Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday asked state lawmakers to spend $1.3 billion on an economic stimulus package that he said would create up to 15,000 jobs and boost the state’s economy by 11% over current projections. “Making these investments now with this one-time money will help restore economic growth faster and better, and shrink […]
John Frank
John Frank is a former Colorado Sun staff writer. He left the publication in January 2021.
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Colorado continues to shift blue: The 2020 election, explained in graphics
Colorado’s political map is looking more and more blue. The 2020 election continued the decades-long shift toward Democrats in Colorado, led by voters in suburban counties and punctuated by huge turnout in the party’s strongholds of Denver and Boulder. “Colorado is officially blue. Not purple, not periwinkle, not powder blue,” says Steve Welchert, a veteran […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Hickenlooper and Bennet seem like twins, but they are expected to go different directions in Washington
In the U.S. Senate, Colorado is now represented by two politicians whose biographies are so similar they look identical at first glance. U.S. Sen.-elect John Hickenlooper and Democratic incumbent Michael Bennet both graduated from Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts school in Connecticut. Both are East Coast transplants who made millions in business in Colorado […]
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Democrats debate need for diversity in selecting their statehouse leadership
Democrats in the state legislature debated over including women and people of color in their leadership Thursday, just two days after the party affirmed its majority at Colorado Capitol. Identity politics defined a four-way race for majority leader in the House, as lawmakers made the case for certain candidates based on race, gender and geography. […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Democrats hold their majorities at Colorado Capitol but GOP blunts a second blue wave
Democratic state lawmakers boosted their majority in the state Senate by one seat and maintained their strong numbers in the House after balloting ended Tuesday. But new House leadership, 16 new lawmakers, a continuing pandemic and the budget fallout from a voter-approved tax cut may make for challenging times in the 2021 General Assembly. Senate […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Does Cory Gardner have a future in politics now that he’s lost his U.S. Senate seat?
What’s next for Cory Gardner? That’s the big question on Colorado Republicans’ minds a day after Gardner was decisively knocked out of his U.S. Senate seat by Democrat John Hickenlooper. At only 46, Gardner still has plenty of time to regroup and continue his political career, which began in 2005 when he was appointed to […]
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
John Hickenlooper easily defeats Cory Gardner in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race
Updated 10:15 p.m. Nov. 3, 2020 Riding a wave of opposition to President Donald Trump, former Gov. John Hickenlooper defeated Republican incumbent Cory Gardner in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race. The Democratic victory Tuesday put the party in position to take control of the U.S. Senate, but the balance of power still hinges on races in […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Joe Biden wins in Colorado, easily defeating President Donald Trump to take the state’s 9 electoral votes
Updated 9:16 p.m. Nov. 3, 2020 Democrat Joe Biden is cruising to victory in Colorado, taking the state’s nine electoral votes in a contest that was never in doubt. The former vice president’s victory over President Donald Trump became clear soon after polls closed, and five major TV networks declared Biden the winner in Colorado […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor’s new budget plan includes $1.3 billion stimulus to kick-start state economy
Gov. Jared Polis is proposing a $1.3 billion stimulus package that he says will jump-start the Colorado economy — but it’s not clear the money exists to cover the cost. The stimulus package is a key part of the $31 billion budget proposal the Democrat issued Monday and it includes the previously announced $375 checks […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
How high will the blue wave crest in Colorado? Democrats are predicting big wins once again.
In the final days of the 2020 campaign, Lisa Cutter is not taking anything for granted. The state representative is the first Democrat to win her western Jefferson County district, part of a Democratic wave in 2018 that gave the party control of state government and the lawmaking process. Cutter feels the pressure to win […]