June primary
Posted inPolitics and Government

Once a centrist, Andrew Romanoff’s sharp turn to the left raises questions in U.S. Senate primary

by Evan Ochsner and John Frank

Andrew Romanoff denounces his rival John Hickenlooper in the Democratic U.S. Senate race as an out-of-touch centrist with ties to business interests who is willing to compromise and accept big campaign checks from corporations. But decades ago, when he led a “New Democrat” coalition and served as a moderate leader in the state legislature, the […]

Posted inCOVID, Politics and Government

How Colorado will run an election amid the coronavirus and what it means for the June primary

by John Frank and Lauren Irwin

The start of early in-person voting this week in Colorado marks a key test for officials across the state on how to conduct an election in the middle of a pandemic. The June 30 statewide primary will serve as a trial run for the all-important November election and offer clues about whether the emergency public […]

Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government

Oil and gas donors become an issue in Democratic primary, but most of the money is flowing to the GOP

by Sandra Fish

Andrew Romanoff is criticizing his opponent in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary for accepting money from oil and gas executives, but most of the industry’s campaign cash is headed to the Republican incumbent.  John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor who worked decades ago as a geologist for an oil and gas company, accepted about $63,000 […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

2020 battle for power at the Capitol starts with these big-money Colorado legislative primaries

by Sandra Fish

Colorado’s legislative primaries are coming down to a battle of partisanship: Is one Republican more conservative than another? Which Democrat will hold the party line? The ideological tests — which mirror the party purity tests in th U.S. Senate race and at the national level — could significantly influence the conversation at the Capitol next […]

Posted inPolitics and Government

Dark money group drops $500,000 to help put a paid family leave initiative on November ballot

by Sandra Fish

A dark money Democratic powerhouse is fueling a potential ballot initiative to require paid sick leave. Sixteen Thirty Fund put $500,000 into Colorado Families First, an issue committee that is aiming to put the measure on the November ballot, according to new campaign finance reports filed this week. Sixteen Thirty, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that […]

Posted inPolitics and Government

Colorado’s Democratic race for U.S. Senate is essentially set. It’s Romanoff vs. Hickenlooper.

by John Frank

The primary ballot is all-but official: It’s a two-man race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Colorado. John Hickenlooper, the two-term former governor, and Andrew Romanoff, the former state House speaker, will compete in June for the chance to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in one of the nation’s most-watched November contests. […]

Posted inCOVID, Politics and Government

How the coronavirus snuffed the primary for U.S. Senate and cemented Hickenlooper as the front-runner

by John Frank

Not too long ago, this week should have marked a definitive moment in Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. The insurgent progressive expected to stand on a big stage, in front of hundreds of supporters at the Colorado Democratic Party assembly, and claim the top line on the June 30 primary ballot. Instead, the […]

Posted inPolitics and Government

Lorena Garcia casts herself as the true progressive in U.S. Senate race. But first she needs to make the ballot.

by John Frank

Inside a lesbian bar on East Colfax Avenue in Denver, a stream of Democrats — overwhelmingly young, diverse and hip — gather in front of a table with clipboards.  The white petitions glow in the neon light and beckon the three dozen in the crowd to help Lorena Garcia, a little-known candidate, qualify for Colorado’s […]