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By regaining seat held by party-flipper Priola, GOP appears to have staved off Dems’ supermajority in Senate
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State, The Sum & Substance

By regaining seat held by party-flipper Priola, GOP appears to have staved off Dems’ supermajority in Senate

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado Senate Democrats appear unlikely to capture a supermajority in that chamber, even as House Democrats are on track to maintain that veto-proof status in theirs, leaving the Legislature with a kind of status quo following the 2024 election. Several key races in each chamber remain too close to call, but in most cases those races have shown little change in results as more ballots have been counted. Some of the biggest pockets of untabulated tallies now remain in El Paso County, where both a state Senate and a state House race are on the line, and in Weld County, home to a key House race. But as of mid-afternoon Wednesday, nearly 24 hours after polls closed, Democrats appear to have retained a 23-12 margin in the Senate, leaving ...
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Western Slope SPEAR task force takes 28,500 illegal pills off the streets
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Western Slope SPEAR task force takes 28,500 illegal pills off the streets

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Members of a multi-jurisdictional task force, known as SPEAR (Special Problem Enforcement and Response Task Force), have intercepted 28,500 hydrocodone pills, with a street value of $285,000. Hydrocodone is an opiate that is classified as a schedule II drug under the Controlled Substance Act. According to Garfield Sheriff Lou Vallario, SPEAR received an alert from Mesa County law enforcement that a man, suspected by the DEA of multi-state crimes, was on Interstate 70 heading to Garfield County. Members of SPEAR were immediately activated and the suspect vehicle was located at the Bair Ranch rest area off I-70 exit 129 in Glenwood Canyon. When officers arrived at the Bair Ranch rest area, they found Robert Newman, a resident ...
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Two arrested Mesa County women, including a postal worker, allegedly conspired in ballot theft case to test election
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Two arrested Mesa County women, including a postal worker, allegedly conspired in ballot theft case to test election

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Two women have been arrested in connection with the theft of multiple ballots in Mesa County, District Attorney Dan Rubinstein announced Wednesday. Sally Jane Smith, known by aliases Sally Maxedon and Sally Cline, age 60, from Grand Junction, and Vicki Lyn Stuart, age 64, also from Grand Junction, were arrested on Nov. 6, 2024. Election crimes fall under the authority and jurisdiction of the local district attorney, although the investigation also included state and local law enforcement. On Oct. 21, election officials at the Mesa County clerk and recorder's office reported to the district attorney’s office that they had received what appeared to be fraudulent ballots in the mail. When the elections officials were running...
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With win over Frisch, Jeff Hurd has held Colorado’s 3rd District for Republicans
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

With win over Frisch, Jeff Hurd has held Colorado’s 3rd District for Republicans

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Jeff Hurd's telephone rang at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, a little more than 24 hours after polls closed on Election Day. On the other end of the phone was his opponent, Democrat Adam Frisch. Hurd had pulled out a close race into a 12,413-vote lead with less than 12% of ballots remaining to be counted. “A few moments ago, I called to offer my congratulations to Jeff Hurd for being the next representative for Colorado’s 3rd [U.S. House] District," Frisch wrote in a statement. "Elections are about showing up, and I traveled more than 75,000 miles this campaign, authentically connecting with people from Dinosaur to Durango, Manzanola to Mancos and everywhere in between." The campaign was about them, he said, expressing apprec...
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Colorado Democrats maintain control of the state legislature, but their path to a supermajority is slim
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Democrats maintain control of the state legislature, but their path to a supermajority is slim

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Colorado Democrats held on to their large majorities at the statehouse, but their path to a rare legislative supermajority in both the House and Senate was shrinking Wednesday morning, with a handful of races still too close to call. Supermajority control could embolden the progressive left to push for a more aggressive agenda on a range of issues like worker and tenant rights, the environment and social services. And there will likely be rising pressure from their base to do so as a bulwark against a second Donald Trump presidency. But their ability to reshape the state government next year could be limited. Lawmakers will return to a state Capitol in January with a pressing need to slash more than $1 billion in spending, cuts expected to fall he...
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How did Colorado vote? Here’s a quick rundown on 2024 statewide ballot initiatives 
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

How did Colorado vote? Here’s a quick rundown on 2024 statewide ballot initiatives 

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice An estimated 63.2% of Coloradans -- more than 2.5 million -- turned out via mail-in, drop-off or in-person voting to help decide a variety of items on one of the longest ballots in memory. For them to decide were seven Colorado constitutional amendments and seven more state propositions. The reporting status as of this report is 73%. All results remain unofficial until certified by the Secretary of State. Constitutional Amendments Amendment 79: Creates a constitutional right to abortion. Result: Passed with 61.5% support (approx. 1,511,329 votes). The measure prohibited state and local governments from blocking access to abortion. It also repealed a previous ban on using public funds for abortion services. Amendment ...
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Schumann: It’s a party in MAGA Country, as Trump’s return to White House signals a mandate for change
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Schumann: It’s a party in MAGA Country, as Trump’s return to White House signals a mandate for change

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice When Americans awoke Nov. 6, following an Election Night which went into the wee hours of the early morning, they learned Donald J. Trump had been elected as the 47th U.S. President with 286 electoral votes, defeating Kamala Harris. The broad support of working-class Americans, resulting in Trump's win, signals a clear call to tackle the nation's pressing issues. Trump won important battleground states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. This secured his victory. This election also marked the first time since 2004 that a Republican has won the national popular vote, a milestone CNN contributor Scott Jennings described as “a big deal.” According to sources from Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ, Trump’s w...
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Rinard loses CU board of regents bid in missed opportunity for Republicans
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rinard loses CU board of regents bid in missed opportunity for Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Eric Rinard lost his bid at the at-large seat on the University of Colorado's board of regents Tuesday and with it Republicans lost an opportunity to earn a 5-4 majority on the board. The board of regents is comprised of one elected member from each U.S. House district in Colorado -- there are eight -- and one at-large seat. Republicans entered Election Night needing to defend two of the four seats it held and flip the at-large seat. Democrat Elliott Hood earned 50.5% of the 2,332,032 votes cast in the at-large election to defeat Rinard, who earned 46.8% of the vote, according to results with 72% of ballots reported. The election map read largely like President Donald Trump's in the state, with the Eastern Plains, Southern Colorado and the We...
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All eyes remain on 8th District race where Caraveo, Evans are split by 3,817 votes
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

All eyes remain on 8th District race where Caraveo, Evans are split by 3,817 votes

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Whether Democrats will retain a majority or the seats will be a split for the Colorado caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives appears as if it will come down to the one race most political observers always anticipated. Republican Gabe Evans, a former police officer and veteran, is trailing Democrat Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician, by 3,817 votes in a virtual replay of the 8th District U.S. House race from 2022, when it took some time before Caraveo was declared the winner over Barb Kirkmeyer. Caraveo leads Evans by 1.59%. The state requirement to trigger a recount is a difference of 0.5% or less. As was the case in 2022, the competitive district sets up as Weld County versus Adams County. In Weld County, Evans earned 57.6% of the vote ...
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Navarro flips 8th District seat on board of education, Democrats grasp on board loosened
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Navarro flips 8th District seat on board of education, Democrats grasp on board loosened

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Yazmin Navarro appears to have wrestled the 8th District seat on the State Board of Education away from Rhonda Solis, and with it loosened the Democratic Party's grasp on the board. The State Board of Education is comprised of one elected member from each U.S. House district in Colorado -- there are eight -- and one at-large seat. Republicans entered Election Night needing to defend two of the three seats it held and flip the 8th District seat. The 2nd District seat was uncontested by Republicans. Navarro, who ran on a platform of restoring education as a keystone in the success of young Coloradans, earned 51.0% of the 233,696 votes cast in the 8th District, defeating Democrat Rhonda Solis who had 49.0%, according to results Wednesday, Nov. 6...
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