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Tag: Michael Bennet

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 THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp
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The Gazette, Approved, Commentary, National

Colorado’s THC Experience Offers Congress a Warning on Intoxicating Hemp

By The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Gazette First, it was Colorado’s majority-Democrat legislature that weighed whether to open the floodgates to dangerous, intoxicating hemp-based products. It would have compounded the damage inflicted on our kids by legalized pot. Fortunately, the lawmakers behind that reckless attempt couldn’t muster enough votes as the 2026 legislative session wound down last spring. Now, a move is afoot in the Republican-controlled Congress to stall a much-needed federal crackdown on high-potency hemp that was enacted just last fall. At the behest of the Trump administration, a delay in implementing the crackdown was inserted into a stopgap government funding bill. The move has divided ruling Republicans, some of whom mounted an unsuccessful...
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Bennet Agrees To Settlement Over Improper Campaign Spending On Travel
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Bennet Agrees To Settlement Over Improper Campaign Spending On Travel

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s gubernatorial campaign has agreed to pay a $7,433 fine for using his Senate campaign account to pay for gubernatorial campaign travel expenses. The July 31 settlement includes an admission by Bennet and his campaign that they violated state campaign finance laws. The settlement is tied to multiple complaints filed last year. The complaints said Bennet traveled for his gubernatorial campaign in 2025, paying for it with funds from his U.S. Senate campaign account. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Record Political Spending Could Not Buy Every Victory in Colorado Primaries
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Estes Park Trail Gazette, Approved, State

Record Political Spending Could Not Buy Every Victory in Colorado Primaries

By Nick Coltrain | Estes Park Trail Gazette Analysis shows major amounts spent by campaigns, outside interests — mostly in Democratic races The $67 million storm has passed. For now. That is roughly how much was spent on all of Colorado’s competitive primaries for statewide and federal office — and almost all of it went to influence Democrat-vs.-Democrat contests as voters picked who would represent the party in November’s election, according to an analysis by The Denver Post. Millions more went to down-ballot races, such as local legislative races. The rain from the proverbial storm of cash poured down in the form of candidate mailers, door knockers, and TV and digital ads, and in less apparent campaign infrastructure and polls. The vast majority of the ...
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Socialists and Progressives Score Stunning Primary Victories in Colorado
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TownHall.com, Approved, State

Socialists and Progressives Score Stunning Primary Victories in Colorado

By: Matt Vespa | Townhall The game has changed. While known for being tough, Colorado is now another incubator for Marxist radicals. The Democrats face a full-blown insurgency. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), once considered a sure shot for the 2026 gubernatorial nomination, lost to Attorney General Phil Weiser. The biggest shock was the defeat of Rep. Diana DeGette, who has served in Congress for nearly 30 years, and was ousted by challenger Melat Kiros, who, among many things, said that we deserved the 9/11 attacks  Advertisement Bennet had a 30-point lead in the polls but was gradually ground down by attacks that portrayed him as a DC insider.  https://twitter.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2072146163755528311 https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status...
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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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New Internal Poll Shows Weiser Surging Past Bennet in Democratic Governor Primary
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

New Internal Poll Shows Weiser Surging Past Bennet in Democratic Governor Primary

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Attorney General Phil Weiser holds a lead over U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet among likely voters less than a week before ballots are due in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to a new poll released Thursday by a group backing Weiser. The survey, conducted Wednesday and Thursday by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, found Weiser with 45% support to Bennet’s 36%, with 19% undecided. Fighting for Colorado, a state super PAC formed to support Weiser, commissioned the poll, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points. PPP interviewed 600 likely voters — including Democrats and unaffiliated voters who said they’ll cast ballots in the Democratic primary — using a mix of automated calls to landline phones and text ...
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Colorado Governor Hopefuls Split on Wolves Hunting Rights and Rural Priorities
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Governor Hopefuls Split on Wolves Hunting Rights and Rural Priorities

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun The Colorado Sun surveyed the five candidates running for governor to get their plans and priorities for wildlife and the outdoors before Tuesday’s primary. The rural, wildlife and outdoor recreational issues facing the next governor of Colorado are significant, with at least one species at a critical juncture with an uncertain future. On Tuesday, voters across the state will select a Democrat and a Republican from among five candidates to replace term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat. The winners of Tuesday’s primary election will face off against each other on Nov. 3. The next governor will oversee a state where a voter-mandated wolf reintroduction program has been paused amid escalating clashes with ranchers while the state’s p...
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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser Faces Scrutiny Over Access to Lawsuit Records
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser Faces Scrutiny Over Access to Lawsuit Records

By Adam Herbets | The Center Square (The Center Square) - Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has filed dozens of lawsuits against the federal government, priding himself on his ability to fight and win cases against the Trump Administration, but he has yet to answer questions about the costs of those lawsuits to taxpayers. His office publishes a partial list of cases but otherwise keeps the full list behind a $331 paywall. While the partial list highlights "the total amount of federal funds successfully defended" by Weiser's lawsuits, it doesn't tell taxpayers the cost of pursuing the lawsuits. It also doesn't show whether taxpayers paid outside firms to do any of the work. Unlike a number of neighboring states, Colorado state law does not requir...
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Senate Approves $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Funding Package
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NPR, Approved, National

Senate Approves $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Funding Package

By Caitlyn Kim | NPR News This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org. The U.S. Senate passed an approximately $70 billion funding bill for federal immigration enforcement, without any reforms, early Friday morning, 52-47. Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper voted against the measure, while Sen. Michael Bennet missed the final passage vote and the preceding 18-hour marathon of back-to-back amendment votes known as a “vote-a-rama.” Instead, Bennet was back in Denver, where he hit the gubernatorial debate stage Thursday night for what he hopes will be his next job. A Bennet spokesperson noted that Bennet had returned to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday and filed amendments to the reconciliation bill. “When it ...
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