Straight outta #copolitics: Family feud
Pueblo state representative defects from party, handgun carry permit bill receives first real scrutiny | A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: After being labelled a turncoat by activist John Van Vranken in The Colorado Statesman, state Rep. Bob Kirscht, R-Pueblo, defended his defection from the Democratic Party on the grounds of “philosophical differences.” The Democratic Party,...
Capitol M: Olympic version | Week of Feb. 7, 2026
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
The lighter side of the state Capitol, usually. Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, who turns 50 this year, is sporting eyeglasses for the first time. He blames the lege. “With 700 bills to read a year, my eyes are failing me,”...
Trump’s critics are not the ones suffering from “derangement” | SONDERMANN
By Eric Sondermann
by-eric-sondermann@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
It appears that 63% of Americans, plus or minus, are deranged. Per recent surveys, that is the percentage of fellow citizens who do not approve of President Trump’s performance a year into his second term. In Trump’s world, almost any...
Colorado Politics Calendar Feb. 9-15
Rachael Wright, Special to Colorado Politics
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 3 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Federal judge blasts government for violating court order, confiscating man’s property
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 20 hours ago
A federal judge gave the government three hours on Friday to return the property of a man released from immigration detention, which it allegedly retained in violation of her previous order. “At its most benign, this failure is an unforced...
DA’s withdrawal from veterans treatment court not judge’s problem, ethics panel says
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 20 hours ago
There are no ethical concerns from a judge continuing to participate in a specialty veterans treatment court if the district attorney’s office has withdrawn from the program, the Colorado Supreme Court’s ethics committee advised on Wednesday. Colorado law permits chief...
As federal vaccine guidance shifts, Colorado Senate backs recommendations from pediatric groups
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
At least 20 states have said they are using guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical associations when setting vaccine policies and immunization schedules, in some cases supplementing or diverging from recommendations issued by the Trump administration...
With Buc-ee’s withdrawn from Palmer Lake, other communities signal interest
Savannah Eller
savannah-eller@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 21 hours ago
The withdrawal of Buc-ee’s developers’ plans with Palmer Lake could be welcome news to other communities that have actively sought to attract the Texas travel chain. The pullout comes after over a year of increasing opposition efforts, but a local...
Trump signs minibus spending bill with $6.5 billion in earmarks
Kevin R. Kosar, Washington Examiner
kevin.r.kosar.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 21 hours ago
President Donald Trump recently signed $174.7 billion spending legislation. The White House said little upon signing the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. The move, however, signaled its support for Congress on the long-titled...
From red flag orders to rollbacks, gun policy takes center stage at the Colorado Capitol | Bills in brief
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 18 hours ago
Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in Brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. Numerous gun-related bills are already moving...