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Crank Asks DOJ to Investigate Outside Groups After Violence at Denver Anti-ICE Walkout
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Crank Asks DOJ to Investigate Outside Groups After Violence at Denver Anti-ICE Walkout

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank is asking the Justice Department to investigate violence at last week’s anti-ICE student walkout in Denver, including whether outside organizations helped organize, fund, or influence the demonstration. Crank sent a letter Tuesday requesting the investigation to Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. “Videos and on-the-ground reporting show that the Denver walkout turned violent, with assaults on journalists and counterprotesters, raising serious questions about whether participants were unlawfully prevented from exercising their own constitutional rights,” Crank wrote. “The growing mobilization of leftist and socialist groups like the Democratic...
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Democrats Eye New Governor in Renewed Push to Change Colorado Union Law
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Democrats Eye New Governor in Renewed Push to Change Colorado Union Law

By Colette Bordelon | Denver7 After Gov. Jared Polis vetoed similar bills twice, those behind the proposal to change how workers unionize in Colorado believe they will have better luck in 2027 with a new governor. LOUISVILLE — Democratic Colorado lawmakers are confident that their plan to change the way workers unionize in the state will be successful next year, hoping that a new governor leads to a different outcome for the legislation. Dubbed the Worker Protection Act by advocates, two iterations of the concept to eliminate the second vote needed to form a union in Colorado have passed out of the state Legislature and were then vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis in 2025 and 2026. Maggie Roesink, who works as a server and bartender at the Hotel Boulderado, attended t...
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Despite Missed Deadline, Judge Orders Libertarian Sean Vadney Onto Colorado Secretary of State Ballot
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Despite Missed Deadline, Judge Orders Libertarian Sean Vadney Onto Colorado Secretary of State Ballot

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics A Denver judge ruled Friday that the Colorado Libertarian Party’s pick for secretary of state will appear on the November ballot after the party’s original nominee withdrew one day after the deadline to replace minor party candidates. Following a hearing on Thursday, Denver District Court Judge Adam J. Espinosa approved a motion filed by Sean Vadney asking that state election officials list the 26-year-old Highlands Ranch resident as the Libertarian nominee, concluding that the party met the appropriate “substantial compliance” standard with legal requirements for parties to fill ballot vacancies. Vadney will face Democrat Amanda Gonzalez, the Jefferson County clerk, and Republican James Wiley, a former Libertarian, for the office h...
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Denver Chamber CEO Says One-Party Rule Is Making Colorado Harder to Live and Do Business In
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

Denver Chamber CEO Says One-Party Rule Is Making Colorado Harder to Live and Do Business In

By Ryan Warner | Colorado Public Radio Colorado is getting in its own way, and Democratic Socialists will only exacerbate the problem, according to the head of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. J.J. Ament believes one-party rule in Colorado means business owners are bombarded with regulation. “In each of the last two years, more than 500 new laws were introduced in the state of Colorado. No citizen, resident, small business person can keep up with that pace of change,” he said. Ament cited as examples local minimum wage ordinances and what he believes is an inflexible state family leave program. “We're certainly seeing a decline in our economic competitiveness. If you measure since 2019, we've sometimes seen as many as a thousand businesses leave the 80202 [...
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Manny Rutinel Leaves Colorado Legislature to Focus on High-Stakes Race Against Gabe Evans
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Manny Rutinel Leaves Colorado Legislature to Focus on High-Stakes Race Against Gabe Evans

By Bente Birkeland | The Colorado Sun Rutinel is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans in the 8th Congressional District north of Denver. Manny Rutinel, a Democratic state representative from Commerce City who is running in Colorado’s most competitive congressional district this year, resigned from the state legislature Friday. Rutinel is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans in the 8th Congressional District north of Denver. Evans narrowly won the seat two years ago, defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo. It’s considered a district that could swing and the race between Evans and Rutinel has garnered national attention. Rutinel’s campaign announced Friday that he was resigning from the statehouse effective immediately. READ THE FULL ...
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New Poll Finds Johnston and Denver City Council Losing Favorability
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

New Poll Finds Johnston and Denver City Council Losing Favorability

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s favorability rating fell 7 percentage points over the past year, while the City Council’s favorability rating dropped 3 percentage points, a new poll has found. A little more than a year after taking office, Johnston had enjoyed a 48% favorability rating among likely voters. That declined to 46% in 2025, sliding to 39% in 2026, according to a new Colorado Polling Institute poll. Half of likely voters hold an unfavorable opinion of him, up 4 percentage points from last year. The City Council’s favorability rating climbed from 34% in 2024 to 41% in 2025 but it fell to 38% in 2026. “Voters who hold a favorable view of the mayor are largely anchored by the view that he is ‘getting th...
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Colorado Sues Trump Administration Over Medicaid Funding for Gender Transitions for Minors
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Sues Trump Administration Over Medicaid Funding for Gender Transitions for Minors

By Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette Colorado on Wednesday filed yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration — this time to stop a new rule that prohibits Medicaid dollars from paying for transgender transition services for minors. The question of transgender services has increasingly become a core election matter in Colorado. This November, residents will vote on two measures that implicate the question. Phil Weiser, the attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, announced that Colorado joined a coalition of states challenging the Trump administration’s “attempt to prohibit states from using federal Medicaid funds for gender-affirming healthcare for low-income minors or some young adults.” Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicai...
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What DSA wants to do to the Senate, the presidency and the courts
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Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

What DSA wants to do to the Senate, the presidency and the courts

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Cliff Connolly wanted his fellow socialists to understand why the fight was worth having. "The whole point of having the Senate, the president, and the Supreme Court is so that, if popular legislation passes through the House of Representatives, the ruling class has these other levels they can pull to stop it from happening," he said, according to City Journal, which reported from inside the meeting. He pointed to the Supreme Court striking down President Biden's student debt plan as his example. Connolly sits on the Democratic Socialists of America's National Political Committee, the group's highest governing body between conventions. He was arguing for language DSA has now adopted as official policy: a plan to take a...
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Colorado Mother Blames Immigration Policies After Daughter Left Severely Disabled
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Real Clear Politics, Approved, National

Colorado Mother Blames Immigration Policies After Daughter Left Severely Disabled

By Ian Schwartz | Real Clear Politics https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2094811461709082986?s=20 Patricia Fox, whose daughter Carissa was a victim of a hit-and-run accident committed by an illegal alien, slammed Democrats at a House Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee. According to FOX News, Carissa underwent emergency surgery to remove part of her skull and relieve brain swelling. She is now minimally conscious, nonverbal, wheelchair-bound, and fed through a G-tube. PATRICIA FOX: Wouldn't be the same. Because of an American citizen had hit my daughter. I wouldn't be here asking why was somebody who had no lawful right to be in this country here to hit her in the first place. Valeria Bermudez-Marcano wouldn'...
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Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports
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Axios Denver, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports

By John Frank | Axios Denver Colorado voters will decide more than a dozen ballot measures this November, from remaking the state's tax system to banning gender-affirming surgery for minors. Why it matters: Beyond the candidates, voters will have a direct say on major changes to taxes, immigration, criminal justice and other hot-button issues. State of play: The marquee measure would scrap Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax in favor of a graduated system that would raise taxes on those making $500,000 or more a year. Legislative fiscal analysts estimate the Democratic-led measure would generate an additional $2 billion a year, with the money reserved for education, health care and early child care. The other side: A countermeasure backed by ...
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