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Colorado’s fentanyl crisis exposes a deadly failure of leadership
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Colorado’s fentanyl crisis exposes a deadly failure of leadership

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A newly released report from Advance Colorado lays bare the devastating human cost of Colorado’s fentanyl crisis—and the state policies that helped fuel it. Titled “Communities in Ruin: The Human Cost of Fentanyl in Colorado,” the report delivers a searing indictment of legislative decisions made over the past six years—starting with a 2019 law that downgraded possession of deadly narcotics like fentanyl to a misdemeanor.  That’s when possession of up to four grams—enough to kill 1,500 people—started being treated like a minor infraction. Four years later, the state’s fentanyl-related overdose deaths have exploded by 440%, jumping from 222 deaths in 2019 to over 1,200 in 2023​. “Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 t...
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Outnumbered but not outmatched: House Minority Leader Pugliese’s grassroots push
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Outnumbered but not outmatched: House Minority Leader Pugliese’s grassroots push

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice At the Colorado Capitol, House Republicans are outnumbered two to one. But House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese is still swinging—and she’s not swinging blindly. She’s drawing from somewhere real. “My father started his life with 50 cents in his pocket and a dream to own his own restaurant.” Pugliese added, “Almost every day it feels like I’m back to having spare change and a big dream—only this time it’s at the legislature.” The daughter of Italian immigrants, Pugliese was the first woman in her family to graduate from college.  https://twitter.com/RoseforCO/status/1904928098535223618 She now juggles two jobs, the House minority leadership and single parenthood—raising two children on her own, including a ...
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Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law
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Parents and Pastors Rally at Capitol to Stop HB25-1312 from Becoming Law

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A coalition of pastors, parents, and constitutional advocates will gather Thursday on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol to oppose HB25-1312, the controversial “Kelly Loving Act” that critics say represents a direct attack on parental rights, religious liberty, and free speech. The event—organized by Fight 1312, a Colorado-based grassroots movement—will begin with a rally and prayer walk at 1:00 PM, followed by a press conference at 2:30 PM featuring local faith leaders and conservative advocates, including former Trump appointee William Wolfe. “HB25-1312 is an attack on parental rights, free speech, and the ability of families to raise their children according to their values,” said Pastor J. Chase Davis, one of the event organizers and Lea...
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Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab
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Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Colorado Governor Jared Polis wants $4 million in taxpayer money to fight off the return of Trump—literally. Under HB25-1321, Democrats in the Colorado legislature are moving to shift $4 million from the state’s infrastructure fund directly into Polis’s office, allowing him to wage legal and administrative battles against the federal government, particularly policies implemented by the Trump administration.  The bill gives Polis sweeping discretion to use the funds however he sees fit, including hiring outside legal teams, launching lawsuits, and defending state officials under federal investigation. The bill—ironically titled "Support Against Adverse Federal Action"—has raised red flags across the aisle, with critics calling it a pa...
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Can the America-First movement win in Colorado? Heidi Ganahl and Rasmussen pollster break down Colorado’s GOP identity crisis
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Can the America-First movement win in Colorado? Heidi Ganahl and Rasmussen pollster break down Colorado’s GOP identity crisis

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff With Colorado’s 2026 elections on the horizon, Republicans are once again asking the question: What kind of candidate can actually win statewide? On the latest episode of Unleashed, Rocky Mountain Voice founder Heidi Ganahl sat down with Mark Mitchell, head pollster for Rasmussen Reports, to dig into exclusive polling data—and the identity crisis facing Colorado’s GOP. [Click here to listen or watch the full episode on YouTube or Rumble.] “This is one of the biggest quandaries,” Mitchell said. “How do you unpack this very particular issue in Colorado?” A Party Divided The polling, commissioned by Ganahl’s Road to Red project, looked at likely Republican primary voters in Colorado. But in a state where unaffiliated voters outnumber both parties, ...
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Self-defense on hold: House GOP announces letter to AG Bondi at capitol press conference
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Self-defense on hold: House GOP announces letter to AG Bondi at capitol press conference

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A young woman in her twenties stood outside Rep. Scott Bottoms’ church recently and asked him for help—she needed a firearm. Not for sport. Not to make a point. For protection. “She was worried, she was frightened… She had no way to protect herself,” Bottoms said during a House Republican press conference Wednesday. “She has to wait three days. She can't even get her own firearm to protect herself.” That delay, he argued, could be the difference between safety and tragedy. It’s the kind of real-life scenario House Republicans say they had in mind when they gathered on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol the morning of April 16 to speak out against SB25-003.  At the press conference, lawmakers said they...
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In first 100 days, Evans introduces six bills focused on fraud, safety and immigration
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In first 100 days, Evans introduces six bills focused on fraud, safety and immigration

RMV Staff | RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s 8th Congressional District—a nationally watched swing district—just saw its freshman Congressman, Gabe Evans, cross the 100-day threshold in office. The milestone highlights a flurry of legislative action, bipartisan wins, and scrutiny over constituent accessibility. Evans, a Republican and former law enforcement officer and Army veteran, has moved quickly since being sworn in. “By contrast, it took my predecessor up until August before she had six bills,” Evans told FOX31. “So we are doing the work and delivering the work for constituents. I look forward to continuing to engage with them, hear their problems, and do what we can to solve them.” Six bills, five bipartisan, three out of committee Denver7 reported tha...
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The COvid Chronicles: Fifteen days that changed Colorado forever
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The COvid Chronicles: Fifteen days that changed Colorado forever

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Editor’s Note: The following is the most extensive article RMV has published. We believe the depth is necessary to preserve the timeline and truth of Colorado’s earliest COVID response decisions. Colorado changed overnight. In the first two weeks of April 2020, headlines shifted from public health to public control. Behind the fear and mandates were decisions—made daily—that reshaped lives and redefined freedom. This is the record. April 1 Where else to start than the pages of The Denver Post (The DP)? On April 1, 2020 it wasn't an April Fool's Day joke that the economic industry Gov. Polis prioritized over such Centennial State mainstays as oil-and-gas and beef production – tourism – was reeling.  Hotels across the state were co...
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Yadira Caraveo launches bid to reclaim Colorado’s 8th District after razor-thin loss to Gabe Evans
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Yadira Caraveo launches bid to reclaim Colorado’s 8th District after razor-thin loss to Gabe Evans

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff Democrat Yadira Caraveo has officially launched her campaign to reclaim Colorado’s 8th Congressional District—just five months after losing the seat to freshman Republican Gabe Evans by fewer than 2,500 votes. Caraveo’s announcement sets the stage for a rematch in what has quickly become one of the most closely watched and expensive congressional battlegrounds in the country. One of the Most Competitive Districts in the Nation The 8th District, created after the 2020 Census, has emerged as a political bellwether with no clear partisan tilt. It spans Denver’s northern suburbs and rural areas along U.S. 85 into Greeley and has the highest percentage of Latino voters of any district in the state. Caraveo first won the seat in 2022 by just 1,600 vot...
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