Amy Stephens

House Minority Leader Mike May abruptly announced Friday he will resign his seat early next month to spend more time on his business.

May, R-Parker, did not return phone calls seeking comment on his departure, but said in a statement that hard economic times require him to give complete attention to his businesses.

"It has truly been an honor serving in the legislature, and serving as the Republican leader these last few years," May said in a release. "However, as the owner of a company, I have an obligation to the families that work for me. It has become increasingly difficult to balance my duties at the statehouse with those of keeping my business running in these difficult economic times.

UPDATE: Who says politicians can’t change their minds? This afternoon, May announced that, due to unspecified “outside influences” potentially attempting to interfere with the leadership election, he won’t be retiring — at least right away — after all. May’s full statement appears after the jump.

Big talk of the week has shifted to who would replace Sen. Ken Salazar after he, in what is looking like a done deal, leaves his Senate seat to lead the Interior Department. But days after Colorado House Minority Leader Mike May announced he was stepping down, there’s no word yet on who might lead Republicans in the House into the new year.

A top Republican lawmaker says tough economic times are forcing him to give up his seat in the legislature at the end of this year.

House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said Friday he can no longer split his attention between his hotel business and the legislature.

"As we began the long, slow march to opening day (on Jan. 7), it became apparent that I can't do both of these jobs," May said. "And I can't do (the minority leader's job) poorly."

Rather than just turn over his leadership position to someone else and stay in the legislature, May said he wanted to open his Douglas County seat up to a "fresh horse.

House Minority Leader Mike May abruptly announced Friday he will resign his seat early next month to spend more time on his business.

May, R-Parker, did not return phone calls seeking comment on his departure, but said in a statement that hard economic times require him to give complete attention to his businesses.

"It has truly been an honor serving in the legislature, and serving as the Republican leader these last few years," May said in a release. "However, as the owner of a company, I have an obligation to the families that work for me. It has become increasingly difficult to balance my duties at the statehouse with those of keeping my business running in these difficult economic times.

— House Minority Leader Mike May announced this afternoon that he will retire from his seat early next month.

In a statement released by House Republicans, May, R-Parker, said the current economic situation requires that he give his complete attention to his businesses.

"It has truly been an honor serving in the legislature, and serving as the Republican Leader these last few years," May said in a release. "However, as the owner of a company, I have an obligation to the families that work for me. It has become increasingly difficult to balance my duties at the statehouse with those of keeping my business running in these difficult economic times.

State Rep. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) said Monday that she was threatened with primary opposition in 2010 if she didn't remove herself from last week's race for state House minority caucus chair.

"I got a phone call, and it was suggested that if I would back out (of the caucus chair race), things could be easier or things could be harder," Roberts said. "It's no secret that there's a Senate district election coming up in my area in 2010. So there was conversation about what impact my going forward in the caucus chair race would have on that."

Roberts -- who is mulling a potential run for state Senate District 6 in 2010 -- kept her name in nomination anyway. During last Thursday's House Republican Caucus meeting, she lost the minority caucus chair election to state Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Colorado Springs).

State Rep. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) lashed out at unnamed state House Republicans in her weekly newspaper column on Sunday over last Thursday's House Republican caucus leadership elections.

Roberts, who lost the minority caucus chair election to state Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Colorado Springs), wrote in the Durango Herald column that her candidacy for the position "set in motion many events best left untold, but my principles are intact."

"Within my own caucus of the House Republicans, what started as an effort by a few to protect the existing leadership, because they've treated us fairly and given committee assignments and positions based on merit, turned into a slick role reversal of the intended protectors portrayed publicly as the insurgents," she wrote.

"I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside," Roberts said in the article, quoting former U.S. Rep. Mo Udall (D-Ariz.).

On Thursday, Colorado Republican and Democratic caucuses from both state legislative chambers chose their leadership positions for next year. Here's a list of who they chose:

State Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Colorado Springs) beat state Rep. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) for House Republican Caucus Chair on Thursday morning.

Colorado Republican state legislators blasted Barack Obama's response to the economic crisis, portraying the Democratic presidential nominee as being on the fringe of Congressional bailout negotiations while John McCain took a much more active role.

In a conference call with reporters Monday afternoon, state Sen. Nancy Spence (R-Centennial) said while  McCain "took a decisive stance" by suspending his campaign and going to Washington, Obama "phone(d) in."