opinion
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The subtle independence at the heart of Ben Nighthorse Campbell’s shrewd politics | HUDSON
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To have known Ben Nighthorse Campbell was to like him. He had a knack for putting people at ease, making them look forward to another meeting. I certainly felt that way. It wasn’t just his humor or his mesmerizing intensity, but his lack of pretense. Ben decided to be himself long before he became a…
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They don’t make ’em like Ben Nighthorse Campbell anymore | GABEL
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There are many things to appreciate about the late Ben Nighthorse Campbell, but one of the items at the top of the list is his belief that it’s more important to kill bad bills than to sign onto a mediocre bill in the name of visibility. His time in the statehouse was the era of…
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Colorado’s ski bums on strike vs. ‘Big Ski’ | CALDARA
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Hopefully, by the time you read this, the strike up at Telluride Ski Resort is over, ski patrollers are again joyfully sliding down mountains and getting paid for it, and tourists are once again being overcharged for… well, everything. But there are some lessons buried in this story of ski bums going all Norma Rae…
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The year the Capitol Christmas tree was delivered by a senator | OPINION
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The voice on the phone was familiar, but the request was not. It was the latter part of September 2000. The person on the other end of the line was U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Over the years I had a number of calls with Ben as he served in different elected roles, so I was…
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Bringing a local community approach to Colorado health policy | PODIUM
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By Sheila Lieder Health policy is not always a straightforward topic of discussion. There are many aspects to the complex health care system we’re used to. When issues arise at the national level, disagreement and dueling press conferences can slow progress and constructive results that build a better future. When you bring these subjects into…
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Protecting 340B means protecting access to care close to home | OPINION
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By Patrick Demmer As a pastor and community advocate in Colorado, I have spent more than four decades walking alongside people in moments of hardship, families facing illness, seniors choosing between prescriptions and groceries, and working parents stretched to the breaking point. In those moments, access to affordable, local health care isn’t an abstract policy…
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Rounding up a year that mostly won’t be missed | BIDLACK
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As I sat down to write this, my last column of 2025, I reflected back on a year that was, well, interesting from an old political science professor’s perspective, but which contained a lot of pain for a lot of people. And as is pretty much always the case, I found Colorado Politics to be…
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Colorado Republicans at a crossroads on election integrity | OPINION
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By Matt Crane For more than two decades, I have worked to make Colorado’s elections accurate, secure and transparent. As Arapahoe County Clerk, I strengthened audits, pushed for transparency, and advocated common-sense safeguards like photo identification. Later, as an election security consultant to the federal government hired during the first Trump administration, I helped states…
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Colorado’s next governor should make kids in foster care a priority | OPINION
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By Shari F. Shink The next governor of Colorado has the chance to improve the lives of thousands of children in foster care and we’re not talking about new legislation. It’s a matter of making these invisible kids a priority and having the willpower to make the system more transparent and accountable. It might not…
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Colorado’s unaffiliated vote is up for grabs in 2026 | Dick Wadhams
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Leaders of both parties often dismiss the stunning increase in “unaffiliated” voters as just a result of automatic registration when getting a driver license or some other government process. It must make them feel better about the plummeting number of registered Democrats and Republicans in the past 10 years. As of Dec. 1, 2025, there…
