Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: 2026 election

Colorado Primary Sends Shockwaves Through State and National Politics
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...
RNC Sues Griswold Over Overseas Voters With No Colorado Residency History
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

RNC Sues Griswold Over Overseas Voters With No Colorado Residency History

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER–The Republican National Committee on Friday filed suit in Denver District state court against Secretary of State Jena Griswold, challenging her office’s policy of allowing overseas voters who have never set foot in Colorado to cast ballots in state elections. Filed just four days before Colorado’s primary election, the suit argues Griswold’s implementation of the state’s overseas voter law runs headlong into the Colorado Constitution’s residency requirement. Griswold is also a candidate for Colorado attorney general in the June 30 Democrat primary. “Residency is not inherited and cannot be established by proxy,” the complaint reads. “An individual who has never personally made Colorado his or her home has not ...
Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Voters To Decide Whether Road Taxes Stay On The Road

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters will have the chance this November to constitutionally guarantee that revenue intended for building and maintaining the state’s highways actually goes to fixing the roads, after proponents of Initiative 175 submitted enough valid signatures to earn a spot on the 2026 statewide ballot. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday announced that of the 189,355 total petition signatures submitted, 143,112  were deemed valid, easily clearing the 124,238 threshold required of all citizens’ initiatives. Because 175 amends the state Constitution, signatures from at least two percent of registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 state senate districts were also required. They cleared that hurdle as well...
Federal Judge Clears Path for Release of Biden Interview Tapes
The Federalist, Approved, National

Federal Judge Clears Path for Release of Biden Interview Tapes

By: Luke Miller | The Federalist The DOJ ‘explicitly relied on the Zwonitzer materials in deciding not to prosecute Biden because of his mental state.’ A United States District Court judge released an opinion on Friday denying former President Joe Biden’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the release of tapes and transcripts from a set of 2016-2017 interviews that reportedly show Biden’s illegal handling of classified materials. In May 2026, Biden sued the U.S. Department of Justice to block the release of more than 70 hours of audio recordings of conversations between himself and his biographer, Mark Zwonitzer. After making redactions for privacy purposes, the DOJ was set to release the tapes to The Heritage Foundation as a result of a 2024 Fre...
Denver Post Backs Dougherty Over Griswold In Colorado AG Primary
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Denver Post Backs Dougherty Over Griswold In Colorado AG Primary

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado (Editor’s note: The Denver Post endorsements linked are paywalled. Complete Colorado is offering this synopsis as a service to non-subscribing primary voters.) DENVER–The Denver Post editorial board on Monday endorsed Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty in the Democratic primary for Colorado Attorney General, passing over the race’s best-known candidate, current Secretary of State Jena Griswold. The Post considered all four Democrat candidates but focused its praise on Dougherty (as well as Hetal Doshi, a former federal prosecutor). While the board acknowledged Griswold as “the only candidate to have actually run a statewide agency,” that credential wasn’t enough. The endorsement makes clear that Dougherty “checked...
Bottoms And Kirkmeyer Take Stage In High Stakes Colorado Gubernatorial Debate
Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Bottoms And Kirkmeyer Take Stage In High Stakes Colorado Gubernatorial Debate

By The Gazette | Colorado Politics The Gazette and the Centennial Institute are cosponsoring a Republican gubernatorial debate Tuesday at Colorado Christian University, featuring candidates state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs pastor, and longtime GOP insider state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer. Candidates will field questions on major issues facing Colorado, including the economy, crime/public safety, state budget/TABOR, energy, infrastructure and affordability. The debate will be moderated by Shaun Boyd of CBS Colorado; Vince Bzdek, executive editor of The Gazette and The Denver Gazette; and Michael Brown of KOA. Limited tickets are available at McDonald Performance Hall in Armstrong Center, Colorado Christian University, 8787 W. Alameda Ave. in Lakewood. READ THE FULL ARTIC...
Colorado Voters May Decide Constitutional Right To Hunt And Fish
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Voters May Decide Constitutional Right To Hunt And Fish

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Colorado voters may well get the chance to weigh in this November on creating a constitutional right to hunt and fish, which proponents say is necessary to protect outdoor sporting activities from an ongoing onslaught of anti-hunting efforts. The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance, a newly formed issue committee, launched  Initiative 302, ‘Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish’ in early April. The ballot measure would amend the state Constitution, establishing hunting, fishing, and harvesting of fish and wildlife as a constitutional right to every Coloradan. It would apply to all species managed by the state except for endangered, federally prohibited, and non-game species. “Coloradans value the state’s long-st...
Republican Candidates Take Center Stage In Key Colorado Governor Debate
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...
Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Scott Bottoms in his own words
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...
Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Barb Kirkmeyer in her own words
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Barb Kirkmeyer in her own words

By RMV Editorial Board | Rocky Mountain Voice In five weeks, more than 21,000 petition signatures become a name on a ballot. Barb Kirkmeyer got on that ballot by knocking on doors. While her two opponents competed for delegate votes at the GOP state assembly, this state senator skipped the convention and submitted 21,342 petition signatures—15,438 of which were validated by the Secretary of State—to qualify for the June 30 primary. In the individualized portion of RMV's governor primary feature, Kirkmeyer explains why she chose that path and answers questions about her budget vote, TABOR refunds, Tina Peters, abortion and what kind of Republican she is. The questions below were shaped by reader submissions, public statements and Kirkmeyer's record in the state Senate. The six ...