Colorado Republican can't use right-wing Joe Biden insult on ballot, judge rules

A Colorado Republican looking to beat U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn in June's GOP primary can't use the nickname Let s Go Brandon — a right-wing Joe Biden insult on the ballot, a state judge has ruled.

The candidate, state Rep. Dave Williams, appealed the ruling to the state's highest court on Thursday, arguing that it presents an important issue of consequence, namely the scope of the secretary of state's authority to disallow nicknames on the ballot. Williams uses the phrase '' as a euphemism for a vulgar reference to Biden, as a nickname on his Twitter account and campaign mailings, and also used it in the caption of his court filing challenging the secretary of state's decision that he could not use the phrase on the ballot.

While nicknames can be permitted on ballots in Colorado if it's one that the candidate regularly uses, Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office determined that Williams couldn't identify himself there as Dave Let's go Brandon Williams because the phrase is a slogan, not a nickname.

The phrase became popular in some right circles in October of last year after some fans started to chant an expletive about the president at a NASCAR race in Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The chants continued as an NBC Sports reporter interviewed NASCAR driver Brandon Brown after his victory, and said: You can hear the chants from the crowd, Let s go Brandon! Williams started using the phrase as a nickname in December, according to court filings.

In a ruling on Wednesday, Denver District Judge Andrew McCallin found that while Williams had used the name as a nickname, Griswold's reasoning was sound, and he denied Williams' petition.

Williams' lawyers argued that McCallin's ruling should be overturned because the law doesn't have a campaign slogan exception.

The secretary of state's office did not respond to a request for comment on the appeal, but Griswold, a Democrat, said Wednesday that McCallin's decision affirms that the ballot is not a place for political gamesmanship. As secretary of state, I will always protect Colorado voters' right to access, and that includes a fair and transparent ballot. Williams blasted the decision on Wednesday, saying that it was clear that a Democrat appointed judge put his thumb on the scale for a corrupt Democrat secretary of state. He also took aim at the state's high court, saying that if the Colorado Supreme Court doesn't hear this appeal, then they are derelict in their duty and lawmakers should remove their salaries or move to term them out of office without delay. Williams is one of three candidates vying to replace Lamborn, a Republican who is running for a ninth term in the deep-red district.