Colorado GOP Picks Call As New Leader

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) - The Republican Party in Colorado chose its legal counsel, Ryan Call, as its new party chairman with just one round of voting Saturday.

Five candidates were seeking to replace two-time party chief Dick Wadhams, who stepped down after party infighting, and the winner needed to get more than 50 percent of votes.

GOP elected officials and county officers gave Call 166.6 votes, The Denver Post reported. The next nearest challenger was state Sen. Ted Harvey, with 77.4 votes.

The state party had faced some soul-searching with the choice.

Republicans lost a high-profile governor's race and U.S. Senate race last year, but they picked up two congressional seats to take a majority of the House delegation.

Harvey had promised to reach out to tea party activists who aren't happy with the GOP. Call had campaigned by saying the party needs to do a better job reaching out to Latinos and unaffiliated voters.

"If we do not come together to build our political party organization, campaign and fundraising infrastructure and inspire the grass-roots effort, we will not see the kind of victories we hope for in 2012," Call said.

State Attorney General John Suthers was among those nominating Call. He said Call knows the importance of fielding candidates who can attract unaffiliated voters and converts.

"We must do what it takes to expand our party, not just purify our party," Suthers said.

Among other candidates for chairman, party Vice Chairman Leondray Gholston received 23.16 votes. Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado, which says it promotes judicial accountability, received 10.5 votes. Bart Baron, a retiree and recent transplant from Michigan, had two votes.

Don Ytterberg of Evergreen was elected party vice chairman Saturday and Perry Buck of Greeley was chosen as secretary.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)