On Sunday evening in Denver’s sun-baked Barnum Park, the city skyline glimmering in the distance, people fired up grills, set up lawn chairs and settled in to hear nine of the Democrats running for U.S. Senate speak in the race’s first forum. But still the candidates brought gloom and doom. “The reality is, and I […]
Election 2018
Posted inPolitics and Government
A new state lawmaker’s first session is over. And she got an earful about it at a town hall meeting.
This is the final story from an occasional series as part of The Colorado Sun’s Capitol Sunlight project explaining how state government works. Read part one and part two. LITTLETON — Lisa Cutter starts her first town hall since the end of the legislative session with a breathless list of accomplishments. Addressing mental health in […]
Posted inNews, Opinion, Opinion Columns, Politics and Government
Wist: I disagree with Tom Sullivan on policy, but the effort to recall him is wrong
Why are people so cynical about politics? Every day, more and more of our citizens opt out of political parties to join the unaffiliated ranks. Who can blame them? Too many in politics are in it for their own personal gain, not any actual desire to affect policy or make life better for our communities […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis cheered the legislative session. But his scorecard is less certain.
Gov. Jared Polis’ assessment of this year’s legislative session is unequivocal. “From my perspective, the legislative session was a huge success,” he told The Colorado Sun in an interview last week. “I think they made real progress on issues that are important to real Colorado families.” A preview of this story appeared in The Unaffiliated, […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Democratic state Rep. Rochelle Galindo resigns citing undisclosed allegations against her
Democratic state Rep. Rochelle Galindo, of Greeley, abruptly announced her resignation on Sunday afternoon citing undisclosed allegations against her. The first-year state lawmaker said the allegations against her were false, but that “they will make our fight against the pending recall effort untenable.” She didn’t provide any information on what the allegations against her are. […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Growth, Politics and Government
Colorado’s oil and gas battlefield (and campaign cash) is shifting to local elections
Gov. Jared Polis suggested Colorado’s “oil and gas wars … are over” when he signed sweeping new industry regulations into law this month. But really, the battlefield just shifted. The new law empowers counties and municipalities to exert more authority over oil and gas development, reversing the prior approach that gave the state preemptive control […]
Posted inEducation, Energy, Environment, Health, Politics and Government, Transportation
Jared Polis made a lot of promises in bid for governor. Here’s his progress on the 10 biggest.
When he kicked off his gubernatorial campaign in July 2017, Jared Polis promised to campaign on “big, bold ideas.” That’s one promise he would keep In the following 16 months, Polis pitched voters on more than 100 policy ideas big and small, promising to remake health care in the state, usher in historic expansions of […]
Posted inEducation, Energy, Health, Politics and Government
At 100-day mark, Gov. Jared Polis evaluates his campaign promises and toughest moments
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reaches the 100-day mark of his administration Thursday with plenty to celebrate, even if he didn’t deliver on one of his top campaign promises. This week, the Democrat’s top agenda item — a measure to provide state-funded, full-day kindergarten — won a key victory, and other legislation he supports is advancing […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
In final push, Democrats rush major changes to elections and campaign finance disclosure in Colorado
Better disclosure for campaign donations, automatic voter registration, longer hours to vote and more poll locations are a handful of the last-minute changes Democratic lawmakers want to make to Colorado election laws. The initiatives are designed to increase transparency surrounding money in politics and boost participating in elections and take effect in time for the […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado GOP looks to rebuild ahead of 2020 election, but first the party must reconcile the past
The Colorado Republican Party will meet Saturday to pick a new leader. But before it can look to the future, it must reconcile the past. More specifically, the party must reckon with its dismal performance in the 2018 election, where Democrats in Colorado made history and took complete control of state government for the first […]