Colorado Politics

 Democrat Shannon Bird qualifies by petition for primary ballot in Colorado’s toss-up 8th CD

Former state Rep. Shannon Bird has qualified for the Democratic primary ballot in Colorado’s hotly contested 8th Congressional District by submitting a sufficient number of petition signatures, state election officials said this week. The winner of the Democrats’ June 30...

 ‘There will be costs,’ warns Jason Crow after failed indictments for ‘illegal orders’ video | TRAIL MIX

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, the Aurora Democrat who represents Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, signaled this week that he’s considering pursuing legal action against members of the Trump administration after a federal grand jury in Washington declined to indict Crow and...

 Hickenlooper, Crow plan to donate campaign cash from Palantir execs to immigrant rights nonprofits

Two Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation said this week that they plan to donate more than $100,000 received in campaign contributions from current and former employees of Denver-based firm Palantir Technologies to local nonprofits that assist immigrants and support...

 Colorado Republicans set meeting to restrain state chair Brita Horn, but she says they can’t do that

A Colorado Republican Party officer has scheduled a meeting of the party’s state central committee to consider whether to curb state GOP chair Brita Horn’s spending authority and hold a confidence vote in her leadership, but Horn said the party...

 National Democrats add Republican Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th CD to list of targeted GOP-held seats

The House Democrats’ campaign arm on Tuesday added U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District to its list of targeted seats held by Republicans as the party aims to flip control of the chamber in this year’s midterm...

 Colorado Title Board rejects challenges to graduated income tax ballot measure

The state body that determines whether a ballot measure contains a single subject has rejected challenges to eight versions of the push to change Colorado’s flat rate to a graduated income tax, thereby increasing the taxes on higher income earners....

 President Pro Tem Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet to resign from Colorado Senate

A top Democrat in the Colorado General Assembly is resigning to take a new job. President Pro Tem Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Commerce City, who has served in the General Assembly since 2017, will become the director of the...

 Colorado GOP Chair Brita Horn rebuffs critics as fellow party officer greenlights ‘no-confidence’ vote

A Colorado Republican Party officer said last week that a move by party officials to impose restrictions on state GOP chair Brita Horn and hold a “no-confidence” vote on her leadership can proceed. Horn, however, told Colorado Politics that the...

 Evans challenger Evan Munsing qualifies by petition for Democratic primary ballot in Colorado’s 8th CD

Thornton Democrat Evan Munsing, one of three major Democratic candidates challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans’ bid for a second term, became the first candidate to qualify for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District primary after submitting a sufficient number of valid...

 Boebert’s top Dem challengers set fundraising, spending pace heading into election year | TRAIL MIX

As multiple candidates across Colorado have demonstrated in recent years, challenging US Rep. Lauren Boebert could be the most lucrative campaign fundraising pitch yet discovered in the state. For the umpteenth time, Democrats hoping to unseat the Republican congresswoman have...

 Proposal targets dual office-holding by Colorado legislators | Bills in brief

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. A bill set for...

 Colorado GOP vice chair Richard Holtorf resigns, says it’s ‘impossible’ to work with chair Brita Horn

Colorado Republican Party Vice Chair Richard Holtorf notified GOP officials on Tuesday that he will step down from the party position at the end of the month, citing his inability to work with state chair Brita Horn. Holtorf, a third-generation...

 Colorado delegation splits in House vote to end federal government shutdown

Colorado’s U.S. House members divided mostly along party lines Tuesday in separate votes on a funding deal to end the federal government’s partial shutdown, while giving Congress more time to negotiate long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers...

 Lisa Calderón launches bid for Denver mayor

The 2027 race for Denver mayor is officially underway as longtime progressive candidate Lisa Calderón on Tuesday announced her bid for the city’s top executive seat. This is her third time running for mayor. Calderón ran against Mayor Mike Johnston...

 So … why do we care about Bad Bunny? 

Puerto Rican superstar’s selection to headline first Super Bowl halftime show in Spanish has sparked global conversation and controversy Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny’s selection as the first artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show performing entirely in Spanish...

 Colorado House launches ethics review of Rep. Ron Weinberg filed by fellow GOP legislator

The Colorado House will convene an ethics committee to review a complaint filed by Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, against fellow Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland. It will be the first time since 2012 that the House has formed an...

 Colorado Republicans plan to return to Pueblo for 2026 state GOP assembly | TRAIL MIX

The Colorado Republican Party plans to hold its 2026 state assembly in Pueblo in April, marking a return to the largest city in the only county in the state that’s flipped from Democrat to Republican to Democrat to Republican in...

 Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow’s reelection campaign hauls in over $750K in 4th quarter

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow raised more than $750,000 in the final three months of 2025, marking the Aurora Democrat’s largest quarterly haul since his first run for Congress in Colorado’s 6th District, when he unseated a Republican incumbent, according to...

 Colorado’s Democratic delegation calls for Noem’s removal, ICE overhaul

The Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation on Tuesday called for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached in the wake of the second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minnesota this month amid...

 Voters will decide proposal to repeal Colorado limits on police cooperation with immigration authorities

A ballot initiative backed by the group Advance Colorado has qualified for the November general election, setting up a statewide vote on whether to undo limitations placed upon state and local law enforcement agencies’ ability to work with federal authorities....

 Republican candidates debate how to win the governor’s seat in Colorado — a position the GOP last secured in 2002

Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002. On Thursday night, four candidates offered competing visions for how the party can reverse its 20-plus years of failing to secure the seat. The discussion hosted by the Women of Weld...

 Rep. Ron Weinberg won’t seek reelection

Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg of Loveland announced on Thursday evening that he will not seek another term in the Colorado House. “Serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” the two-term state representative said on...

 Colorado title board OKs ballot measures to eliminate flat income tax in favor of graduated brackets

Proponents hoping to change Colorado’s income tax structure from a flat rate to graduated tiers — thereby raising taxes for some brackets — walked away from a Wednesday meeting with eight ballot measures approved by the title board. The coalition...

 ‘The people’s lawyer should show up,’ Democratic AG candidates say as Griswold misses forum

Watch the forum here. Three Democratic primary candidates running for Colorado attorney general used a forum Wednesday night to call out the absence of a fourth contender at an event hosted by the Denver Press Club. In their opening statements,...

 Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper raises over $1.1 million in 4th quarter for reelection bid

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s reelection campaign raised over $1.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and finished the year with more than $3.8 million in the bank, the Colorado Democrat’s campaign said Thursday. The fundraising haul brings Hickenlooper’s total...

 Democrats Michael Bennet, Phil Weiser and their backers bank $9 million for Colorado gubernatorial race

Democratic gubernatorial candidates U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, and the campaign committees that support them, entered the election year with almost $9 million on hand, as the race to succeed term-limited Colorado Gov. Jared Polis heats...

 Longtime Denver resident Dick Young, a retired rear admiral and pioneering civic advocate, dies at 94

Richard Edward Young, a retired rear admiral, attorney and towering figure in Colorado’s civic landscape for more than six decades, died Jan. 7. He was 94. A lifelong advocate for civil rights, fair housing, veterans and his neighborhood, Young was...

 Opening Day: Colorado lawmakers return to state Capitol for 2026 session

Underneath the pomp and circumstance of this morning’s opening ceremonies, the 100 lawmakers who took their seats at the state Capitol face a daunting task — how to keep the state’s economy moving forward in the midst of a challenging...

 Kenny Nguyen selected to represent Colorado House District 33

Kenny Nguyen, a member of the Broomfield City Council, was chosen by a 36-member Democratic vacancy committee on Monday to represent House District 33. Nguyen will replace Sen. William Lindstedt, who was appointed by Gov. Jared Polis last week to...

 U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser clash at Democratic gubernatorial forum

Things got a little chippy Saturday at a union hall north of Denver, as Democratic gubernatorial candidates U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sparred over the effectiveness of their respective responses to President Donald Trump’s second...