This is not quite how Scott Gessler’s plan was supposed to go. When Colorado’s Secretary of State announced an unprecedented voter registration initiative last month, he told reporters that the effort wasn’t a direct response to criticisms of voter suppression, though he said it would hopefully disprove accusations that he…
A prisoner’s lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Corrections, claiming a latex allergy so severe that he’s suffered burns and respiratory problems when touched by glove-wearing guards, appeared to have been resolved last month when DOC officials testified that they no longer use latex in their facilities. But Albert Abeyta…
As the nation debates the role of government programs and taxes in the American economy — in response to a leaked video of Mitt Romney — Colorado taxes are now at the center of a vicious back-and-forth between two candidates battling for a local congressional seat. Yesterday, the re-election campaign…
There was a time in the mid-1990s when Dorothy Rupert, then a state senator from Boulder, made a point out of touring every prison in Colorado. No easy feat, since at the time the state had the fastest-growing corrections system in the country. “I was just appalled at the rapid…
Fight Back Colorado, a group devoted to defeating anti-civil union lawmakers, has announced its first target: Representative Robert Ramirez, a Westminster Republican who narrowly won his race two years ago and who Fight Back Colorado says flip-flopped on civil unions. The group has sent mailers to voters in Jefferson County…
During ESPN’s pre-game build-up to last night’s error-filled Broncos loss to the Falcons, past Westword profile subject Rick Reilly hosted a segment featuring Denver mayor Michael Hancock talking in greater detail than he has since being elected (and maybe ever) about what’s arguably his greatest accomplishment: Serving as Huddles, the…
Occupy Denver took the city by storm last year. Six days after Occupy Wall Street’s September 17 launch in New York, the local branch placed its finger on the city’s political pulse. In the twelve months since then, the movement gained a reputation for sound, fury and controversy as it…
Congressional candidate Joe Coors made headlines back in May, by claiming he is not a beer. But now, a disgruntled tenant who lives in a property the GOP candidate owns is hoping Coors gets attention for something else he says the congressional hopeful isn’t: a good landlord. The tenant claims…
Ninth time’s a charm. President Barack Obama was back in Colorado this morning, marking his ninth visit to the state this year and his third campaign stop here in just three weeks. The crowd of thousands flocking to Golden — and the surrounding traffic jams and street closures — served…
Before a group of Mitt Romney supporters in Centennial earlier this week, Fox News analyst and conservative pundit Dick Morris said Barack Obama won’t be elected because his fans won’t actually vote. Today, before Obama took the stage in Golden, we asked ten supporters what they think of Morris’s comments…
Mitt Romney is not attracting much Latino support, and his outlook is even bleaker when it comes to black voters in Colorado and across the country. But a lot of folks like these who would vote for President Obama probably won’t bother to show up. The result? A Romney win…
Denver residents gathered today in Civic Center to honor the eleventh anniversary of September 11, 2001. This year’s “Colorado Remembers” event featured Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, Hall of Famer John Elway, members of the U.S. Armed Forces and FDNY’s rescue fire truck for…
Barack Obama will be speaking in Golden Thursday, marking the umpteenth recent visit to Colorado by a presidential candidate or surrogate. And he’ll be back again on October 3, when he’s scheduled to face Mitt Romney in 2012’s first presidential debate — at the University of Denver, which is already…
Last Tuesday, Scott Gessler held a press conference to announce an $850,000 voter registration campaign — the largest in the state’s history. He said he hoped the effort would disprove some of his critics’ accusations that Gessler, a Republican, has been trying to intimidate voters. But days later, he sent…
As we reported earlier this week, the presidential campaigns and supporting super PACs have already spent a whopping total of $25.7 million on advertisements in Colorado. That number is going to continue to skyrocket in this key swing state — and experts expect spending to reach $1.1 billion across the…
The “election from hell.” A “COLOSSAL problem.” A “stunning level of incompetence.” These are all phrases used to describe a primary race in Teller and Douglas counties that was allegedly so disastrous that one of the candidates, in a new lawsuit, is arguing that the election should be voided. First…
Where’s Mike Coffman? That’s the question raised by a new site called Wheresmikecoffman.com, which accuses the reelection-seeking Republican congressman of being unresponsive to voters. In response, Coffman’s spokesman says the politician has been available at all kinds of public events — and denounces the group behind the site for “dirty…
After last week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Mitt Romney has taken a break from the campaign trail to focus on debate preparation. But that doesn’t mean he’s ignoring the key swing state of Colorado. Yesterday, the campaign brought Craig Romney, the candidate’s youngest son, to Lakewood for an event…
On the heels of an initiative designed to weed out immigrants who may be illegally registered to vote in the November election, Colorado Secretary of Scott Gessler has launched a campaign aimed at increasing voter registration in the state. The $850,000 effort unveiled yesterday is not, however, a direct response…
Last night, a number of folks with Colorado ties spoke at the Democratic National Convention, including Representative Jared Polis and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. But the one to arguably get the most attention was Colorado’s Maria Ciano, who conservative media outlets like this one have dubbed a “fake…
Denver allows camping for shoppers but not for homeless people with nowhere to go. At least that was last week’s message from Occupy Denver during protests about allowing Sports Authority shoppers to camp out for bargains months after the city began enforcing its urban camping ban, which prohibits the homeless…
As part of this week’s feature “Purple Haze,” we take a dive into the millions of dollars used for advertising in Colorado by the presidential campaigns and a handful of very wealthy super PACs. Based on the latest numbers, more than $25 million has been spent in this battleground state…
