin Priola in the State Senate. While he was always one of the few “moderate” Senators that would break from the party on occasion, we had a good relationship. I went to his home for a Super Bowl party, he attended my son’s baby shower. He is my State Senator. I put his sign in my yard for his 2020 re-election campaign.
I convinced friends, neighbors, and fellow Republicans to continue supporting Priola, despite his tendency to buck the party from time to time. After all, the district leans Democratic. I’d plead with them that he’s a valuable member of our caucus, even if he sometimes frustrated me from a communications standpoint.
On Monday, Priola’s surprise hurt (but not eliminated) Republican hopes of retaking the chamber this November. Michael Fields, President of Advance Colorado Institute, has already announced his group’s intention to recall Priola.
Furthermore, Priola’s switch came with no notice to those who have helped him get elected, re-elected, re-elected, etc, etc. He has served in the General Assembly since 2008, when he was first elected to represent a conservative district that covered portions of Adams County, including Brighton.
As somebody who considered Priola a friend, I am hurt. I received no communication from the Senator. My call to him went to voicemail. I decided to take a few days before mentioning his defection publicly, but it is abundantly clear that Senator Priola decided to trade the relationships he has built during his time as a Republican for…something of apparent greater value.
Kevin’s broken promise on taxes and fees.
In 2010, when running for re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives, Priola stated that he would “oppose new tax and fee increases.” This campaign commitment remained a part of his platform in 2012, 2014, and even in 2016, when he first ran for the State Senate.
His verbiage on taxes and fees didn’t change until he ran for re-election in 2020. At that point, his website was finally rebooted. It stats that Priola “believes in following TABOR and allowing the voters to decided tax and revenue issues.”
Why is this significant? Because the biggest complaint that conservatives had with Priola was his stance on fees, which came to a head in 2021, when he sponsored and supported Senate Bill 21-260, which created a new “gas fee” (bypassing TABOR) and a host of other fees on things such as Doordash, Amazon, etc.
This was the most significant of Priola’s votes against the party, but not the only one. Previously, Republicans watched as he entertained the idea of legislation allowing for supervised drug injection sites, a law to ban restaurants from giving you a straw (unless asked), and supporting a resolution that endorsed federal Democratic election legislation.
In 2014, while still in the House, Priola irked his Republican colleagues by voting for a Democratic amendment that conflicted with one of their own.
“The ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ was Priola’s decision last week to support a Democratic amendment to the Student Success Act over a competing Republican amendment, combined with his decision not to inform his GOP colleagues of his decision.” (KDVR)
Sounds familiar.
Meet the newest Democratic Senator.
Kevin Priola claims that “I haven't changed much in 30 years, but my party has,” so let us take a look at some of the positions that Kevin Priola has taken during his time in office - I imagine he’ll be “reconsidering” them soon enough, if he hasn’t already.
But again, remember, he hasn’t changed much in 30 years. So it’s safe to assume he holds these same positions unless he speaks up.
I am simply executing this exercise to show that Kevin Priola’s grandstanding is nothing more than political opportunism, not necessarily that I disagreed with these positions (though I do in some cases).
→ Kevin Priola opposes gay marriage.
→ Kevin Priola opposes Roe v. Wade and abortion rights.
→ Kevin Priola supports fracking and the oil & gas industry.
This is significant, as Kevin Priola’s resignation letter stated that a major reason he left the Republican Party was because his “Republican colleagues would rather deny the existence of human-caused climate change than take action.”
→ Kevin Priola opposed universal vote-by-mail and automatic vote-by-mail registration.
This is especially timely considering Jena Griswold rolling out Priola’s endorsement on the second day of being a Democrat.
Kevin Priola voted NO on House Bill 13-1303, which adopted universal vote-by-mail in Colorado.
Kevin Priola voted NO on Senate Bill 19-235, which would’ve automatically registered any individual getting a driver’s license to vote in Colorado. (This bill failed)
→ Kevin Priola opposed student loan forgiveness.
Another timely issue, considering Biden’s announcement on the issue.
The worst part?
Perhaps the worst part of this is the fact that many of the points Senator Priola has made aren’t unjustified. Indeed, our party’s willingness to challenge a democratic election for the sake of a single person is dangerous. Furthermore, our flippant attitude towards climate change is unproductive.
But, his decision to abandon the remainder of his principles (pro-life, pro-school choice, etc) in an effort to advance himself politically is a disgrace.
Priola could have just as easily registered unaffiliated, a decision that I would have had a hard time arguing against. Instead, he has made enemies of those that considered him a friend, and will soon discover that his newest friends view him as little more than a pawn to maintain their majority.
Enjoy the spotlight, Kevin. It won’t last.
I wonder who lives in his district that would run against him during the recall?
I feel cheated. Not what I voted for, and most likely will turn out as you suggest.