Colorado Politics

 Colorado Politics Calendar Aug. 31-Sept. 6

CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...

 Tancredo in Running for Dept. of Ed. Position | A LOOK BACK

Forty-five years ago this week: “I know that my name has been placed before the Secretary of Education, and I know that I’m one of three or four being considered for the Department of Education’s Region 8,” said state Rep....

 DougCo commissioners set ballot language for initiative to expand board from 3 to 5 members

Douglas County commissioners on Friday approved revised ballot language for a voter-led initiative that would expand the board from three members to five.  Following a contentious public comment period, commissioners approved additional language that included the estimated ongoing expense to...

 Colorado measure adding ID checks to mail-in voting qualifies for ballot

A ballot initiative that would require voters to include additional information on mail-in ballots has qualified for the November election, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Backed by El Paso County Treasurer Chuck Broerman and former Deputy Secretary of...

 Colorado election website error exposes personal data of confidential voters

A system update accidentally lifted protections on confidential records in Colorado, exposing dozens of voters’ personal information, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The limit that normally blocks access to confidential voter profiles was inadvertently disabled during an update...

 PUC adds weekly comment after killing private talks

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will take public comment at the start of every commissioner’s weekly meeting beginning Sept. 9 as part of its new transparency mandate, the commission announced, expanding a slot previously limited to the second Wednesday of...

 10th Circuit overturns framework for sentencing probation violators by 11-1

In a rare decision by all 12 of its full-time judges, the Denver-based federal appeals court ruled in a lopsided vote on Friday that one of its members created a sentencing process for probation violators that was out of step...

 Federal judge dismisses excessive force lawsuit against Colorado Springs, officer

A federal judge concluded last week that a Colorado Springs police officer could not be held liable for shooting a suspect three times after the man menaced two victims with a gun and fled the scene. Al’morion Germany was involved...

 DeFlock started from one man’s curiosity — now Flock cameras are a midterm issue

Will Freeman wasn’t looking to start a national movement when he launched DeFlock after noticing Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers along the side of the road. The software engineer was driving across the country in 2024 when the cameras...

 Aurora student journalist cleared of disciplinary charges after ignoring ‘gag order’

A Community College of Aurora student who accused the college of putting an “unconstitutional gag order” on his student-run publication was cleared of disciplinary charges against him. CCA student Andrew Green tried to register his independent student publication, called “FoxTalk,”...

 Colorado leaders cheer court decision to block Trump’s mail ballot order in a ruling that’s likely to be swiftly appealed

A federal judge on Thursday halted — at least for now — attempts to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to restrict the mailing of ballots to American citizens on an eligible voters list. The move stalled the...

 Healthcare Freefall: AI arms race hits rural healthcare as hospitals fight to keep up

Editor’s Note: Colorado’s healthcare system is entering a period of accelerating instability — a “tsunami,” as multiple leaders describe it — driven by collapsing hospital finances, shrinking Medicaid reimbursements, disappearing services and a political fight over who is responsible for...

 Sales tax for Front Range passenger train heading to Colorado ballot in November

NORTHEAST OF PUEBLO — The Front Range Passenger Rail District board of directors voted 14-1 Friday to refer a funding measure connected to the Colorado Connector train service to the November ballot. The vote was held at the Federal Railroad...

 House will vote to denounce socialism

The House of Representatives is set to vote next week when lawmakers return to condemn and denounce “socialism in all its forms,” specifically pointing to the growing Democratic Socialists of America organization. The House voted to condemn socialism last year,...

 El Paso County upholds Buc-ee’s zoning appeal, clearing way for administrative approval

A packed, daylong meeting on Thursday resulted in a win for the Texas travel center chain Buc-ee’s, with El Paso County commissioners voting 4-1 to approve the developer’s zoning appeal. “I think the burden of proof has been met here,”...

 Healthcare freefall: UNC’s new medical school aims to tackle Colorado’s rural doctor shortage

Editor’s Note: Colorado’s healthcare system is entering a period of accelerating instability — a “tsunami,” as multiple leaders describe it — driven by collapsing hospital finances, shrinking Medicaid reimbursements, disappearing services and a political fight over who is responsible for...

 Healthcare freefall: Economic ripple effects grow as Colorado hospitals face financial strain

Colorado’s hospital systems aren’t just a network of clinics and emergency rooms — they are also one of the state’s largest economic engines. So some 10 hospitals identified at any given time as vulnerable to closure, the alarm extends far...

 Gubernatorial candidates Phil Weiser, Greg Lopez spar, as Marx skips debate

Two of the candidates for Colorado governor squared off in a televised debate on Thursday night, when Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic nominee, and former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, an unaffiliated candidate, delved into issues of affordability, data center...

 Troops, taxes, war dominate Colorado’s 5th CD debate between Jeff Crank, Jessica Killin

Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank and Democratic challenger Jessica Killin on Thursday night clashed over the war in Iran, the federal budget and healthcare when they took the stage in Colorado Springs for a sold-out debate in the race to...

 5th Congressional debate watchers hope for civility, truthfulness

A few hundred people watched Rep. Jeff Crank and veteran Jessica Killin square off in a debate for the 5th Congressional District at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday evening. Many of them sported campaign insignia...

 DPS meets Marrero’s academic goals, but most students remain below state standards

The majority of Denver Public Schools students do not meet state standards — and the academic goals set by Superintendent Alex Marrero’s administration do not expect them to. Marrero’s first strategic road map in 2021 set a goal of 10%...

 WATCH: Republican US Rep. Jeff Crank, Democratic challenger Jessica Killin debate in Colorado’s 5th CD

Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank and Jessica Killin, his Democratic challenger, are scheduled to meet for a televised debate in the race to represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District on Thursday night. The candidates are set to take the stage at...

 Colorado gubernatorial candidates Phil Weiser, Greg Lopez to face off Thursday in televised debate

Two of the candidates for governor of Colorado are set to square off in a televised debate for the first time Thursday night, when Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic nominee, and former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, an unaffiliated candidate,...

 Castle Pines council approves annexation policy, opposes citizen ballot initiative

Castle Pines approved its first annexation policy Tuesday while pushing back against a citizen ballot initiative that would create additional hurdles for developments seeking annexation into the city. In March, the city placed a moratorium on annexations until an official...

 Weld County man sentenced to 236 years for sexually assaulting 9-year-old girl

A Weld County man was sentenced to 236 years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. Joshua Andrews, 41, was charged in June with 12 counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position...

 Colorado officials warn of e-bike safety amid increase in serious youth injuries

Serious injuries involving e-bikes, e-scooters and children have risen significantly in Colorado over the past year and a half. Traumatic injuries involving e-bikes have risen 184%, according to Alicia Melven, Colorado injury prevention and outreach specialist for Children’s Hospital Colorado’s...

 Colorado State Fair youth golf tournament celebrates 11 years

Twenty-eight teams tee off Friday at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo for a tournament supporting 4-H, Future Farmers of America and capital improvements at the Colorado State Fair. Now in its 11th year, the Partners of Youth in Ag...

 Controversial two-bag furbearer limit heads to CPW meeting under legal threat

Next week’s Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in La Junta is likely to open under the cloud of threatened legal action. Safari Club International and the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation warned the commission this month that its July vote imposing...

 Arapahoe County going ‘all in’ on water conservation in open spaces, parks

Arapahoe County is going “all in” on open space water conservation as Colorado’s drought continues, county officials said. Arapahoe County Open Space officials are modernizing irrigation systems, rethinking turf and cutting water use when possible, according to a statement on...

 Colorado quantum company gets another $20M from NASA to send tech to space

NASA is ready to take the next step in sending a Colorado company’s quantum technology into space. The federal space agency awarded Infleqtion another $20 million to develop its Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder, bringing the total to $40 million, Infleqtion...