Dem
51
GOP
49
It took less than a day for Joe Biden to chime in about the Colorado Supreme Court ruling. He said that Donald Trump is now definitely an insurrectionist since a state Supreme Court has ruled that way. Biden also said: "You saw it all. Whether the Fourteenth Amendment applies or not, we'll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it."
This is the first time Biden has clearly and unambiguously said Trump supported an insurrection against the United States. He has called Trump a threat to democracy before, but this goes further than his previous positions. In the past, he merely said that Trump believes in the unchecked power of the president to do whatever he wants to, with no person or part of the government telling him he can't do that. In the past, Biden referred to the MAGA philosophy as semi-fascism, but he didn't call Trump an insurrectionist. Now the gloves have come off.
The Colorado Republican Party also reacted to the Colorado Supreme Court decision. It said that if Trump is banned from the ballot, it would hold a state caucus and award the delegates based on the caucus, making the primary irrelevant. A change from a primary to a caucus would not be easy. To start with, the RNC would have to approve. Next, the state party has to pay for a caucus, and in a state with a medium-sized but spread-out population, that could be expensive. Planning a caucus would take time. The primary is scheduled for March 5, 2024. It is doubtful the party could organize a caucus by then, which means the caucus would probably take place after the primary. Good luck explaining to Colorado Republicans that yes, we know you already voted in the primary, but we want you to come to the caucus and vote again.
That said, it is not like caucuses are unheard of in Colorado. The state used to have them, but switched to a primary in 2020, so a caucus merely reverts to the old style. Nevada is already scheduled to have both a primary and a caucus, so Colorado wouldn't be unique if it had both. (V)