Colorado would be required to spend all of the revenue it generates from taxes, tolls and fees imposed on transportation for the sole purpose of improving the state’s roads under a pair of ballot measures filed recently by two retired Republican businessmen.
Right now, much of that revenue, including from fees on deliveries, goes toward transit projects, like buses and trains.
Initiatives 125 and 126, which would change the state’s constitution, would go before voters in 2026. They must first be approved by the state’s Title Board, and their proponents will also have to collect enough signatures to make the ballot. (The measures are effectively the same and supporters will likely only move forward with one depending on how the Title Board process plays out.)
Those are some big “ifs.”
Placing a measure on the ballot that alters the state constitution requires 125,000 voter signatures, including ones from at least 2% of the voters in each of Colorado’s 35 state Senate districts. That task can cost millions of dollars.
Then, if the measure makes the ballot, it must be approved by 55% of voters to pass. It would go into effect in 2027.
The initiatives appear to be specifically targeted at the transportation fees imposed by Democrats in the legislature through Senate Bill 260 in 2021. That measure placed fees on gasoline and diesel purchases, deliveries, and rideshare trips.
Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to use the courts to invalidate the fees, which are projected to raise billions of dollars.
The ballot box is where they’re taking their battle next, with Initiatives 125 and 126. There are also pending ballot measures that would require voter approval for fees, just as the state constitution already requires for taxes through the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
The measures were filed by Don Hanneman, a retired contractor from Castle Rock, and Michael A. Hancock, a retired tech executive who lives in Aurora. But the initiatives also have the support of some influential and deep-pocketed groups and people.
That includes the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Contractor’s Association (which lobbied in support of Senate Bill 260) and Grand Junction Mayor Cody Kennedy. The 76 Group, a conservative political consulting firm, is also working on the effort.
“The lack of transportation funding has reached a point of critical concern. In order for Colorado to stay competitive, we need funding for roads and bridges infrastructure that meets the needs of our industries that operate statewide,” Loren Furman, who leads the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, said in a written statement.
Furman told The Unaffiliated that the chamber’s board hasn’t taken a formal position on the ballot initiatives because that requires a board vote. But the Colorado Contractors Association is all in.
“A lot has changed since 260 passed in 2021,” Tony Milo, who leads the Colorado Contractor’s Association, told The Unaffiliated. “That was the largest transportation package in Colorado history. At the time, that was the (solution) that was being offered. It did increase road funding. However, it’s not nearly enough.”
While Milo said that transit is nice to have, roads remain the primary way Coloradans get around — and the state’s roads are in poor condition.
“There’s no conversation. There’s no plan to try to stem this tide, to try to turn this around,” he said. “So out of sheer frustration, we are trying to find more ways to get money into our roads.”
Welcome to The Unaffiliated, the politics and policy newsletter from The Colorado Sun. Each week, we take you inside the political arena to deliver news and insights on Colorado politics. Keep reading for even more exclusive news.
If you’re reading this newsletter but not signed up for it, here’s how to get it sent directly to your email inbox. Please send feedback and tips to jesse@coloradosun.com.
CORRECTION: Last week’s newsletter included the incorrect title for Colton Jonjak Plahn. The House District 19 candidate is a former vice chair of the Boulder County Democratic Party.
OTHER NEW BALLOT MEASURES
Initiatives 125 and 126 aren’t the only new ballot measures making their way through the Title Board.
Michael Fields, who leads the conservative political nonprofit Advance Colorado, is behind a wave of initiatives filed recently with Legislative Council Staff, which is the first step in the approval process.
Those include:
All of those would be on the November 2026 ballot.
There are just four citizen initiatives that are currently approved for signature gathering. Those are:
WHAT TO WATCH IN THE WEEK AHEAD
DO THE MATH
$10,922.48
The total salary Yadira Caraveo was paid by her congressional campaign between launching her 2026 bid on April 15 and the end of June.
This isn’t the first time Caraveo, a Thornton Democrat, has paid herself a salary out of her congressional campaign account. During the 2022 election cycle, when she was seeking to represent the 8th Congressional District for the first time, Caraveo paid herself about $44,000, saying she needed to do so to pay off the student loans she incurred to become a pediatrician.
Caraveo didn’t pay herself a salary when she ran for reelection in 2024, as Federal Election Commission rules prohibit sitting members of Congress from paying themselves to campaign.
It’s perfectly legal for congressional candidates who are not incumbents to take a salary from their campaigns, as long as the compensation doesn’t exceed the lesser of:
But candidates who pay themselves a salary from their campaigns can invite attacks from opponents and risk turning off voters. And Caraveo’s decision to pay herself a salary comes as her campaign is lagging far behind her primary opponents and the Republican incumbent in cash on hand. Like $1.1 million behind.
So far, Caraveo is the lone salaried staffer working on her campaign. She has paid several consulting firms and one individual consultant, but Caraveo is the only staffer on the payroll.
Caraveo’s campaign didn’t respond this week to a message seeking comment on the payments.
Caraveo is running to reclaim her seat from Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton, who beat her in 2024 by about 2,500 votes. Evans paid himself a salary of about $10,000 during the 2024 election cycle.
Caraveo is one of seven Democrats running to unseat Evans next year. She appears to be the only one being paid a salary for campaigning.
THE NARRATIVE
Brianna Titone’s pilot about the legislature is out — and the storylines are familiar
State Rep. Brianna Titone, an Arvada Democrat who is running for state treasurer next year, has been creating a TV series about a fictitious state legislature. But the roughly 17-minute pilot for “General Assembly” is out — and some of the storylines are very familiar.
The main character, played by Titone, is a transgender lawmaker who narrowly won a race she was projected to lose. (As Titone did.) The lead takes on a bill that would allow people to compost their bodies. (As Titone did.) There’s even a young, slightly disheveled and monotone House reading clerk with long hair. (Mr. Schiebel, is that you?)
Will the next episode feature a very short male reporter running around in a tie that’s not secured properly? (Jesse would like to make his TV debut.)
The pilot was filmed in the actual Colorado House chambers. A website marketing the project says Titone “always dreamt of a career in film and television, but she became a geochemist and a politician instead.”
You can watch the pilot for yourself and see the pitch deck here.
Want to reach Colorado political influencers and support quality local journalism? The Sun can help get your message attention through a sponsorship of The Unaffiliated, the must-read politics and policy newsletter in Colorado. Contact Sylvia Harmon at underwriting@coloradosun.com for more information.
THE POLITICAL TICKER
ELECTION 2026
Pueblo West Republican Michelle Gray has filed to run next year in state House District 60, which is currently represented by state Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose.
Luck has not filed to run for reelection.
Meanwhile, Democrat Kevin Leung, a former Douglas County School District Board member, is running to represent Senate District 30. The GOP-leaning district is represented by Sen. John Carson, R-Highlands Ranch.
ADS TARGET POLIS
The group Blue Rising Together is running TV and digital ads in Colorado Springs this weekend blasting Gov. Jared Polis for vetoing a bill regulating social media sites. The measure had the aim of protecting kids.
The ads are meant to coincide with the National Governor’s Association meeting at the Broadmoor.
“Gov. Polis’ veto needlessly endangers Colorado’s kids,” Blue Rising Together Executive Director Dawn Reinfeld said in a written statement. “When the governor of Colorado vetoes legislation supported by two-thirds of the legislature and the vast majority of his constituents, we can’t just sweep it under the rug. This issue is too critical.”
READ MORE
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
YOU HEARD IT HERE
Vick was referring to the state-level super PAC supporting Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s gubernatorial campaign. It’s funded by a political nonprofit and organizations that support charter schools, both of which are predominantly funded by hidden donors. The Colorado Sun refers to those as dark money groups.
“The fact that we don’t know where this money is coming from lends itself to questions about what is the end game,” Vick said.
As a state-level super PAC, formally known as an independent expenditure committee, Rocky Mountain Way cannot coordinate with Bennet. He has no control over the group. But the committee can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, making it a potent force in Bennet’s Democratic primary race against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The CEA hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the race yet. Vick said it’s too early to tell if the PAC will hurt Bennet’s chances of winning the union’s support.
WEISER GETS A SUPER PAC
A state-level super PAC formed this week to support Weiser’s campaign for governor.
Fighting for Colorado filed with the state Tuesday to support the Democrat. It won’t have to report its fundraising and spending until Oct. 15.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
The Colorado Sun is part of The Trust Project. Read our policies.
Corrections & Clarifications
Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.