Republicans are crying foul over campaign finance decisions by a deputy secretary of state who rejected recommendations by the Campaign Finance Enforcement team organized a year ago by Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat. A record number of complaints were filed in 2020 along with the second highest fine issued in recent years. But […]
Suzanne Staiert
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Political chess games aside, the race in Colorado’s Senate District 27 was about issues
My family and I have lived in Colorado state Senate District 27, centered on Centennial, since 1976. I was raised here, and I’m raising my family here. In that time, I have come to know my community well — its businesses, its shops and restaurants, its parks and open spaces, its people. I’ve also witnessed […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: On a campaign “less about winning and more about destroying me”
After an election, most winners and losers are either celebrating or on to the next race. I was just glad it was over. I had lost in a suburban local Senate race that saw me spectacularly dragged through the mud in a one-sided negative-ad spending spree that would put Imelda Marcos to shame. I didn’t […]
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 inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Democrats dominate campaign fundraising and spend big to build majority in the Colorado legislature
Democrats are outspending Republicans in state legislative races, and super PACs are pouring in $10 million, as the majority party looks poised to make gains in both chambers. A few of the competitive races are exceeding the $1 million mark with the most expensive contest — a state Senate seat in Adams County — topping […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Ethics complaints. Big spending. A criminal allegation. This may be the nastiest campaign in Colorado.
Suzanne Staiert’s state Senate campaign slogan is “Practical. Not Political.” But the Republican competing for an open Centennial seat is finding herself in the midst of a political maelstrom and new questions are surfacing about her work as a lawyer. Staiert is representing a dark money nonprofit whose affiliated super PAC spent $175,000 on advertising […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Republicans are trailing Democrats across Colorado. They hope to gain ground with their ground game.
AURORA — One Saturday morning this month, a few dozen volunteers gathered in the mostly empty parking lot at Smoky Hill Library to knock on voters’ doors in support of two Republican legislative candidates. Suzanne Staeirt, who is running for a hotly contested state Senate seat, told the group before they headed out that they […]
Posted inCOVID, News, Politics and Government
Health care, the environment, coronavirus: How the pandemic has become a top election-year issue in Colorado
AURORA — When Suzanne Staiert knocks on doors and asks voters about their top-of-mind issues as part of her statehouse campaign, the response these days usually has something to do with the state of the economy or the reopening of schools. What all the concerns have in common: coronavirus. “Some of them want to know […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
What you need to know about the ethics complaint against John Hickenlooper, explained in 6 questions
The ethics case against former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is escalating ahead of a scheduled hearing on whether he violated the state’s constitutional gift ban by accepting flights on private jets and attending an exclusive conference in Italy. Hickenlooper, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, faces a subpoena to testify at a hearing Thursday before […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Two lawsuits filed against Colorado governor’s decision to allow signature collection through email, mail
Two groups — including one hoping to ask voters in November to ban abortions in Colorado after 22 weeks of gestation — have filed separate lawsuits challenging Gov. Jared Polis’ executive order allowing signatures to be gathered for ballot initiatives through email and mail. The lawsuits appear to be the first direct legal challenges to […]