Two women have accused a Loveland state lawmaker of making graphic, sexual comments about them at public events, according to statements the women sent to the House Republican caucus.
In the joint letter, the two women alleged that Rep. Ron Weinberg made unwanted and explicit sexual advances to them at public events in 2021 and 2022, before he was in the legislature. Both exchanges happened in front of witnesses, including a husband of one of the women, according to the letter.
“Each of us has experienced sexual harassment from Representative Weinberg,” Heather Booth and Jacqueline Anderson wrote. “He has engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, made unwelcome sexual comments, and pursued unwanted sexual advances.”
Weinberg had recently announced that he would run for the third-ranking minority leadership position in the House. But he dropped out Friday in a post on the social platform X, writing that he would not pursue the minority whip position. He did not mention the letter but cited a desire to spend more time with his wife and family.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese acknowledged the letter on social media, writing that legislative leaders would “take these allegations seriously.”
Neither Weinberg nor his attorney returned messages seeking comment Monday afternoon. Weinberg denied the allegations in a statement to the Colorado Sun.
Both of the women who wrote the letter have been involved in Republican politics. At the time of the incidents alleged, Anderson was the vice chair of the Mesa County Republican Party, while Booth was on the Elizabeth school board.
Anderson told The Denver Post in an interview that she and Booth were harassed by Weinberg at an annual Leadership Program of the Rockies event in February 2022. Weinberg allegedly also made a lewd comment to Anderson and her husband — about wanting to have sex with Anderson — at the same event the year prior, in June 2021.
Anderson and Booth’s letter was sent to the House Republican caucus and posted to social media last week, after Weinberg announced that he intended to run for the leadership position within the caucus.
At the time of the alleged harassment, Weinberg was the chair of the Larimer County Republican Party and a member of the Larimer County Planning Commission. He would be appointed to the legislature through a vacancy committee several months later, in fall 2022, and take office in early 2023. He was elected to a new term last November.
In the letter, Anderson wrote that Weinberg approached her at a Leadership Program of the Rockies event at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs in June 2021, at a table where she sat with her husband, Cory. Weinberg allegedly told Cory Anderson that Weinberg was going to have sex with his wife, using an expletive.
“It was just shocking,” Jacqueline Anderson said in an interview. She remembered wondering whether she’d heard Weinberg correctly. “And my husband’s like, ‘Excuse me?’ And (Weinberg) said it again. And I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t think so.’ ”
Anderson said she and her husband saw Weinberg the next day and confronted him. Weinberg, she said, said he didn’t remember saying anything and noted he’d had too much to drink the night before. He apologized, she said.
But Anderson said he made the same comment nearly a year later, in February 2022. She said her husband, who was again present, had to be restrained.
Booth did not return a message seeking comment about her allegations regarding Weinberg.
In the letter, she wrote that Weinberg approached her and a friend at the February 2022 event, as the pair jokingly discussed getting a facelift. Weinberg allegedly told Booth that she didn’t need a facelift and that she was beautiful. He then allegedly made a lewd comment involving his penis and a sex act.
“It was humiliating, disgusting, and terrifying,” Booth wrote. “We were dressed up at a public event, and this man thought it was okay to sexually degrade me like that. I still can’t shake how powerless and violated I felt.”
Anderson said she didn’t know about Booth’s account from the February 2022 event until recently. But she said she met with officials from the Leadership Program of the Rockies after she said she heard about an account from a third woman that also involved Weinberg. She said the group’s leaders banned Weinberg from attending future events.
Messages sent to the group by The Post were not returned Monday.
In Pugliese’s social media post Monday, the House’s top Republican wrote: “We take these allegations seriously. We are cooperating with the proper authorities to ensure all accusations are properly handled and have forwarded the information to Workplace Relations for review.”
The Office of Legislative Workplace Relations is the legislature’s version of a human resources department. But it’s unclear what oversight the office will have over the alleged misconduct, as it occurred before Weinberg joined the legislature.
When he withdrew from the whip race Friday, Weinberg cited only personal reasons, writing on X: “Titles and positions mean little if they cost you your peace, your family, and your purpose. My duty remains to serve my district and stand for our conservative principles, but I will not sacrifice the time and presence my loved ones deserve.”
Anderson said she decided to publicly disclose her allegations when she learned that Weinberg was pursuing a leadership role. The whip position had opened with the resignation of Berthoud Rep. Ryan Armagost.
The race for minority whip became heated on social media in recent days, but Anderson said her decision to speak out wasn’t politically motivated.
“My stance is, I don’t really care who’s whip; it just can’t be Ron,” she said. “… His behavior continues to be a problem, and he’s not being held accountable. That’s just kind of where I’m at. Enough’s enough.”
Weinberg was not present at the House Republican caucus meeting Monday morning, where the caucus elected freshman Rep. Carlos Barron to become the new whip.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.