Colorado Politics

 Trump pardons Tina Peters, but Colorado officials say he can’t reverse state convictions | TRAIL MIX

President Donald Trump said late on Dec. 11 that he had issued a pardon for Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of orchestrating a scheme to breach secure election equipment, though Colorado officials and legal experts immediately countered...

 Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen cheers President Trump signing into law 2 bipartisan bills she led

President Donald Trump has signed into law two bills led by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen that address a pair of the Colorado Democrat’s signature issues —opioid addiction treatment and parents traveling by air with breast milk. Known as the SUPPORT...

 Palmer Lake to discuss Buc-ee’s, recall elections Thursday

The newly-whole Palmer Lake Board of Trustees will have an opportunity Thursday to discuss the setting for two issues going to town voters in the new year. The first is when and how to field a ballot question on the...

 Colorado vacancy panels face challenge: Replacing senator and representative from the same area

Two vacancy committees that will convene in the next month or so will have an interesting challenge: Picking a new state senator and state representative who will represent the same geographic area. The vacancy election for Senate District 25, represented...

 Colorado Democrat Julie Gonzales launches U.S. Senate primary challenge to incumbent John Hickenlooper

Declaring that Colorado “needs a fighter, not a bystander,” state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, on Monday launched her long-anticipated primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. Pitching her campaign as a departure from “old-playbook politics,” Gonzales said she’s...

 Democrat Shannon Bird to step down from Colorado legislature to campaign full-time for Congress

State Rep. Shannon Bird, a Westminster Democrat, said Sunday that she plans to resign from the Colorado legislature next month in order to focus on running for the 8th Congressional District seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans. Bird...

 Colorado Supreme Court to hear case on ballot measure disclosure requirements

The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging whether the state can require ballot measure committees to disclose the names of their registered agents in election communications. The case stems from a complaint filed during the 2020...

 Democrat Jena Griswold lands EMILYs List endorsement in Colorado attorney general race

EMILYs List, a national organization that works to elect pro-choice, Democratic women, this week endorsed Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s bid for attorney general in next year’s election. The 41-year-old Griswold, who is term-limited, was the first Democrat elected...

 Colorado secretary of state refuses to hand over election records to DOJ

Colorado will not comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to share certain voter information, Secretary of State Jena Griswold said on Wednesday. Federal authorities have sought voter data from more than two dozen states, framing it as part...

 Charles Johnson retains District 11 school board seat after election recount

The order of finish for the last of three open seats on the Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education remained the same after a recount, according to figures released Thursday from the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s...

 Income tax overhaul in Colorado clears first hurdle, as revised estimate puts tax hike at $4 billion

A state panel on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to a ballot measure that seeks to change Colorado’s flat rate of 4.41% to a graduated income tax, beginning in 2027, and raise billions dollars in new revenue. Now the proponents of...

 Colorado title board to review graduated income tax proposal for 2026 election

The Secretary of State’s title board on Wednesday will review another attempt at a graduated income tax ballot measure for the 2026 general election. In October, the title board had rejected two proposals submitted by the Bell Policy Center because...

 Palmer Lake could see three special elections next year

Turmoil continues in the town of Palmer Lake, where a Board of Trustees with frequent turnover has been deadlocked on multiple issues for months. The next year could see the town settling its differences in as many as three special...

 Colorado Springs D-11 board member running for state House seat

A Colorado Springs District 11 board member has thrown their hat into the ring for a seat in the state House of Representatives. A candidate affidavit and committee registration form for Jill Haffley, vice president of D-11’s Board of Education,...

 Campaign finance complaints add up for Bennet campaign

Three state campaign finance complaints have been filed against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, tied to his campaign for governor in 2026. A fourth is likely, sources have told Colorado Politics. The first two were filed on Sept. 24 and...

 Colorado’s Michael Bennet rode outrage over last government shutdown to presidential bid | TRAIL MIX

Only weeks after the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ended with congressional Democrats’ demands to restore health care funding previously cut by Republicans left dangling, the high-stakes standoff that dominated political news for 43 days has already receded...

 Jason Crow rips Pentagon probe into Mark Kelly over video urging troops to refuse ‘illegal orders’

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow on Monday accused President Donald Trump of trying to incite violence and intimidate critics after the Pentagon announced an investigation into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly’s participation in a video produced with Crow and other Democratic...

 Using AI analysis, campaign finance complaints lodged against Jena Griswold, Phil Weiser

Using artificial intelligence as analytical tool, a resident of Longmont has filed complaints against two prominent Colorado Democrats, alleging multiple campaign finance violations. The complaints are among a growing number of campaign finance allegations against individuals running for some of...

 Trump economic policies cost Colorado households more than $1,000 on average, national Democrats say

Colorado families had to shell out over $1,000 more on average to afford the same items in the first eight months of the Trump administration, according to an analysis of inflation data released Monday by the Democratic National Committee. The...

 Communities across Colorado voted on ballot issues | Cronin and Loevy

By Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy  The results of the November 2025 odd-year elections are well known. Democrats easily won the Virginia and New Jersey governor elections and, in a number of other state elections, bested the Republicans.  In Colorado, the big 2025 election news...

 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia says she is resigning from Congress

WASHINGTON — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a supporter of President Donald Trump who has become a critic, said Friday she is resigning from Congress in January. Greene, in a more than 10-minute video posted online, explained her decision,...

 Colorado ballot measure for tougher fentanyl penalties moves forward

A proposed measure that would increase penalties for fentanyl manufacturing, distribution and possession has collected enough signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot, following several failed attempts by the state legislature to pass similar legislation. Backed by Advance Colorado, the...

 Democrat Kubs Lalchandani kicks off campaign for open CU regent seat in Colorado’s 2nd CD

Boulder Democrat Kubs Lalchandani, an attorney and serial entrepreneur, has thrown his hat in the ring for the open University of Colorado Board of Regents seat representing the 2nd Congressional District in next year’s election. The incumbent, Democrat Callie Rennison,...

 Colorado Republicans call meeting to rein in chair Brita Horn, but state GOP says plans are ‘illegal’

They’re at it again. For the second time in as many years, a group of Colorado Republicans are planning to convene a meeting of the party’s state central committee despite the state GOP insisting that the proposed meeting would be...

 Why winning as an independent remains a long shot, despite Colorado voters fleeing the two major parties

When Yemi Mobolade won the Colorado Springs mayor’s race in 2023, he made history as the city’s first independent leader — and gave new hope to voters frustrated with America’s two-party politics. But even as unaffiliated voters now make up...

 Colorado’s Democratic senators slam deal to end shutdown, vow to fight for health care tax credits

Colorado’s two Democratic U.S. senators voted against a bipartisan deal reached Sunday to end the longest federal government shutdown in history, blasting the package’s failure to extend some health insurance tax credits. The full Senate passed spending legislation late Monday...

 6 mountain communities increase lodging taxes, 2 reject the tax hike

Six mountain communities across Colorado voted on Tuesday to raise their lodging taxes after the state legislature passed a bill allowing counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare...

 Jeff Crank challenger Jessica Killin’s internal poll shows toss-up race in Colorado’s 5th CD

Democratic congressional candidate Jessica Killin is running neck-and-neck with Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank a year before the 2026 election in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, according to a new internal poll of likely voters released Wednesday by Killin’s campaign. The...

 Early leaders maintained lead in Denver school board race

The Denver Public School board of education candidates who led early on Election Night continued to gain ground, as additional results were released on Wednesday, with no races tightening as the day went on. As of noon Wednesday, about 70%...

 Littleton anti-density measure passes, pro-density mayor wins election

Voters in Littleton passed a ballot measure against housing “density,” though they returned to office the mayor who supports the push for multiplexes and similar dwellings in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes. That dichotomy raised questions about how the City...