National news, from white nationalists to Trump to town halls, ran deep through Colorado politics this past week.

Here are the stories that the staff of Colorado Politics, home to the state’s deepest coverage of the topics, thinks you should keep in mind as the issues play out.

5. Armstrong’s company under fire

A lesbian couple in California say the Greenwood Village-based mortgage company started by former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong of Colorado espouses family values that aren’t their family’s values. LGBTQ activists in Colorado applauded the lawsuit against Cherry Creek Mortgage Co. this week after the couple’s spousal insurance was revoked and the insurer began trying to collect more than $50,000 in previously covered medical bills.

Read the full story here.

4. One side in Colorado on “both sides”

Colorado’s congressional delegation did some rare in highly partisan politics this week: They agreed. After President Trump equivocated on who was to blame for the deadly protest in Charlottesville, Va., Republicans and Democrats said there were no ifs, ands or buts. “Statements that provide even indirect comfort to these merchants of evil are unacceptable and wrong,” said usual Trump backer Doug Lamborn, the Republican representative from Colorado Springs.

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3. Well, that kinda answers it

The will-they or won’t-they question is getting a bit silly for state Treasurer Walker Stapleton and, perhaps a little less certain, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, for next year’s governor’s race. Both showed up at the Republican Governors Association meeting, our Ernest Luning reported (as usual for Colorado Politics, ahead of everyone else). Maybe they just wanted to see what a Republican governor looks like. It’s been awhile since Colorado had one. Peter Marcus all but pinned down a slippery Democratic Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne this week, as well.

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2. Cheyenne Mountain reconsidered after Charlottesville

A convention at Cheyenne Mountain Resort next spring of the alt-right group VDARE, which has direct connections to the organizer of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., drew a strong backlash in El Paso County. Ultimately Cheyenne Mountain took sides, too, cancelling the conference without condemning the group or even saying why VDARE wasn’t welcome. In the immediate aftermath, former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo said VDARE was unfairly maligned, though VDARE’s leader ultimately stood with Jason Kessler, the white supremacist rally organizer.

Read the full story here.

1. Cory Gardner never had a chance

For months liberal activists have demanded Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner hold a town hall meeting to “face” his constituents. Gardner appeased them on Tuesday in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood. So what did the people who so desperately wanted to hear from him do? They refused to listen, instead booing and shouting such political discourse as, “You suck.” The protest spectacle that left Gardner looking like the reasonable and cooperative side of the discussion. “I’m trying to answer,” he said to the frequently disruptive crowd in Colorado Springs. “But I don’t get the chance.” Liberals overplayed their hand and crowned Gardner the political winner.

Read the full story here.