Colorado Politics

 Democratic ballots outpace Republicans’ as Colorado’s primary vote starts to trickle in

With less than two weeks left before ballots are due in Colorado’s primary election, election officials have logged in ballots from just under 6% of the state’s 4 million active, registered voters, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday....

 Colorado court upholds murder conviction despite jury disobeying instructions

Colorado’s second-highest court upheld an Arapahoe County defendant’s murder conviction last month, even though jurors found he was not the one who shot the victim and the evidence suggested he was not present for the shooting. A three-judge Court of...

 July 1 brings new Colorado rules on ammunition purchases, wildfire‑risk scoring and wildlife enforcement

Colorado will usher in a new set of laws on July 1 that touch everything from ammunition sales to insurance transparency and wildlife trafficking enforcement Here is a look at some of the state’s new laws: Ammunition sales Sponsored by...

 Divided appeals court reverses conviction after judge declined to define ‘bludgeon’

Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a Jefferson County defendant’s felony menacing conviction on Thursday, concluding that the trial judge’s failure to define “bludgeon” for jurors may have affected the outcome. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel divided in unusual ways in...

 Poll finds majority believe US military action against Iran was a mistake

A poll found a wide majority of U.S. voters believed the decision to launch military action against Iran was a mistake. The Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research poll for Fox News was conducted from June 12-15, meaning many...

 For Vance, Iran deal presents opportunity and risk

Vice President JD Vance has a lot riding on the deal to end the war in Iran. The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran came together at the outset of Vance’s book tour, but that’s not the...

 10th Circuit dismisses Tina Peters’ challenge to confinement as moot

The Denver-based federal appeals court granted the state’s unopposed request on Wednesday to dismiss former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters’ challenge to her confinement as moot. Although Peters received a commutation of her prison sentence last month from Gov. Jared...

 Federal judge declines to recuse from death penalty case after Supermax visit

A federal judge declined to recuse herself last month from a death penalty case arising out of Colorado’s “Supermax” prison, finding that her tour of the facility earlier this year did not bias her decision-making. U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte...

 Amid public pressure, Colorado candidates tackle social media regulations for minors

Following the accidental overdose of her daughter in 2020, Patti Lujan pursued a lawsuit against Snapchat, the social media platform that, she claimed, connected her daughter with a drug dealer. In a news release announcing the lawsuit, Lujan alleged that...

 Denver gets more time to answer FAA questions in probe regarding Key Lime lease denial

The City of Denver has asked the Federal Aviation Administration for additional time to gather information and prepare its response to the federal agency’s investigation of the city’s 2025 denial of a Denver International Airport ground lease expansion for Key...

 FDA breaks ground on new food lab at Denver Federal Center

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the General Services Administration announced on Wednesday that they have officially broken ground on a new food lab at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. The $228 million project includes 16,500 square feet...

 FDA breaks ground on new food lab at Denver Federal Center

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the General Services Administration announced on Wednesday that they have officially broken ground on a new food lab at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. The $228 million project includes 16,500 square feet...

 Colorado state Senate: Meet the primary election candidates

Colorado’s June 30 primary features a slate of state Senate contests, with several incumbents stepping aside and competitive fields emerging in both parties. These are some of the races to watch as voters begin to submit ballots. Senate District 3:...

 Top five hot mic moments from world leaders at G7 Summit

As the 52nd annual G7 Summit came to a close on Wednesday in France, world leaders not only discussed diplomacy front and center, but also engaged in lighter conversations on the sidelines. There were many hot-mic moments in which President Donald...

 Appeals court clarifies offense of impersonating a peace officer

Colorado’s second-highest court clarified this month that a person commits the offense of impersonating a peace officer if they engage in “any conduct” while pretending to be law enforcement. In a case out of El Paso County, Richard James Coulier...

 Hickenlooper raises $900K since April, heads into primary with almost $3 million on hand

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper raised just over $900,000 for his reelection bid in the 10-week pre-primary reporting period, the Colorado Democrat’s campaign said Wednesday. The campaign finished the period with almost $3 million in the bank, with more than 80%...

 Four takeaways from Georgia, DC, Alabama, and Oklahoma primary elections 

Voters across the country delivered a mixed verdict in a series of high-profile primary contests Tuesday, elevating political outsiders, boosting progressive candidates in deep-blue jurisdictions, and offering fresh clues about President Donald Trump’s hold on the GOP ahead of the...

 Trump and Obama lock horns as White House tries to sell new Iran deal

Former President Barack Obama‘s reemergence is looming over President Donald Trump‘s peace deal with Iran as the incumbent tries to sell his deal to an increasingly skeptical public after the nearly four-month war. Obama’s return to the headlines as he...

 Littleton approves $1M for Starlight affordable housing project

The Littleton City Council on Tuesday approved a $1 million funding request to support construction of a new affordable housing development known as the Starlight Apartments. The council authorized the contribution from the city’s Affordable Housing Fund for the project,...

 Bennet’s gubernatorial ads say U.S. Senate committee paid for them

Update: as of Wednesday morning, at least one of the ads, featuring Colorado’s Democratic congressional delegation, has been changed to include the disclaimer “paid for by Bennet for Governor.” A series of TV commercials for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s gubernatorial...

 Democratic candidates for the 8th Congressional District: Meet Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird

Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is once more the site of a hard‑fought Democratic primary, with candidates competing for the chance to challenge Republican incumbent Gabe Evans this November. A once‑crowded field has narrowed to state Rep. Manny Rutinel and former...

 Colorado Supreme Court reverses 2 Chaffee County judges for imposing fee on habeas petitioner

The Colorado Supreme Court rejected two separate appeals earlier this month from an incarcerated defendant seeking immediate release from prison, but concluded that two Chaffee County judges incorrectly required him to prepay filing fees for his cases. David J. Gottorff...

 A graduated tax plan could undercut Colorado’s business competitiveness, analysis warns

A proposal to move Colorado to a graduated income tax — taxing individuals and businesses at different rates based on their earnings — could generate more than $2 billion in its first year, but it could also weaken the state’s...

 Denver City Council committee delays vote to advance biennial budget

Members of the Denver City Council Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee delayed a vote that would advance a proposed ballot measure allowing the city to adopt an optional biennial budget cycle because three of the seven voting members were out...

 It won’t end the drought, but ‘Super El Niño’ expected to boost Colorado moisture

Colorado is headed into what could be one of its strongest El Niño summers on record, a shift expected to bring above‑average monsoon moisture, though not enough to erase the state’s long‑running drought. That was the assessment on Tuesday from...

 Vance says changing his tune on Trump was a sign of ‘humility’

Vice President JD Vance insisted his evolving views on President Donald Trump over the past decade were a sign of “humility” during his first interview with ABC’s The View. Vance spoke with the show’s co-hosts on Tuesday morning to promote...

 Weld County judge wrongly denied bail to murder defendant in gap between law change

Colorado’s second-highest court ruled this month that a Weld County judge was wrong to deny bail to a murder defendant in the window between the state Supreme Court’s recognition of the right to bail and the voters’ subsequent overruling of...

 Defendants acquitted by insanity are eligible for records-sealing, appeals court says

Colorado’s second-highest court clarified last month that defendants who are found not guilty by reason of insanity are eligible to have their criminal records sealed from public view. Judges must seal criminal records if, among other things, a defendant is...

 Colorado primary for U.S. Senator: Candidates John Hickenlooper and Julie Gonzales

The race between U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and state Sen. Julie Gonzales has emerged as one of Colorado’s most intriguing Democratic primaries. Gonzales is running on a message of generational change, arguing that Democrats need a more aggressive approach and...

 Vance hits back at Obama’s criticism of Trump-Iran deal: ‘They hate the Obama deal’

Vice President JD Vance shot back at former President Barack Obama‘s criticism of the deal to end the U.S. war with Iran, arguing that a major indicator of the difference is the Gulf Arabs’ love of the deal. Obama voiced...