TRANSCRIPT - Darrel Phelan, "Emergency Message" / "The Failing Factor"
Public video, June 10, 2026. Automated transcript; may contain errors.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6v240MjXpk

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Good evening, Colorado.
I wish it was a good evening.
This is the failing factor and I'm
failing. And the reason why I'm coming
to you right now is because tonight I am
releasing documents that every member of
the Colorado Republican State Central
Committee deserves to see.
These documents involve Timothy Leonard
versus the Colorado Republican
Committee, El Paso County District Court
case number 2026
CV
176.
According to the docket, this case was
filed on April 21st of 2026.
On May 13th, a stipulation, proposed
orders, and motions were filed. By May
14th, the case was closed and dismissed
with prejudice. That timeline alone
should raise eyebrows.
But what is inside the settlement should
raise alarm bells. The documents show
that acting chairman and vice chair Eric
Gman signed a stipulated settlement
agreement on behalf of the entire
Colorado Republican Committee.
That agreement appears to bind the
Colorado GOP to notify the Secretary of
State that the party has opted out of
the semiopen primary system for the 2028
election cycle and all subsequent cycles
unless later rescended.
Now, let me be clear. This is not a
minor administrative matter. This is not
routine housekeeping. This is not one
officer's personal decision to make.
This is a major party governance
decision affecting every Republican
candidate, every county party,
every SEC member, every Republican voter
in Colorado. and it appears to have been
handled without a transparent vote of
the state central committee.
Perhaps now we know why the chair vote
was delayed for as long as it took and
now Colorado Republicans have to ask the
obvious question.
Is this why the vote for the new chair
was deliberately delayed? Was the party
kept in a holding pattern so an acting
officer could sign off on a settlement
that attempted to bind the Colorado GOP
before the dulyeleed new chair and the
SEC could review it because that is
exactly what this looks like.
While Republican members were waiting
for new leadership, while the SEC was
being denied the opportunity to move
forward, this settlement was filed and
by the time most members even knew what
happened, this case was already closed.
That is unacceptable.
If this action was legitimate, why
wasn't it brought to the state central
committee? If this settlement was
proper, why wasn't it disclosed before
it was signed? If this was truly in the
best interest of the Colorado Republican
Party, why did it need to happen in the
shadows before the new chair could take
full control?
For that reason, I'm calling now for
Eric Gman to resign as vice chair of the
Colorado Republican Party. If he
refuses, the state central committee
should enact removal for cause
immediately.
This is not personal. This is about
trust. This is about authority. This is
about the state central committee's
right to govern the party. A vice chair
who signs a settlement of this magnitude
without full transparency to the
governing body has lost the confidence
necessary to continue serving in party
leadership.
The settlement does not merely end the
lawsuit. It attempts to impose future
obligations, require Secretary of State
notification, force bylaw amendments,
retain court enforcement power through
December 31st, 2028, and even exposes
party officers to possible personal
contempt if they interfere with the
agreement.
That is extraordinary.
No vice chair, acting chair, attorney,
litigant, or faction should be allowed
to place the Colorado GOP under that
kind of obligation without clear
authorization from the state central
committee.
The state central committee is the
governing body of the Colorado
Republican party. Not one officer, not
one attorney, not one litigate,
not one backroom settlement, the state
central committee. Whether you support
opt out or opposed opt out, every
Republican should be deeply concerned
when a decision of this magnitude is
pushed through litigation and settlement
language instead of open debate, proper
notice, and a recorded vote of the
governing body. The proposed consent
order declares that the 2024 assembly
opt out directive was valid, final, and
binding. It declares the 75% statutory
threshold unconstitutional as applied
and declares that a simple majority vote
of the SEC to be permissible opt out
standard.
It also says the 2024 decision survives
adjournment and binds the CRC unless
rescended by a future state assembly and
convention.
Those are massive declarations. And
again, I asked who authorized this? Was
the SEC brought into session? Was there
proper notice? Was there a vote? Were
the members told that the acting
chairman was about to enter into a
settlement that could bind the party
into 2028 and beyond? Where is the
authorization? Where is the
transparency?
Where is the accountability?
I'm calling on the new Colorado GOP
chair, Mr. Steiner to act immediately.
Bring the state central committee into
session. Disclose the settlement.
Disclose who authorized it. Disclose
what legal advice was given and disclose
whether the state executive committee or
state central committee approved this
action.
disclose why the chair vote was delayed
while this action was moving through the
court and then allow the SEC to vote to
invalidate, reject, resend, or
otherwise,
repudiate any unauthorized action taken
in the party's name. The new chair must
not sweep this under the rug. The new
chair must not inherit a backroom
agreement and pretend it is legitimate
simply because it was filed in court.
The FCC must be allowed to govern. This
is not a video about whether opt out is
good or bad. That debate belongs to the
members. That debate belongs to the
counties. That debate belongs to the SEC
and the state assembly under proper
procedure. This video is about something
even more important
process. If the opt out argument is
strong, then bring it to the members. If
the legal argument is strong, then
present it openly. If the party should
change its nomination process, then make
that case in the light of day. Do not
use a lawsuit, a quick stipulation, and
a consent order to do what should have
been done through the Republican
governing body.
Tonight, I am making this data public
because SEC members have a right to
know. County chairs have a right to
know. Bonus members have a right to
know. Candidates have a right to know.
And Republican voters have a right to
know whether their party was bound to a
major future election decision without
transparent consent of its governing
body.
This is exactly why the Colorado GOP has
struggled with trust. This is exactly
why people lose faith in leadership.
This is exactly why process matters.
Because when leaders bypass the body,
they do not strengthen the party. They
weaken it. The Republican party cannot
demand election integrity from the state
of Colorado while ignoring internal
governance integrity inside its own
party. We cannot demand transparency
from Democrats while accepting backroom
conduct from Republicans. We cannot
preach accountability while allowing one
officer to bind hundreds of SEC members
without their knowledge or consent. So
my message is simple. Eric Gman should r
res resign as vice chair.
The new chair must call the SEC into
session. The documents must be released.
The questions must be answered and the
SEC must invalidate any action that was
not properly authorized by the governing
body of the Colorado Republican Party.
This is not about personal attacks. This
is about protecting the party,
protecting the process, and restoring
trust. This is the failing factor, and
the SEC must be heard.