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Tag: Scott Bottoms

Colorado debated abortion oversight while Lexi’s autopsy stayed redacted
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado debated abortion oversight while Lexi’s autopsy stayed redacted

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Taco Tuesdays with her mother. Motorcycle rides with her stepdad. Choir, books and afternoons at the Denver Aquarium. That was the teenager her family remembered. Alexis Arguello was 18 when she died in Fort Collins on Feb. 6, 2025 after a second-trimester abortion. Coincidentally, it was less than a week after her death that Rep. Scott Bottoms introduced a bill for abortion-clinic oversight. A relative of Arguello testified for the bill a month later, even while the portions describing the abortion and related medical complications remained hidden from view. It took an order from a district court judge for the records to be released unredacted.  In the order, St. John emphasized that autopsy reports are public records subject to dis...
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Judge keeps Colorado’s GOP primary open to unaffiliated voters
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Approved, DENVER7, State

Judge keeps Colorado’s GOP primary open to unaffiliated voters

By April Schildmeyer | Denver7 DENVER — A judge rejected three Republican primary candidates' request to block unaffiliated voters from participating in the upcoming party primary election. Former State House Rep. Ron Hanks, State Rep. Scott Bottoms and David Willson, a candidate for attorney general, filed the suit, claiming that allowing non-party voters to participate dilutes the votes of registered Republicans and violated the party's First Amendment rights. In 2016, Colorado voters approved Proposition 108, which opened primaries to unaffiliated voters. Judge Jon J. Olafson found the plaintiffs waited too long to file their lawsuit, noting that ballots had already been mailed to overseas military voters. County clerks must mail ballots to military and overseas voters by...
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Sharp Divides Emerge in Colorado Republican Governor Debate
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Sharp Divides Emerge in Colorado Republican Governor Debate

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 Watch key moments and the full debate between State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and State Rep. Scott Bottoms. DENVER — Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidates State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and State Rep. Scott Bottoms took the stage Thursday evening in their first televised debate ahead of the June 30 primaries. Victor Marx, a third contender in the GOP gubernatorial race, was invited to participate in the debate but declined Denver7's invitation. Both candidates fielded questions before a live studio audience of a few dozen people as they tried to make the case as to why it was time for Coloradans to hand power back to Republicans this November after nearly 20 years of Democratic control in the state. It was the first major televised deba...
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Republican Candidates Take Center Stage In Key Colorado Governor Debate
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

Republican Candidates Take Center Stage In Key Colorado Governor Debate

By Bente Birkeland | CPR News Republican gubernatorial candidates state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms are scheduled to take the stage Thursday in their first televised debate ahead of the June 30 primary election.  The candidates hope to replace outgoing Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited after eight years in office. A third GOP contender, Victor Marx, a Marine and nonprofit Christian ministry leader, declined to participate.  Bottoms and Kirkmeyer have attended multiple forums together, talking about their leadership styles and how they hope to get the state back on track after years of Democratic control. Marx has separately held his own community events.  The debate, hosted by CPR News, Denver7 and The Denver Post, is t...
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Three GOP candidates take aim at Colorado’s open primary law—and bring the math
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Three GOP candidates take aim at Colorado’s open primary law—and bring the math

By Candice Strutzreim | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Republican candidates Ron Hanks (CD-3), David Willson (attorney general) and Scott Bottoms (governor) have filed a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of CRS 1-7-201. Also known as the Open Primary statute, the law was created through Proposition 108 in 2016. The hearing will be held in Denver District Court this Thursday at 1:30 pm, one day before primary ballots are scheduled to be sent to overseas and military voters for the June 30 election. How is this lawsuit any different than all the other challenges to “Prop 108” that have been previously brought before the courts? Counsel for the plaintiffs, Gary D. Fielder, intends to prove that Governor Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold are promulg...
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Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Scott Bottoms in his own words
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Scott Bottoms in his own words

By RMV Editorial Board | Rocky Mountain Voice In five weeks, the candidate who won 45 percent of delegate votes at the GOP state assembly will be a name on a ballot. Scott Bottoms wants them to know exactly where he stands—on everything. In the individualized portion of RMV's governor primary feature, the Colorado Springs pastor and state representative answered questions about his faith-driven language on the House floor, his budget vote, his FBI claims, his endorsement of Joe Oltmann, his readiness to run a $46 billion state government and his vote against certifying election results. These questions were drawn from reader submissions, Bottoms' legislative record and public statements. The common questions all three GOP candidates received are published in the side-by-side c...
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Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Where Kirkmeyer and Bottoms stand, and Marx stays silent
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Where Kirkmeyer and Bottoms stand, and Marx stays silent

By RMV Editorial Board | Rocky Mountain Voice Three candidates will appear on Colorado's Republican primary ballot for governor on June 30. Two of them answered questions from Rocky Mountain Voice this month. One did not. State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer and State Rep. Scott Bottoms each responded to questions drawn from reader submissions and issues facing Republican primary voters. RMV contacted the Marx campaign repeatedly. RMV founder Heidi Ganahl followed up personally and extended his deadline by an additional day. He still did not respond. Bottoms won the top line at assembly with 45 percent of delegate votes. Marx qualified with 39 percent after also filing petition signatures, which lowered his assembly threshold. Kirkmeyer qualified through petition alone, submitting mor...
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Colorado budget battle reveals deep divide over spending priorities
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado budget battle reveals deep divide over spending priorities

By Rep. Scott Bottoms | Commentary, Complete Colorado Nearly two millennia ago Jesus of Nazareth said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Colorado’s Capitol is a long way in space and time from ancient Israel, but the principle remains and is often illustrated during the legislature’s annual budget week. We see where people’s values are by programs that lawmakers do – or do not – fund. The first observation about budget week is a broad one: Governor Polis and majority Democrats like to make a distinction between Washington DC and Denver. They speak of the ‘Colorado way’ so as to suggest that the dirty and deceitful politics of the national capitol never make their way to the state one. Don’t believe it. Here’s an example: with all the talk of ...
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GOP advances candidates as convention backs effort to limit primary ballots to Republicans
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

GOP advances candidates as convention backs effort to limit primary ballots to Republicans

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Republicans came to Pueblo to choose candidates. They left having done that—and still debating who should have a say in choosing them. What unfolded over the course of a long delayed and at times contentious assembly produced clear outcomes in major races while also setting in motion a legal step that could reshape how those candidates are selected in the future. Candidates emerge with distinct paths to the ballot Two different approaches carried through in the governor’s race. State Rep. Scott Bottoms led with 968 votes (45.13 percent) while Victor Marx followed with 837 votes (39.02 percent). Both cleared the 30 percentage threshold required to advance. Supporters raise signs for Scott Bottoms as delegates r...
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