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Independent Candidate Launches Last Minute Bid for Colorado’s First Congressional District
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Independent Candidate Launches Last Minute Bid for Colorado’s First Congressional District

By Mark Samuelson | The Denver Gazette Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros’ surprising defeat of 15-term Congresswoman Diana DeGette may be creating a void within Denver’s voter base — and at least one latecomer is jumping into that gap, petitioning to get himself on the November ballot as an independent candidate. Dr. Shimon Blau told The Denver Gazette he spent the weekend stewing about the direction of the state’s politics following last week’s primary election and Kiros’ victory. On Monday, he carried out a frenzied exchange of phone calls with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office to obtain the right application. Late that afternoon, Blau said, he filed the paperwork to petition for valid signatures in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. If he can come up with ...
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Colorado Primary Sends Shockwaves Through State and National Politics
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Primary Sends Shockwaves Through State and National Politics

By: Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Voters in Colorado’s Democratic primary on Tuesday night mostly let their elected officials know that they’re fed up with the party’s Washington politicians and ready to back the most aggressive fighters they can find. At the same time, the voters who cast ballots in the Republican primary mostly embraced the GOP’s establishment, throwing the beleaguered party a potential lifeline in a state that hasn’t rewarded the party’s candidates with statewide wins in the last decade. It was a mixed bag for the two camps, as early frontrunners fell or struggled to keep it close in one of the most wide-open primaries the state has seen in years, with some standout exceptions keeping the night from delivering a simple message. Democratic...
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Colorado Democrats Clash Over Identity and Electability in High Stakes CD8 Primary
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Washington Examiner, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Clash Over Identity and Electability in High Stakes CD8 Primary

By: James A. Downs | Washington Examiner Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) will find out his opponent on Tuesday from a contentious Colorado primary that has reopened some of the Democratic Party’s old political wounds.  State Rep. Manny Rutinel, a Hispanic progressive, takes on former state Rep. Shannon Bird, a white moderate, in a race that has been shaped by who is best fit to succeed in a battleground, Latino-plurality district.  Latino members of Congress in recent weeks chastised the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for its involvement in primaries after Randy Villegas prevailed in California’s 22nd District, a Central Valley battleground held by Rep. David Valadao (R-CA). The DCCC endorsed Jasmeet Bains, a moderate assemblywoman, but Vil...
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Super PACs Rush to Defend DeGette as Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Gains Momentum
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Super PACs Rush to Defend DeGette as Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Gains Momentum

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The spending, most of it going toward ads attacking Melat Kiros, is the clearest sign yet that DeGette is at serious risk of being dislodged from Washington after nearly three decades. trio of super PACs is dumping $1.3 million, most of it from unknown sources, into the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in a last-minute effort to prevent longtime U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette from being unseated by political newcomer and Democratic socialist Melat Kiros. The spending, most of it going toward ads attacking Kiros, is the clearest sign yet that DeGette may be at serious risk of being dislodged from Washington after nearly three decades. Kiros, 29, is running as a liberal insurgent and is pitching vote...
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As EEOC complaints climb, former federal official teaches Colorado workers their rights
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

As EEOC complaints climb, former federal official teaches Colorado workers their rights

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A congressional candidate is teaching workplace discrimination law to the public as Congress faces new harassment scrutiny and the EEOC operates with its smallest workforce in nearly half a century. Patty McMahon spent her career at the EEOC's Denver Field Office—training community groups, unions, businesses and educators on federal anti-discrimination law, serving as the office's congressional liaison and public affairs officer, and holding special certification to deliver the agency's "Respect in the Workplace" training. Now she's taking that knowledge to library meeting rooms—four free workshops this month and next, open to anyone who shows up. The sessions are called "Know Your Federal Employment Rights." Each one covers what the law ...
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Farmers Ranchers And Fuel Costs Drive Debate In Colorado Congressional Race
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Vail Daily, Approved, Local

Farmers Ranchers And Fuel Costs Drive Debate In Colorado Congressional Race

By David O. Williams | Vail Daily Republican Ron Hanks, a former state lawmaker and U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, told the Vail Daily in a recent email interview that this year’s race for the 3rd Congressional District seat that includes part of Eagle County is all about accountability — a quality he says incumbent Republican Jeff Hurd severely lacks. “Hurd has not been responsive to the district, has taken unpopular positions, and has not stood up to take accountability for his actions,” said Hanks, who successfully landed on the June 30 primary ballot by virtue of a voice vote at the GOP Assembly in Pueblo last month. Hanks, who unsuccessfully challenged Hurd in the 2024 primary, got the required 30% or more of the delegates at the assembly, whi...
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The Democrats who funded Colorado’s 611% Medicaid overrun are running for Congress
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The Democrats who funded Colorado’s 611% Medicaid overrun are running for Congress

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is staring down a $1 billion budget hole. Disabled kids are losing healthcare. Dental benefits are getting capped at $750 a year. Two Democrats who helped create and fund Cover All Coloradans are now asking voters to send them to Congress. Shannon Bird stepped away from the statehouse to run full-time. That sets up a primary between Bird and Rep. Manny Rutinel in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, with Republican incumbent Gabe Evans waiting in November. It started with HB22-1289 in 2022, opening Medicaid-style coverage to children and pregnant women who otherwise met eligibility but didn’t qualify because of their immigration status. Bird voted yes. The early estimate was $14.7 million for the fiscal year, tied to an expe...
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From party switch to $6.4 million: Examining the rise of a CD4 candidate
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

From party switch to $6.4 million: Examining the rise of a CD4 candidate

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In a matter of months, Eileen Laubacher went from a newly registered Democrat with no primary voting history to the best-funded candidate in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. That kind of political acceleration is unusual on its own. What makes it more striking is how many pieces had to move at once to get there. Her party registration, then and now In Jefferson County, Laubacher shows up as a registered Republican as far back as 1998. That didn’t change until January 2024, when she went unaffiliated, followed by a switch to Democrat two months later using her Ken Caryl address. She filed to run for Congress not long after. It would be more than four months before her voter registration was updated t...
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Trump re-endorses Hurd in CD3: Says Scheppelman will exit race
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Trump re-endorses Hurd in CD3: Says Scheppelman will exit race

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reporting, including comments from Colorado Republican Party Secretary Russ Andrews and a statement from Hope Scheppelman confirming she has suspended her campaign. President Donald Trump on Friday morning reversed course in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, re-endorsing Rep. Jeff Hurd and announcing that former challenger Hope Scheppelman would step out of the race to join his administration—a move she later confirmed in a campaign statement. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Scheppelman and her husband Steven—both Navy veterans—will leave the campaign trail “to join my Administration, in a capacity to be determined,” calling them “wonderful and patriotic” supporters of the...
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