Colorado Politics

 Colorado justices weigh constitutionality of unique disclosure requirement for ballot measures

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court considered on Tuesday whether a unique feature of the state’s campaign finance system categorically violates the First Amendment by requiring the disclosure of a ballot measure committee’s legal representative on advertisements. No on EE...

 Republicans Scott Bottoms, Victor Marx win spots in Colorado gubernatorial primary at party assembly

Two Christian ministry leaders from Colorado Springs qualified Saturday for the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot at the Colorado GOP’s state assembly in Pueblo in a party meeting that dragged late into the night. State Rep. Scott Bottoms, an Assemblies of...

 Colorado House finishes work on 2026-27 state budget, finally

The House on Saturday, after four days of work – it usually takes two – finished up their work and voted on the $46.8 billion 2026-27 state budget, as contained in House Bill 1410 and 64 accompanying measures designed to...

 What you need to know about the Colorado legislature reading a 661-page bill aloud

A rarely used procedural move by a Republican legislator threw the Colorado House into an extended slowdown, after she invoked her right to have a nearly 700-page state budget bill read aloud in full. Once Rep. Brandi Bradley, R‑Roxborough Park,...

 Colorado GOP votes down bid to ask court to prevent unaffiliated voters from voting in June primary

Members of the Colorado Republican Party’s executive committee rejected a proposal Thursday night to seek an emergency injunction in federal court to prevent unaffiliated voters from participating in the state’s upcoming June primary election. The proposed motion, backed by Colorado...

 Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper pulls in nearly $1.4M in 1st quarter, heads into primary with $4M 

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s campaign raised nearly $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2026 and plans to report more than $4 million on hand heading into Colorado’s June primary, the first-term Democrat’s campaign said Thursday. That brings Hickenlooper’s total...

 Republican Ron Hanks plans ‘grassroots’ primary challenge to US Rep. Jeff Hurd in Colorado’s 3rd CD

Colorado Republican Ron Hanks, a former state lawmaker, plans to challenge first-term U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd in the 3rd Congressional District primary by seeking a spot on the June ballot at the GOP’s district assembly in Pueblo on Friday, Colorado...

 House GOP stalls Colorado budget debate by forcing full reading of 661-page bill

A procedural battle at the Colorado Capitol boiled over on Wednesday night, when a House Republican demanded the 661‑page state budget be read aloud in full — a move that delayed the advance of the proposed $46.8 billion spending plan....

 Poll: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis loses support among Democrats

Gov. Jared Polis is losing steam among members of his party, particularly progressive Democrats, according to a recent poll. Other statewide Democrats also saw their favorability ratings drop, though relatively stable compared to the governor’s numbers, the poll conducted by...

 Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear set to headline Colorado Democrats’ annual fundraising dinner

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, one of the Democrats’ top 2028 presidential prospects, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Colorado Democratic Party’s annual fundraising dinner in June in Denver, the party said Friday. Serving his second term as...

 Colorado sues Trump administration over elections order

Colorado has joined a coalition of states in suing President Donald Trump over his new executive order on elections, arguing the directive unlawfully intrudes on their authority to run their own voting systems and threatens access to mail ballots for...

 Denver Democrat Neal Walia lands endorsement from Ro Khanna in Colorado’s state House District 9

California Rep. Ro Khanna on Friday endorsed legislative candidate Neal Walia in the race for an open state House seat, praising the Denver Democrat’s commitment to public service and progressive goals. Walia, who mounted an unsuccessful challenge against U.S. Rep....

 Redistricting fight escalates as Colorado Title Board clears competing ballot proposals

Colorado’s title board on Wednesday gave final approval to multiple ballot measures related to congressional redistricting, setting up a series of proposals that could alter how the state draws its U.S. House districts for the 2028 and 2030 elections. The...

 Judge rules that Colorado law makes it too hard for parties to bar unaffiliated voters from primaries

A federal judge ruled in favor of the Colorado Republican Party late Tuesday, saying that a portion of the state law that allows unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in party primaries is unconstitutional because it imposes an unrealistic burden on...

 Colorado leaders say Trump’s executive order targeting mail voting violates state election authority

Colorado leaders criticized President Donald Trump’s new executive order issued Tuesday, arguing that its creation of a national voter‑eligibility list and new limits on mail voting violate states’ constitutional authority to run their own elections. President Donald Trump has frequently...

 Phil Weiser wins top spot in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary at party’s state assembly

Attorney General Phil Weiser’s name will appear first on Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot after his overwhelming win Saturday at the party’s state assembly in Pueblo. Weiser joins U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the June 30 primary for the office...

 Denver Democrat Diana DeGette trails challenger Melat Kiros at assembly as both qualify for primary

U.S. Rep Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, qualified for Colorado’s June primary by the skin of her teeth Friday at the party’s district assembly, where the 15-term incumbent received fewer than half as many delegate votes as her challenger, 28-year-old...

 Federal judge upholds constitutionality of Colorado campaign contribution limits

A federal judge upheld Colorado’s individual campaign contribution limits as constitutional on Thursday, finding that three Republican plaintiffs failed to prove the campaign finance framework violates their First Amendment rights. U.S. District Court Senior Judge John L. Kane recognized that...

 Seligman, Bridges, Gonzales lead downballot races heading into Colorado Democrats’ state assembly

As Colorado Democrats prepare to designate candidates to the June primary ballot at the party’s state assembly in Pueblo on Saturday, three candidates appear poised to win top-line designation in downballot statewide races, according to data compiled by the state...

 Planned Parenthood, groups launch campaign against transgender ballot measures in Colorado

Planned Parenthood and other groups have launched a coalition to oppose two ballot measures that would ban transgender surgeries among children and require student athletes to only join sports teams that correspond to their biological sex. The two measures will...

 Democratic US Sen. John Hickenlooper qualifies for Colorado primary by petition, will skip assembly

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper has qualified for Colorado’s Democratic primary after the first-term incumbent submitted enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot, state officials said. Hickenlooper is facing primary challenges from state Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and university professor...

 U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet qualifies by petition for Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet on Tuesday became the first gubernatorial candidate to qualify for Colorado’s June primary ballot after state election officials determined the three-term Democrat’s campaign submitted enough valid petition signatures. Bennet is running against Attorney General Phil Weiser...

 Hickenlooper primary challenger Julie Gonzales endorsed by national progressive group Indivisible

State Sen. Julie Gonzales’ bid to challenge U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper in Colorado’s Democratic primary got a boost Tuesday from Indivisible when the national arm of the progressive grassroots group endorsed the Denver lawmaker. The national group’s endorsement comes less...

 It’s time to let unaffiliated voters caucus | Vince Bzdek

There’s no getting around it: Colorado’s 3,000 county caucuses, which just wrapped up recently, left half the electorate out in the cold. Since unaffiliated voters now make up 51% of all Colorado voters, a majority of Colorado electors are barred...

 Colorado bill to fund mental health by raising alcohol taxes defeated in House committee

Colorado legislators on Wednesday narrowly rejected a second measure that would raised taxes on alcohol products in order to fund mental health care treatment in the state. Proponents said the new revenue is necessary to help pay for mental health...

 Trump switches endorsement back to Jeff Hurd, says Hope Scheppelman is ending run in Colorado’s 3rd CD

In a surprise twist, President Donald Trump on Friday said he is again endorsing Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd after pulling his support from the Grand Junction Republican last month and instead backing his primary challenger in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional...

 Conservation Colorado proposes measures aimed at oil and gas companies

A group has introduced four ballot measures it says are meant to counter an initiative that aims to enshrine Colorado businesses and consumers’ right to purchase and sell natural gas in the state’s constitution. Filed with the Secretary of State’s...

 Colorado Title Board advances competing redistricting proposals, revised Pinnacol measure

With just two meetings left before an April 15 deadline, the state’s Title Board on Wednesday pushed through a slate of ballot measures, including a revised proposal to privatize Pinnacol Assurance and dueling plans to redraw Colorado’s congressional map. The...

 Democrat Matt Cavanaugh ends campaign in Colorado’s 5th CD, says petition firm came up short

Democratic congressional candidate Matt Cavanaugh said Wednesday that he was ending his bid to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th District because the firm his campaign hired to gather petition signatures failed to deliver. Cavanaugh, an Army...

 Colorado voters to decide whether to ban gender surgeries for minors

Colorado voters will decide this November whether to prohibit gender surgeries for minors and bar public funding or insurance coverage for procedures that alter children’s biological sex characteristics. The measure qualified for the ballot amid a push by the federal...