As the Marshall fire raged in my backyard, Gov. Jared Polis was also releasing a series of decisions that should not go overlooked. His actions included a sentence reduction for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, the I-70 truck driver, and 1,315 pardons for marijuana possession — both matters I’ve been vocal on. Polis also appointed his former gubernatorial […]
Walker Stapleton
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
Where do Colorado Republicans go from here?
Four years ago, before Donald Trump was president, Colorado Republicans had a place at the table. They held one of Colorado’s U.S. Senate seats and three statewide offices: attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. The GOP was even in power at the Colorado Capitol, where the state Senate was in the party’s hands, forcing […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Wilson: Stapleton finally says goodbye to a Denver klansman’s legacy
At long last, Denver’s klansman mayor, Benjamin Stapleton, will have his name stripped from a neighborhood. Some said it could never happen. They said that like Charlton Heston and guns, we’d have to pry Stapleton’s name out of the Master Community Association’s cold, dead hands. Thankfully, nothing that drastic had to take place. Just a […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Hickenlooper has likely secured his spot on the U.S. Senate primary ballot. But will the Democratic base embrace him?
John Hickenlooper on Wednesday likely secured his spot on Colorado’s 2020 Democratic U.S. Senate primary ballot, turning in thousands of signatures — about a month earlier than necessary — to ensure he is part of the June election. But the two-term former governor still faces a test in the form of the the state’s caucuses […]
Posted inGrowth, Politics and Government
Colorado hits a new milestone with unaffiliated voters and busts the myth about its even partisan split
To make a case that he can win over a divided nation, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet often points to his home state. “This is a state that is exactly a third Democrat, a third Republican and a third independent,” the Colorado senator says, as he did recently at a town hall in Denver. The […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Problems with Colorado’s petition process are as common as elections themselves
I must admit I have been following The Colorado Sun’s coverage of the Kennedy trial with more than a little interest. You see, my campaign for governor last year was right in the middle of the signature gathering mess that started it all. And I took more than a little heat from my party for […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Judge awards Walker Stapleton money he paid signature-gathering firm after wrongdoing allegations threatened his campaign
Political consulting firm Kennedy Enterprises must return about $235,000 it earned gathering signatures intended to get 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee Walker Stapleton on the primary ballot, a Denver District Court judge ruled on Friday Stapleton sued the signature-gathering firm after fraud allegations about the more than 21,000 signatures Kennedy collected at a cost of $11 […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Lawsuit against signature-gathering firm illustrates problems with Colorado’s process to get on the ballot, lawyer says
Colorado has deep-seated problems with its petition system that could prevent qualified candidates from getting on the ballot, says an attorney for 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee Walker Stapleton. Stapleton is suing a company he hired to collect thousands of signatures to land him on the primary ballot in a case that is slated to go […]
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 inNews, Politics and Government
7 Colorado political myths busted in the 2018 election
The extraordinary nature of the 2018 election in Colorado defied the conventional wisdom. Or as Rick Ridder, the veteran Democratic pollster and strategist argues, it’s the year of busted political myths. In a new analysis shared with The Colorado Sun, Ridder and associate Ariane Williams outline the myths that they contend were destroyed by the […]