State Rep. Ryan Armagost, a Republican from Berthoud, announced his resignation on Thursday afternoon just ahead of a scheduled censure vote set for Friday.
Armagost’s resignation was anticipated, as he had already planned to leave the Colorado legislature on September 1 to pursue a new job and personal relationship in Arizona.
However, stepping down now allows him to avoid the public embarrassment of facing censure by Democrats for an incident that occurred during the last legislative session.
Armagost was criticized for taking a picture of his Democratic colleague, Rep. Yara Zokaie from Fort Collins, without her consent.
His actions led to a series of crude comments about Zokaie’s appearance shared among fellow Republicans in a private group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal.
The situation escalated further when an anonymous social media account associated with conservative followers leaked the photo online, resulting in threats and harassment directed toward Zokaie and her children.
Despite the backlash from this incident, Armagost has chosen not to comment on the photo or the subsequent events.
As he marked himself excused from the special legislative session at the Colorado Capitol, Zokaie expressed her disappointment in Armagost’s failure to take accountability.
“Rep. Armagost chose to walk away rather than face accountability for his actions,” Zokaie stated.
She emphasized that his resignation does not erase the harm caused by his behavior or relieve him of his responsibilities in perpetuating a culture of violence against women.
Democrats had intended to vote for Armagost’s censure, marking what would be the first such disciplinary action against a lawmaker in the Colorado legislature since 2008.
Given the Democratic majority in the House, it was clear that the censure would easily pass with just a simple majority vote.
Following the incident, House Democrats had convened to discuss the proposed censure resolution against Armagost.
Additionally, some Democratic members expressed intentions to pursue a censure against House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, also a Republican, stemming from her involvement in the situation.
According to Zokaie, after the incident, she sought assistance from Pugliese to identify the colleague responsible for the photo.
While Pugliese offered to help, she did not disclose Armagost’s identity as the person who shared the image.
Zokaie discovered that Pugliese had participated in the group chat where the offending photo was first shared.
“The trust I had with minority leadership and several of our Republican colleagues is completely broken and will not be rebuilt,” Zokaie commented.
After first announcing his resignation on June 30, news of the photo incident broke in mid-July, with further media coverage following earlier this month.
Since the resignation announcement, Armagost has remained eligible for legislative funding and benefits.
A vacancy committee will now convene to select a replacement for Armagost in House District 64, a region that includes communities such as Mead, Johnstown, Milliken, and part of Greeley.
This situation highlights a significant aspect of Colorado’s legislative landscape, where nearly 1 in 5 lawmakers have entered the General Assembly through similar vacancy processes.
Reflecting on the situation, House Speaker Julie McCluskie urged her Democratic colleagues to avoid inappropriate social media activity and name-calling, which she noted have become commonplace among lawmakers across the political spectrum.
However, she stressed that Zokaie’s experience was on a completely different level, indicating a severe breach of conduct that warranted significant reflection and action.
image source from：coloradosun
