As the 2022 election cycle nears the finish line, we thought attentive readers could use a chance to test their mettle – and for casual observers to take a stab at achieving expert status.

Colorado voters have until Nov. 8 to cast ballots. Until then, enjoy a quiz about some of the iconic moments, quirks and surprises that emerged along the way. Some of the questions have more than one answer.

1. Republican gubernatorial nominee Heidi Ganahl revved up her campaign shortly after launching in October 2021 with a Colorado Springs town hall featuring conservative radio host and author Dennis Prager. Which of the following DIDN’T happen at the event?

1. In a chyron under a livestream of the event, Ganahl’s campaign urged viewers to “TEXT HIEDI” to a number that appeared on screen, misspelling the candidate’s first name
2. Prager awarded Ganahl an honorary doctorate in Woke Detection from Prager U, a nonprofit that produces videos that promote conservative concepts
3. Ganahl smiled and nodded while Prager called it “an act of child abuse” to vaccinate children against COVID-19
4. Prager told the crowd he’d “been trying to get COVID for a year and a half” to achieve natural immunity, and five days later announced on his radio show that he had tested positive for the virus “last week” and was “steadily improving” while undergoing advanced treatment, prompting Ganahl’s campaign to alert supporters that they might have been exposed

ANSWER: B. Prager awarded Ganahl an honorary doctorate in Woke Detection from Prager U, a nonprofit that produces videos that promote conservative concepts

2. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Hanks fired a rifle at what object that then exploded in the video announcing his candidacy:

1. A 2,000-page stack of papers labelled  “H.R.3684 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”
2. An office photocopier labelled “Dominion Voting Machine”
3. A ceramic rhinoceros labelled “RINO,” an acronym for “Republican in name only”
4. A television blaring a CNN newscast

ANSWER: B. An office photocopier labelled “Dominion Voting Machine”

3. Danielle Neuschwanger, who accepted the American Constitution Party nomination for governor after failing to qualify for the GOP primary ballot, floated a novel theory at a campaign event in December 2021 about Gov. Jared Polis, a wealthy tech entrepreneur and the first openly gay man elected governor anywhere in the country. What did she tell voters?

1. Polis was declining to release his tax returns because he didn’t want it known he lost his fortune in the GameStop debacle
2. Polis is Nancy Pelosi’s cousin, but they keep the relationship hidden “for political purposes”
3. Polis is only pretending to be the gay and his marriage last year to longtime partner Marlon Reis was “a sham,” part of a plot by wealthy Democratic donors to “get the gays” and flip the state from red to blue
4. Polis, a proud comics nerd, spent the entire first year of his term wearing a Spider-Man costume under his street clothes

ANSWER: C. Polis is only pretending to be the gay and his marriage last year to longtime partner Marlon Reis was “a sham,” part of a plot by wealthy Democratic donors to “get the gays” and flip the state from red to blue

4. Republican 5th Congressional District candidate Dave Williams sued Secretary of State Jena Griswold in an unsuccessful attempt to force her to print what phrase with his name on the GOP primary ballot:

1. “The True Grassroots Conservative”
2. “Let’s Go Brandon”
3. “Fired by the Trump Campaign”
4. “Lamborn is a RINO”

ANSWER: B. “Let’s Go Brandon”

5. Republican 7th Congressional District candidate Tim Reichert, a devout Roman Catholic who holds a doctorate in economics, drew attention for remarks he made in videos that surfaced early in his run. What did Reichert say?

1. He repeatedly describes a basis point as one tenth of one percentage point, when any economist knows a basis point is one hundredth of one percentage point
2. He called Jefferson County – the heart of the new congressional district – “that county named after the ‘All in the Family’ spinoff”
3. He called abortion a “human sacrifice … at the altar of Baal,” a demon described as having the power of invisibility and the heads of a cat, a toad and a man
4. He admiringly described the work of sociologists who believe contraception is “the most fundamental threat to the West”

ANSWERS:

C. He called abortion a “human sacrifice … at the altar of Baal,” a demon described as having the power of invisibility and the heads of a cat, a toad and a man

D. He admiringly described the work of sociologists who believe contraception is “the most fundamental threat to the West”

6. Critics pounced when Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet did what in a TV ad touting his record on public lands:

1. Bennet lands a sizable trout fly-fishing alongside angler Greg Felt, a fishing guide and unaffiliated Chaffee County commissioner, after purchasing a one-day fishing license
2. Describing the river they’re standing in, Bennet calls it “the Arkansas,” stressing the second syllable, the way an out-of-stater might
3. Turning away from the camera, Bennet briefly displaying a “Drill Baby Drill” patch on his waders
4. Bennet says “I fought that kish” in a leaked gag reel filled with outtakes from the commercial shoot 

ANSWER: A. Bennet lands a sizable trout fly-fishing alongside angler Greg Felt, a fishing guide and unaffiliated Chaffee County commissioner, after purchasing a one-day fishing license

7. Bennet’s Republican challenger Joe O’Dea came in for some ribbing after describing what favorite family activity in a Facebook post:

1. Pouring concrete
2. Throwing lumps of coal on the campfire while singing 
3. Saddling up to ride the family’s horses to get sushi at a neighborhood restaurant
4. Washing dishes, like O’Dea did as a teenager to pay for the Catholic high school he attended 

ANSWER: C. Saddling up to ride the family’s horses to get sushi at a neighborhood restaurant

8. Delegates to the GOP state assembly nominated lawyer and former talk show host Stanley Thorne to the primary ballot for attorney general, but the party nullified the move the next day, based on what revelations:

1. Thorne was licensed to practice law in Texas but wasn’t a member of the bar in Colorado 
2. Thorne was registered as an unaffiliated voter, not as a Republican
3. The “clickers” used to register votes at the assembly had been programmed incorrectly, leading delegates to think they were ordering pizzas
4. The Republicans who nominated Thorne said they’d only been kidding 

ANSWERS:

A. Thorne was licensed to practice law in Texas but wasn’t a member of the bar in Colorado 

B. Thorne was registered as an unaffiliated voter, not as a Republican

Match the political figure with the candidate or candidates he or she crossed party lines to endorse:

9. Former Colorado House Speaker Russ George (R)

10. Former Denver County Clerk Debra Johnson (D)

11. State Sen. Don Coram (R)

12. Former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey (D)

13. State Rep. Ron Hanks (R)

14. Former Attorney General Cynthia Coffman (R)

1. Democrat Adam Frisch (3rd Congressional District)
2. Republican Pam Anderson (Secretary of State)
3. Democrat Phil Weiser (Attorney General)
4. Libertarian Brian Peotter (U.S. Senate)
5. Republican John Kellner (Attorney General)

ANSWERS:

9. George endorsed Frisch (A) and Weiser (C)

10. Johnson endorsed Anderson (B)

11. Coram endorsed Frisch (A) and Weiser (C)

12. Morrissey endorsed Kellner (E)

13. Hanks endorsed Peotter (D)

14. Coffman endorsed Weiser (C)

15. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis sparked a social media frenzy when he made what remark to Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl during their final debate:

1. “If I’m elected to a second term, how about we try ‘Meat-Out’ Month”
2. “You’re a mad mom, I’m a happy dad”
3. “Would you be as alarmed if the students identified as dogs?”
4. “Can you ask Steve Bannon next time you’re on his show why he wears three polo shirts at the same time”

ANSWER: B. “You’re a mad mom, I’m a happy dad”

Match the statewide ballot question with the slogan used by advocates:

16. Opponents of Proposition 121, to cut the state income tax rate

17. Supporters of Proposition 123, to direct state revenue to affordable housing

18. Supporters of Proposition 124, to increase the number of liquor stores a business can own

19. Supporters of Proposition 125, to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine

1. Fair for Colorado
2. Make Colorado Affordable
3. Proven. Safe. Convenient.
4. Keep Colorado Thriving

ANSWERS:

16. Opponents of Proposition 121, to cut the state income tax rate use the slogan “Keep Colorado Thriving” (D)

17. Supporters of Proposition 123, to direct state revenue to affordable housing use the slogan “Make Colorado Affordable” (B)

18. Supporters of Proposition 124, to increase the number of liquor stores a business can own use the slogan “Fair for Colorado” (A)

19. Supporters of Proposition 125, to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine use the slogan “Proven. Safe. Convenient.” (C)

20. The Ganahl campaign announced on Oct. 3 that Ganahl and her pick for lieutenant governor, Danny Moore, would appear at a town hall that night to talk education. How did the release refer to Ganahl’s running mate?

1. Danny Clark
2. Kyle Moore
3. Felix Lopez
4. Dianne Primavera

ANSWER: A. Danny Clark

21. Republican Secretary of State nominee Pam Anderson achieved these distinctions in the last month:

1. She became the target of what could be the first-ever attack ad in a Colorado secretary of state race
2. She appeared on the cover of Time Magazine along with other “Defenders of Democracy”
3. She received a shout-out from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard when the Australian band played Red Rocks
4. She finally got a star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame

ANSWERS:

A. She became the target of what could be the first-ever attack ad in a Colorado secretary of state race

B. She appeared on the cover of Time Magazine along with other “Defenders of Democracy”

22. After a Politico reporter revealed that O’Dea had poured a Michelob Ultra into an ice-filled glass during their interview, the Bennet campaign capitalized on the news by offering what merchandise on his campaign site:

1. Bumpersticker that reads, “We can all agree, no one likes warm beer”
2. “There’s No Ice in This Beer” foam can cooler sporting Bennet’s logo
3. Yard sign that reads, “Horse sushi & beer on ice – ewww!”
4. Case of frozen beer bottles, shipped on dry ice

ANSWER: B. “There’s No Ice in This Beer” foam can cooler sporting Bennet’s logo

Ernest Luning has covered politics for Colorado Politics and its predecessor publication, The Colorado Statesman, since 2009. He’s analyzed the exploits, foibles and history of state campaigns and politicians since 2018 in the weekly Trail Mix column.