Rocky Mountain Voice

Rocky Mountain Voice

Schumann: It’s a party in MAGA Country, as Trump’s return to White House signals a mandate for change
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Schumann: It’s a party in MAGA Country, as Trump’s return to White House signals a mandate for change

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When Americans awoke Nov. 6, following an Election Night which went into the wee hours of the early morning, they learned Donald J. Trump had been elected as the 47th U.S. President with 286 electoral votes, defeating Kamala Harris. The broad support of working-class Americans, resulting in Trump's win, signals a clear call to tackle the nation's pressing issues. Trump won important battleground states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. This secured his victory. This election also marked the first time since 2004 that a Republican has won the national popular vote, a milestone CNN contributor Scott Jennings described as “a big deal.” According to sources from Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ, Trump’s w...
Rinard loses CU board of regents bid in missed opportunity for Republicans
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rinard loses CU board of regents bid in missed opportunity for Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Eric Rinard lost his bid at the at-large seat on the University of Colorado's board of regents Tuesday and with it Republicans lost an opportunity to earn a 5-4 majority on the board. The board of regents is comprised of one elected member from each U.S. House district in Colorado -- there are eight -- and one at-large seat. Republicans entered Election Night needing to defend two of the four seats it held and flip the at-large seat. Democrat Elliott Hood earned 50.5% of the 2,332,032 votes cast in the at-large election to defeat Rinard, who earned 46.8% of the vote, according to results with 72% of ballots reported. The election map read largely like President Donald Trump's in the state, with the Eastern Plains, Southern Colorado and the We...
Analysis: Harris dominated in seven Front Range Colorado counties, deciding election
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Analysis: Harris dominated in seven Front Range Colorado counties, deciding election

By BRIAN PORTER | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As middle America largely was a sea of Red on Tuesday evening and into the morning, Colorado was a liberal outlier, going with Kamala Harris for President. While conservatives woke Tuesday morning to celebrate the election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th U.S. President, a glance at the election map details Coloradans still reside in a Blue state. Harris earned 54.6% of the 2,517,989 votes cast, defeating Trump by an 11.5% margin, according to results with 72% of ballots reported. Six of the seven states surrounding Colorado are projected to go for Trump. Wyoming to the north of Weld County to the western state line gave him 72.3% support, Nebraska bordering the northeastern plains of the state provided 60.2% support, Kansas the nei...
All eyes remain on 8th District race where Caraveo, Evans are split by 3,817 votes
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

All eyes remain on 8th District race where Caraveo, Evans are split by 3,817 votes

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Whether Democrats will retain a majority or the seats will be a split for the Colorado caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives appears as if it will come down to the one race most political observers always anticipated. Republican Gabe Evans, a former police officer and veteran, is trailing Democrat Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician, by 3,817 votes in a virtual replay of the 8th District U.S. House race from 2022, when it took some time before Caraveo was declared the winner over Barb Kirkmeyer. Caraveo leads Evans by 1.59%. The state requirement to trigger a recount is a difference of 0.5% or less. As was the case in 2022, the competitive district sets up as Weld County versus Adams County. In Weld County, Evans earned 57.6% of the vote ...
Navarro flips 8th District seat on board of education, Democrats grasp on board loosened
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Navarro flips 8th District seat on board of education, Democrats grasp on board loosened

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Yazmin Navarro appears to have wrestled the 8th District seat on the State Board of Education away from Rhonda Solis, and with it loosened the Democratic Party's grasp on the board. The State Board of Education is comprised of one elected member from each U.S. House district in Colorado -- there are eight -- and one at-large seat. Republicans entered Election Night needing to defend two of the three seats it held and flip the 8th District seat. The 2nd District seat was uncontested by Republicans. Navarro, who ran on a platform of restoring education as a keystone in the success of young Coloradans, earned 51.0% of the 233,696 votes cast in the 8th District, defeating Democrat Rhonda Solis who had 49.0%, according to results Wednesday, Nov. 6...
Unrest on the horizon: Coordinated anti-establishment protests planned across U.S. cities
Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Unrest on the horizon: Coordinated anti-establishment protests planned across U.S. cities

By Heidi Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice Editor's note: Please be advised some unavoidable graphic language appears in this piece. Cities across the United States are preparing for a wave of protests and potential unrest, as various anti-establishment groups signal their intent to take to the streets regardless of the election outcome. From Seattle to Portland, Philadelphia and Tampa, a coalition of groups —- ranging from Antifa to pro-Palestine activists, socialist organizations, and anarchist factions —- are mobilizing to express discontent with the country’s political landscape, decrying both major candidates and the systems they represent. Flyers circulating in several cities, including the ones shared through channels associated with Antifa and other protest networks, convey...
District court denies Libertarian Party’s plea for a hand-count of ballots in Colorado following password leak
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

District court denies Libertarian Party’s plea for a hand-count of ballots in Colorado following password leak

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Denver District Court Judge Kandace Gerdes has denied an appeal to seek a hand-count of election returns and other relief sought by the Libertarian Party in a suit against Secretary of State Jena Griswold and the State of Colorado. Counsel for the Libertarian Party had argued the public disclosure of passwords on the secretary of state's website for a period lasting four months before removal was unprecedented, and so an unprecedented resolution was needed. The case was filed Friday, Nov. 1, and heard in Gerdes' courtroom Monday afternoon. https://rockymountainvoice.com/2024/11/unprecedented-mistake-by-secretary-griswold-calls-for-unprecedented-ruling-libertarian-party-argues-in-district-court "In dismissing the petition, the district...
Entering Election Day, 62% of ballots had been cast, with Democrat women holding a 104,241 lead over GOP women
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Entering Election Day, 62% of ballots had been cast, with Democrat women holding a 104,241 lead over GOP women

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice More than a third of all active Colorado voters had not cast a ballot entering Election Day, a report from the secretary of state's office reads. Coloradans had cast 2,507,472 ballots as of the opening of polls on Election Day. There were 4,045,182 active voters as of that time. Colorado is a same-day registration state. As of the start of Election Day, 61.9% of registered voters have cast ballots. Unaffiliated voters have cast 43.1% of all ballots cast entering Election Day. Republicans have outperformed their registrations, with 26.8% of all ballots cast and Democrats matching their registrations with 28.4% of ballots cast. Republicans represent 23.3% of all registered voters. The ballot tally as of the start of Election Day indicates of...
An open letter to voters from Mesa County Clerk Bobbie Gross
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

An open letter to voters from Mesa County Clerk Bobbie Gross

By Bobbie Gross | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As your Mesa County clerk​ & recorder, I am deeply committed to the transparency, security, and integrity of our elections. I want to address a recent oversight by the secretary of state’s office, which inadvertently published BIOS passwords — one of the many layers that protect our voting equipment. I assure you that your vote remains secure and will be counted accurately. Our election system, here in Mesa County, is protected by multiple layers of security. Access to voting equipment is strictly limited to authorized personnel who pass background checks, and every entry and exit from secure areas is logged. These areas are monitored by 24/7 surveillance cameras, and we are immediately alerted to any unusual activity. O...
Sloan: The BRICS election and the next U.S. President
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

Sloan: The BRICS election and the next U.S. President

By Kelly Sloan | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Writing a political column is a notoriously difficult endeavor two days before a major election. By the time you read this, editorial vagaries being what they are, the election will be over and any electoral prognostication or attempt at influence will be rendered, well, moot. We may or may not know for certain how it all turned out, but even if there remain votes to count, or recounts to be conducted, the United States will have, via the electoral college, selected either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as President. Sort of Schrodinger’s Cat as applied to democracy.  What we do know is that whoever the next president is will be inheriting an increasingly dangerous and unstable world beyond America’s borders, and t...