Colorado Politics

 Colorado bingo night: It’s all about the prizes, not so much the charity

It’s a Thursday night at Bingo Oasis in Northglenn.   Located on the outer edge of a nondescript strip mall just west of I-25, it has a simple façade sign advertising what goes on behind the mirrored and postered windows: BINGO.  ...

 Colorado allocates $7.5M for food assistance program for women and children amid federal shutdown

The federal government shutdown prompted the Colorado General Assembly’s budget writers to take action on Tuesday, allocating additional funds to the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) food program. The state portion of the federal program falls under the Department of...

 For now, shutdown’s impact is minimal on Colorado government, though officials say state will see ripple effects if it persists

Colorado officials do not not expect to see major impacts on Colorado-run programs or its workforce for the first week of the federal shutdown, though the state stands to feel the strain, particularly if the stoppage goes into the second...

 Colorado governor proposes to keep Rocky Mountain National Park open amid potential government shutdown

With a federal government shutdown looming, Colorado’s governor is proposing to use local funds to keep open one of the state’s biggest attractions — Rocky Mountain National Park. In a statement to Colorado Politics on Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis said,...

 Report ranks Colorado best in nation in early childhood policies

A new report by a policy center based in Vanderbilt University has named Colorado the nation’s leader in early childhood resource availability for working parents. The average working parent with two children in Colorado has more than $56,000 in state...

 House District 14 vacancy process deemed insufficient by Colorado Secretary of State, requires a redo

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has rejected the nominating paperwork for the vacancy in House District 14. On Sept. 22, a Republican vacancy committee met to choose a replacement for former Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs. The issue,...

 Colorado Republicans again weigh whether to boot unaffiliated voters from party primaries | TRAIL MIX

For the fifth time since Colorado voters created the state’s semi-open primary system, Republican Party officials are set to decide if unaffiliated voters can cast ballots in the party’s upcoming primary. More than 400 members of the Republicans’ state central...

 Hickenlooper pitches in $100K for Colorado Democratic Party’s grassroots organizing

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper has raised $100,000 for the Colorado Democratic Party’s organizing efforts ahead of next year’s election, the party said on Thursday. The former two-term governor, who is seeking reelection to a second Senate term in 2026, said...

 Colorado Republican leader criticizes Democrats’ comments about Charlie Kirk

The new Republican leader of the Colorado House sharply criticized Democrats over recent comments about conversative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month during an event at a university in Utah. In a letter to the House speaker...

 Joint Budget Committee greenlights $2.8M for Colorado prisons amid overcrowding crisis

The General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee has approved nearly $3 million in supplemental funding for the Colorado Department of Corrections to cover the cost of additional prison beds amid an ongoing crisis of prison overcrowding. Last month, DOC facilities reached...

 Ava Flanell wins House District 14 vacancy seat in El Paso County

A vacancy committee for House District 14 in El Paso County wasted no time in finding a replacement for former House Minority Leader Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs. The 54-member GOP vacancy committee, on Monday, selected gun store owner...

 Colorado sports betting brings in big bucks for state water plan projects

Funding for the state’s 2015 water plan started as a trickle. But sports gaming revenue has now turned that trickle into a steady stream. The Colorado Division of Gaming announced this week that nearly $33.8 million from 2024-25 will be allocated...

 Colorado’s fiscal future continues to be clouded by tariffs, revenue drops and recession fears

State economists on Monday presented continuing data that shows a weakened economic outlook for Colorado and continued risks for a near-term recession. The Joint Budget Committee, comprised of six lawmakers from the General Assembly who annually craft the state budget,...

 Colorado Republicans choose Caldwell to succeed Pugliese as House minority leader

The Colorado House Republican caucus on Saturday chose Rep. Jarvis Caldwell of Monument as its next minority leader. Caldwell succeeds former Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, who resigned on Sept. 15. Caldwell won 12 out of the 20 votes...

 Q&A with Colorado lawmaker Barb Kirkmeyer | Republican says she’ll be a governor who ‘knows how to govern’

State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer says her decades of experience in government — as a county commissioner, director of a state department and state legislator — have prepared her to be a “really great governor,” and the Brighton Republican argues that’s...

 Colorado House Republicans to choose new minority leader Saturday

On Saturday, the Colorado House Republican caucus will select a new minority leader to replace former Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, who resigned on Sept. 15. To date, two candidates have announced their intention to seek the top post....

 Colorado’s prison population management plan activated due to overcrowding

Ongoing issues within the Colorado Department of Corrections have prompted the state to trigger its Prison Population Management Measures — a policy framework established in 2018 to address overcrowding. It marks the first time the measures have been put into...

 War of words continues in Colorado House as former Rep. Armagost responds without apology

Until Monday, former state Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, had not spoken publicly about the resolution sponsored by Colorado House Democrats that condemned his actions regarding Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins.  The Aug. 26 resolution prompted harsh words between House Majority...

 Colorado’s affordable housing efforts gain momentum despite market challenges

Colorado’s housing shortage is improving after reaching its worst point in 2019, but affordability remains a significant barrier to homeownership, according to a new analysis from the state’s Demography Office. “The State Demography Office’s analysis compares existing housing shortage estimates...

 Scott Slaugh wins House District 64 seat, replacing Ryan Armagost

A House District 64 Republican vacancy committee on Saturday chose Scott Slaugh, a fifth-generation Coloradan and resident of Johnstown, to replace former Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud. Slaugh was chosen on the first ballot over three opponents. He received 23...

 BREAKING: Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese announces resignation

Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs announced her resignation Sunday evening, effective Monday, Sept. 15. Pugliese has represented House District 14 since January 2023. In 2024, she was chosen as minority leader in her first term after...

 10th Circuit weighs courts’ authority to block Colorado legislative decorum rules

The Denver-based federal appeals court questioned on Wednesday whether the rules of decorum governing public comments at Colorado legislative committee hearings are beyond the reach of the judiciary, thanks to the concept of legislative immunity. During oral arguments to the...

 ‘Heartbroken’: Colorado political leaders, organizations condemn assassination of Charlie Kirk

Colorado elected officials and political groups expressed grief, outrage and resolve against political violence in reaction to the fatal shooting of conservative organizer and nonprofit leader Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at Utah Valley University. “Today is a really hard day,”...

 Other Hats Q&A | Rep. Carlos Barron balance the family business in oil and gas and the state legislature

Welcome to the latest installment of our new series, “Other Hats,” where we explore what Colorado’s state lawmakers do for a living when the legislature is not in session.  Rep. Carlos Barron, R-Fort Lupton, is the general manager for his...

 The ‘people’s outlet’: How ballot initiatives shape Colorado policies

For more than a century, Colorado voters have used the ballot box not just to elect leaders but also to make laws, shaping the state’s most defining policies through citizen-led initiatives. Those two avenues of policymaking — the first by...

 Colorado remains among a shrinking pool of states with glass ceilings at top of the ticket | TRAIL MIX

Will 2026 be the year Colorado voters shatter one of the state’s stubborn and seemingly incongruous glass ceilings? The Centennial State approaches next year’s sesquicentennial — preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of statehood — with an increasingly rare distinction...

 Colorado legislators deny move to delete ‘tax increase’ language in ballot title in statewide publication

Colorado legislators on Thursday rejected an attempt to change the title of a ballot measure in a widely disseminated publication in order to avoid mentioning that it would result in a tax increase for households with incomes above $300,000 a...

 Colorado gun rights group sues over state’s safety training mandate

The Colorado arm of the National Rifle Association announced on Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s new law requiring individuals to complete a safety training course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife to be eligible to buy...

 ANALYSIS: 5 takeaways from Colorado’s 2025 special session

The six-day special session of the General Assembly dealt with the state’s fiscal crisis, artificial intelligence, a ballot measure on school meals, and health insurance premiums. Democrats said the special session was needed because of a $1.2 billion loss individual...

 Colorado’s crowded gubernatorial primary fields take shape as race looms for open seat | TRAIL MIX

A few months after celebrating Colorado’s sesquicentennial next summer, voters will elect the state’s 44th governor in the first open race for the seat since term-limited Democrat Jared Polis was elected eight years earlier. At last count, four Democrats and...