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UPDATED: Colorado House Republicans to choose leadership Friday for 75th session via Zoom; House Dems election adds Zoom link
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UPDATED: Colorado House Republicans to choose leadership Friday for 75th session via Zoom; House Dems election adds Zoom link

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice At least two new legislators will be selected Friday, Nov. 8, to Republican leadership when the Colorado House Republican Caucus convenes for leadership elections at 10 a.m. The election was to take place in the historic Old State Library at the Colorado State Capitol, but a winter storm caused leadership to announce a move to Zoom. You can join the meeting HERE. "We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we prioritize safety," the announcement from Colorado House Republicans reads. The elections set the minority party's leadership for the 75th General Assembly. Returning to the 75th General Assembly are Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, Caucus Chair Mary Bradfield ...
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What a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate means for Americans
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Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice

What a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate means for Americans

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Republicans held their first U.S. Senate majority from 1869-1871, after the Civil War. When the 119th Congress meets on Jan. 3, 2025, the seventh Republican Senate majority in history will get to work. With this Senate majority, President Trump will likely have the legislative support to enact his GOP platform without significant roadblocks. As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., steps down, choosing his successor for the new majority is key. It will shape the Senate's direction. After being sworn in on Jan. 3, the next leader will be chosen. McConnell held a hearing this week to discuss election outcomes. He stressed that, by regaining the Senate, Republicans could "set the guardrails" on legislation. "One of the...
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Caraveo’s lead has declined by 0.83%, as Evans now behind by 2,096 votes
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Caraveo’s lead has declined by 0.83%, as Evans now behind by 2,096 votes

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It is officially nearly two full days after the closing of polls on Election Night, but who the winner will be in Colorado's 8th District U.S. House race remains undecided. Republican challenger Gabe Evans presently trails Democrat Yadira Caraveo by 2,096 votes, less than one-tenth of 1% of all votes to have been counted in the district. In the past 24 hours, Caraveo's lead has gone from what could have been comfortably outside the criteria for a mandatory recount to nearing it. She leads Evans now by just 0.76%. Her lead was at 1.59% at one point on Wednesday, back when she had a 3,817-vote lead. An estimated 16.63% of votes in the race have not been reported, meaning there still could be considerable change. The 8th District is typically...
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Long after ‘the call’ there’s work being done in election offices across Colorado
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Long after ‘the call’ there’s work being done in election offices across Colorado

By BRIAN PORTER and JEN SCHUMANN | Rocky Mountain Voice When the polls close and enough ballots are counted on Election Night, voters are familiar with news agencies "calling" a winner in a race. "The call" is generally an estimation based on many factors, such as the percentage of votes counted against the anticipated total ballots cast, whether the margin is moving with each data release, if outstanding votes in a certain area might be a significant anomaly from the returned votes, and possibly a mathematical formula of what it may take to flip the race with the remaining outstanding votes. In other words, would a candidate with 35% of ballots remaining and only 20% of the vote need 90% of remaining ballots to favor him, a statistical improbability? Once all of those considerati...
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Western Slope SPEAR task force takes 28,500 illegal pills off the streets
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Approved, 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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Approved, 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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Approved, 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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How did Colorado vote? Here’s a quick rundown on 2024 statewide ballot initiatives 
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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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Approved, 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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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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