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Denver’s 2028 Convention Bid Advances as Democrats Narrow Field to Three Cities
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Denver’s 2028 Convention Bid Advances as Democrats Narrow Field to Three Cities

By Mike Catalini | The Colorado Sun A final decision is expected to be made later this year by party leaders. Democrats on Thursday narrowed the list of potential host cities for their 2028 presidential convention to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia as their party looks ahead to a wide-open primary to succeed President Donald Trump. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement the cities put forward “incredibly strong bids,” and he promised the convention would be an “inspiring celebration of our party’s future nominee.” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston celebrated the news. “We are honored that Denver has advanced as one of the top three candidates to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention,” he said in a writt...
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Socialist Surge Raises Alarm Among Denver Business Leaders
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Fox News, Approved, State

Socialist Surge Raises Alarm Among Denver Business Leaders

By Kristine Parks, Julia Bonavita and Nikolas Lanum | Fox News Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President JJ Ament worries more regulations will hurt small businesses. Affordability was a top concern among voters who helped launch democratic socialist congressional candidate Melat Kiros to victory in Denver's Democratic primary in June over 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette.  But as democratic socialists gain momentum in Colorado, business owners are grappling with how their progressive policies may collide with the actual costs of running a business in Denver. "With DSA specifically, I think that, too many times, the rhetoric sounds great until it meets the economic realities," J.J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber o...
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Victor Marx Calls for Water Storage Expansion and Modern Infrastructure
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Victor Marx Calls for Water Storage Expansion and Modern Infrastructure

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Victor Marx, the Republican nominee for governor, took the spotlight Wednesday during the opening day of the Colorado Water Congress, laying out how he says the state should approach its water future. Marx told the standing-room-only audience in Steamboat Springs that he holds water rights himself, giving him a personal stake in Colorado’s water challenges. His proposed fix? More storage. “We can’t make it snow, we can’t make it rain, but we can decide whether we’re prepared for when the water comes,” he said. “So, I believe we should store water in good years. Wet years. Lord, please send it.” He said storage gives farmers and ranchers reliability, options for communities and reduces emergency decisions. “...
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Socialist Melat Kiros Victory Exposes Growing Divide Among Colorado Democrats
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Axios Denver, Approved, State

Socialist Melat Kiros Victory Exposes Growing Divide Among Colorado Democrats

By John Frank | Axios Denver Two days after her upset in the Democratic primary for Colorado's 1st Congressional District, Melat Kiros stood with party leaders behind a banner that read: "Together We Win." Yes, but: Now she appears quite lonely. The intrigue: Some Democratic candidates are keeping their distance from the 29-year-old democratic socialist on the campaign trail. And at least three Democratic moderate candidates are vocally expressing concern about her candidacy. Why it matters: The box-out on Kiros exposes divisions in the Democratic Party and undercuts the party's unity messaging heading into the November midterms. State of play: Kiros defeated 30-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette by more t...
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Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado’s Citizen Initiative Process Faces Growing Influence From Deep Pockets

By Colleen Slevin | The Colorado Sun High cost of getting a measure on the ballot has given wealthy interests more power to push their agendas. Colorado loves its ballot questions, ranking among the top states for the most on the ballot. But voters also like to say no — a lot. In the over 100 years that Colorado voters have been able to petition to put questions on the state’s ballot, only 36% of the 256 questions that made it on the ballot have passed, according to a tally by the state legislature. Questions referred to the ballot by state lawmakers have done better, passing nearly 60% of the time. Between 1960 and 2024, Colorado had the third highest number of voter-initiated ballot measures, behind California and Oregon, according to John Mat...
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One-party rule, one-way press access in Colorado
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

One-party rule, one-way press access in Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Complete Colorado Republicans in Colorado have, at best, a ”fraught” relationship with liberal local news media. Given this history, it’s probably not surprising that when Republicans refuse to talk to the progressive press, they enthusiastically spill ink over it. To wit, journalism professor Corey Hutchins, in a recent edition of his media newsletter, noted how Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx denied some media outlets access on the night of the GOP primary, saying that his campaign chose not to rely on legacy media to tell its story. Think what you will about the maturity of Republicans or the news media, their squabbles hide something more important, especially given Colorado is run almost entirely by Democrats. Many Dem...
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Three Colorado judges drew do-not-retain recommendations this year. State evaluators break with local reviewers.
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Three Colorado judges drew do-not-retain recommendations this year. State evaluators break with local reviewers.

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I’ll be dipped: the judicial retention system does sometimes NOT recommend retention. The Colorado Politics article linked first below details a rarity in Colorado: three judges that the judicial evaluation committees (at least the local ones -- more later) recommend that voters do not retain. I say rarity, because I can only recall one other case in my time writing when this happened. I’ll leave it to you to read the article if you’d like. I went to get the information straight from the horse’s mouth and thus the three judges who didn’t get a retain recommendation are listed in links 2 - 4 below. Roughly speaking, the three are from the NE Plains, Crowley County, and Pueblo County.  The one that...
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Federal Court Asked to Block Colorado’s New Semiautomatic Firearm Requirements
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Federal Court Asked to Block Colorado’s New Semiautomatic Firearm Requirements

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The Colorado chapter of the National Rifle Association is seeking an injunction to stop the state from enforcing a new law that took effect earlier this month. The new law requires anyone buying or selling certain firearms to first complete a safety training course offered through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Under Senate Bill 003, the course is mandatory for anyone planning to purchase a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun or handgun with a detachable magazine. The Colorado State Shooting Association had filed a lawsuit last September, challenging the law’s constitutionality and arguing it places “unlawful burdens on the rights of law-abiding Coloradans.” “A government that makes you ask permission to buy a firearm ...
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Colorado Tightens Sports Betting Rules With Deposit Limits and Credit Card Ban
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Community News, Approved, State

Colorado Tightens Sports Betting Rules With Deposit Limits and Credit Card Ban

By Staff at Community News | Community News Colorado online sportsbooks must stop accepting credit card deposits and hold each customer to no more than six separate deposits per gaming day from Wednesday, Aug. 12, under a law signed by Gov. Jared Polis on June 2. The measure, Senate Bill 26-131, is one of the more prescriptive payment-side interventions any US state has imposed on licensed mobile sportsbooks. It does not cap how much money a bettor may move into an account; it caps how many times they may do it within a 24-hour window, alongside a package of marketing restrictions that reaches into push notifications and advertising aimed at people under 21. What the Colorado sports betting deposit limits actually do SB 26-131 limits online sportsbook customers ...
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Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado A Denver District Court judge has given Secretary of State Jena Griswold until Thursday to comply with an open records request, or she could be held in contempt. The records involve consulting work, paid for with public funds. Griswold's office says it doesn't have the documents and it refuses to ask the consultant for them, claiming that would impose an undue "burden." Instead, the Secretary of State's office sent four employees and the Attorney General's Office sent three attorneys to court. The consultant was brought in two years after Griswold became Secretary of State. The office had become a revolving door. Griswold was on her second deputy secretary, third chief legal counsel and fourth chief of staff. An invoice in the court record ...
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