The four-week Rural Reckoning series examines the critical and often overlooked issues facing rural Colorado, where challenges to healthcare access, affordable housing, agricultural sustainability, and population growth are compounded by a growing disconnect with the state’s political and economic power base along the Front Range.

Despite being a vital contributor to Colorado’s overall prosperity—through energy production, agriculture, and rural healthcare—communities outside the I-25 corridor face disproportionate disadvantages in representation, funding, and policy attention. The series explores how the state’s political influence, concentrated in urban counties such as Denver, Boulder, and El Paso, influences legislation and resource allocation.

We examine the complex and, at times, strained relationship between rural communities and Gov. Jared Polis. A focal point in the relationship that came to a head in 2024 with the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado, an initiative widely backed by urban voters but contested by rural ranchers.

Through interviews, data analysis, and community voices, this series presents a comprehensive and balanced view of the stakes and solutions for a more equitable Colorado—one that acknowledges and integrates the voices and needs of its rural backbone.

Rural Reckoning | What does rural Colorado want to see in the next governor?