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Federal Judge Keeps Unaffiliated Voters In Colorado GOP Primaries
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Federal Judge Keeps Unaffiliated Voters In Colorado GOP Primaries

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer said excluding unaffiliated voters days before the state’s ballot certification deadline, and just weeks before ballots start being mailed out, would create too much confusion. A federal judge Tuesday rejected the Colorado GOP’s last-ditch effort to block unaffiliated voters from participating in the party’s June 30 primaries.  U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer said excluding unaffiliated voters days before the state’s ballot certification deadline, and just weeks before ballots start being mailed out, would create too much confusion.  The Republican Party asked Brimmer on April 20 to issue an emergency order preventing state elections officials from mailing Republican primary ball...
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Colorado Primary Battles Intensify As Voters Face Crowded 2026 Ballots
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Primary Battles Intensify As Voters Face Crowded 2026 Ballots

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics With just over two months to go until ballots are counted in Colorado’s primary, candidates are squaring off in high-stakes contests for their party’s nominations in statewide and congressional races approaching the midterm election. For the first time in memory, state voters will have the chance to elect an entire new slate of state-level executive officials — from governor and attorney general to secretary of state and state treasurer — since those offices’ Democratic incumbents all face term limits. At the same time, Democrats will decide which candidate to nominate in the state’s marquee U.S. House race, where the Republican incumbent in the 8th Congressional District is facing three potential challengers in what’s expected to b...
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Polis Signs Letter Criticizing Colorado Business Climate Critics Say He Created
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Polis Signs Letter Criticizing Colorado Business Climate Critics Say He Created

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER – An open letter expressing concern over the number of businesses leaving Colorado and the inability of the state to attract others was recently sent to numerous Colorado elected officials. The several hundred business, technology, and civic leaders who signed the letter are asking for consideration in easing the regulatory burden that they say is the driving factor behind Colorado’s “deteriorating” foundation. That same letter was both sent to and signed by Gov. Jared Polis, the irony of which is not lost on State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Brighton) who points out that Polis is the man behind the pen that has caused much of the trouble the letter outlines. “Basically, he’s a hypocrite,” Kirkmeyer told Complete Colorado. “Th...
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Polis loses ground with Democrat base as cost-of-living fears rise
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis loses ground with Democrat base as cost-of-living fears rise

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis is losing steam among members of his party, particularly progressive Democrats, according to a recent poll. Other statewide Democrats also saw their favorability ratings drop, though relatively stable compared to the governor’s numbers, the poll conducted by the Colorado Polling Institute in late March said. Forty-four percent of respondents said they view Polis favorably, down seven percentage points from last March. Nearly 50% of respondents said they had a negative view of the governor, whose final term ends this year. Polis’ favorability was strong within the Democratic Party last year, with 84% of members saying they viewed him favorably. That number has dropped to 72%, while Polis’ approval among Democrats...
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Colorado Democrats Set Primary Field After Contentious Assembly
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Set Primary Field After Contentious Assembly

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado PUEBLO–Colorado Democrats gathered for their party assembly in Pueblo over the weekend, with nearly 1,400 delegates casting votes to send candidates on to the June 30 statewide primary election. Candidates needed to garner at least 30 percent of the vote to advance, with the top-vote getter appearing first on the ballot Notably absent were big-name Democrats John Hickenlooper, running for re-election to the U.S. Senate, and Michael Bennet, a sitting U.S. senator running for governor.  As previously reported by Complete Colorado, the two men successfully petitioned on the primary ballot, allowing them to forgo the caucus and assembly process. Here’s the results for statewide races. Governor The gubernationa...
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Governed by ideology: Colorado’s silent revolution against top-down overreach
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Governed by ideology: Colorado’s silent revolution against top-down overreach

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Since late December 2025, we've all been witness to the Iranian people rising in extraordinary defiance against an oppressive regime. Sparked initially by economic collapse but quickly evolving into broad demands for freedom and an end to clerical rule, these nationwide protests have seen millions take to the streets in what many describe as the most intense challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. The regime's response has been savage: security forces unleashed massacres, particularly in early January 2026, with credible estimates from human rights groups putting the death toll in the tens of thousands. Iranians have made the ultimate sacrifice in this fight against a religious ideology that no longer aligns with...
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George Markert is running for U.S. Senate. He’s already been in the room.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

George Markert is running for U.S. Senate. He’s already been in the room.

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Dinner one night back in 2018 was seafood and gator sausage, with family around the table. Before long the conversation landed where it usually does in the Markert family—service. George Markert was on official Marine Corps business at the time in Pensacola, Fla. Markert was leading a high-level investigation as a colonel. His uncle got word he was in Pensacola and insisted they get together before he left. The worn Constitution changed hands at the end of a family dinner in Pensacola. When Markert flipped it open, he saw a handwritten note. “The note read, ‘This was your grandfather’s, and he held it sacred,’” Markert said. “He did a tour in Washington, D.C. in the Navy back in the 1950s and used to take my dad and his three sibling...
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Colorado Precinct Caucuses Begin As Parties Launch 2026 Election Cycle
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KSUT, Approved, State

Colorado Precinct Caucuses Begin As Parties Launch 2026 Election Cycle

By Maeve Conran | KSUT The Democratic and Republican parties in Colorado are holding precinct caucuses between March 3 and March 7. These are small, neighborhood-level meetings where party members gather in-person or on zoom. The Democratic and Republican parties in Colorado are holding precinct caucuses between March 3 and March 7. These are small, neighborhood-level meetings where party members gather in person or on Zoom. At the caucus, party members discuss candidates and party platforms and select delegates to advance to the county assemblies. Party members also elect precinct organizers for the next two years and help recruit election judges and poll watchers. Delegates chosen at precinct caucuses advance to county assemblies, held between March 3 and Ma...
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Dathan Jones announces U.S. Senate run, says he “Can no longer sit on the sidelines”
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Dathan Jones announces U.S. Senate run, says he “Can no longer sit on the sidelines”

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice With housing prices climbing toward half a million dollars, grocery bills stretching household budgets, and energy policy battles intensifying across the state, Colorado’s affordability crisis is emerging as a defining issue of the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Jones said the direction Colorado is heading made sitting out no longer an option. “I'm running because I can no longer sit on the sidelines and wait for things to happen,” Jones said. “Somebody's gotta step up and do something, and my campaign is to serve all the citizens of Colorado and represent them in the U.S. Senate capacity to promote the desires of the people, bring them into a place of  truth, liberty and justice.” From the Pulpit to Politi...
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Running on the American Dream: Inside Joshi’s Senate Campaign
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Running on the American Dream: Inside Joshi’s Senate Campaign

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Dr. Janak Joshi is back on the campaign trail — this time seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. The physician and former state legislator is entering Colorado’s caucus process, which begins March 3, ahead of district and state assemblies and the June primary. When asked why he entered the race, his answer centered less on political ambition and more on concern — about affordability, opportunity and what kind of country future generations will inherit. “I am running for US Senate because we are seeing that the Democrats, and particularly the liberals, haven't done much in the last five years to help in any way to Colorado and as a country.” He spoke about rising costs, businesses closing and ...
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