Colorado GOP to have caucus instead of primary if Trump ballot decision stands

The Colorado Republican Party said it would start using a caucus system rather than participating in a primary election if the state supreme court's decision banning former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot remains in place.

After GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday evening on X, formerly Twitter, that he would withdraw from Colorado's primary ballot if Trump is not allowed on, the state Republican Party responded: "You won't have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand."

Trump vowed to appeal the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court after the state judges ruled that Trump is ineligible to run for the White House for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Riot under the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.

"We think this is an absurd ruling and we're going to do whatever we can to protect the rights of voters in Colorado and frankly across the nation and choose Donald Trump, if they so choose," Colorado Republican Party Chair Dave Williams told CNN after the court's decision.

"We're going to appeal this to the United States Supreme Court. We're a party to the case and we're not going to take this lying down. And if need be, we're going to withdraw from the primary and go to a strict caucus process that would allow our voters to choose Donald Trump if they want," he also said.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.