Colorado Congressional Candidate Sues to Use ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ on Ballot

The internet meme and slogan “Let’s Go Brandon,” a not-so-subtle conservative dog whistle synonymous with the crass sentiment “Fuck Joe Biden,” should be an acceptable nickname for an election ballot, according to republican Colorado State Representative Dave Williams of Colorado Springs.

Williams is running against incumbent Doug Lamborn for election to the U.S. House, representing Colorado’s 5th Congressional District. KUSA Next reported that Williams has filed a lawsuit to force democratic Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to list his name as Dave “Let’s Go Brandon” Williams on the ballot. The lawsuit states that Williams commonly uses the slogan as his nickname. The slogan is also frequently associated with right-wing extremists and radical right lawmakers including Colorado U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert.

Candidates are allowed to include a nickname on the ballot if they regularly use it and it does not include any part of the name of a political party. William’s lawsuit claims that the Colorado secretary of state rejected his request because “Let’s Go Brandon” is a slogan rather than a nickname.

Williams also opposes the LGBTQ community. As president at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Williams was impeached for discriminating against gay students. Williams believes that one of society’s greatest ills today is homosexuality. He opposes same-gender marriage and is in favor of legislation to restrict the mention of the LGBTQ community in Colorado schools.

Williams is on record as publicly supporting political views that include the opposition of coronavirus pandemic vaccinations and protective measures such as mask wearing. He opposes sanctuary cities, and targeted immigrants in a radio interview on KNUS claiming that they are responsible for murder, mayhem, and rape in designated sanctuary cities.

Williams is also known for targeting other members of the republican party who embrace a less right-wing, conservative agenda. Using the acronym RINO (republican in name only), he refers to elected officials Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney as “failed insiders” according to reporting by the Los Angeles Blade. He places the blame squarely on more moderate republicans for violating the republican platform, blocking election integrity, and attacking former President Donald Trump.

A spokesperson for the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office provided the following statement regarding the lawsuit to KUSA 9News: “While the Colorado statute does permit the use of nicknames on the ballot, our office does not believe that this is a good faith use of that statute and will cause confusion for voters. The Secretary of State’s office looks forward to defending our practice of ensuring the ballot remains clear and accessible for all voters.”

Photo courtesy of the State of Colorado