Colorado’s top Republican state Rep. Mike Lynch announced he will step down amid a firestorm of criticism Wednesday, days after a report surfaced his arrest in 2022 on DUI and gun possession charges.
On the House floor, the Minority Leader said he would step down at the end of the day despite surviving a no-confidence vote on Monday. He survived again in a similar vote on Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning, he confirmed his resignation. His nascent 4th District congressional bid is also all but dead.
“I am stepping down because it’s the right thing to do,” Lynch said in his announcement. “Because I’ve become a distraction for my caucus and that is getting in the way of hard work we have to do in this building.”
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“I would like this to serve as a reminder to my fellow colleagues. Be careful. Don’t make the same mistake that I made which was to get behind the wheel after I had had too much to drink,” Lynch told fellow lawmakers Wednesday morning. “There is a lot of socializing here, thank God, in my instance, there was no damage done. I will tell you personally it has been life-changing.”
Lynch became House Minority leader in November 2022. Weeks before, on Sept. 30, he was pulled over by a State Patrol trooper after he was caught speeding at 90 miles per hour in a 75 mph zone on Interstate 25, the Denver Post reported on Jan. 17. After stepping out of the car, the Trooper said he smelled alcohol on Lynch’s breath and noticed his glassy eyes. Lynch then reportedly admitted he had a firearm on him and attempted to reach for it—prompting the officer to tell him that “pulling a gun out of your pocket when in contact with the police was, in fact, a big deal and people get shot that way,” according to a police report cited by The Denver Post.
He later registered a blood-alcohol level at 0.16–double the state’s limit.
Video released of the incident shows that before his arrest, Lynch told the Trooper “you do not understand how much I work for you guys” and asked to “keep the press out of this.” He also asked the Trooper to call a lobbyist for the State Patrol before backtracking and admitting who he was.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired and gun possession while drunk. He was sentenced to 18 months probation and monitored sobriety checks. The sentence for the weapons charge was deferred. He remains on probation but did not reveal his arrest before the Denver Post went public.
In his resignation speech, Lynch said a vote was expected Thursday morning to determine who will replace him as Minority Leader.
On Monday, he told KHOW-AM’s Dan Caplis Show that the situation was a “hit job,” and that “I have received peace from my Lord and Savior,” adding, “I’m human, and I do human things.”
“It was a really stupid thing that I did, I own that. There is a culture of drinking that is involved in this business that I am very glad to report that I am not a part of anymore.”
In a statement posted to X Wednesday, the Colorado Republican party said: “It’s about time. The House Republicans should elect anyone who has NOT been convicted of driving while drunk and broke faith with voters and colleagues by covering it up.”
