Colorado Inside Out

With Election Day just over a week away, several of Colorado’s traditionally Republican congressional districts are looking more competitive. The panel examines the legal battle over Amendment 87 and whether the proposal to change Colorado’s income tax system will remain on the ballot. Two other proposed constitutional amendments raise questions about voter identity verification and making ballot language easier to understand. And we look beyond the ballot error involving Colorado’s proposed CoCo passenger rail service to examine questions about accountability, oversight, and the district’s handling of the project.

This week on Colorado Inside Out, we examine the 2026 election as Colorado voters begin receiving their ballots. Our Insider panel shares what stood out to them from the only expected face-to-face discussion between gubernatorial candidates Phil Weiser and Victor Marx, and discuss why candidates are increasingly skipping debates and forums. We dig into Amendment 87 and the debate over changing Colorado’s flat income tax . The Insiders also look at the attorney general’s race, and how one of the candidates is at the center of a big ballot mixup in which 800,000 Front Range residents have an issue on their ballots, that they shouldn’t have. There’s a lot to discuss with Election Day a little over 3 weeks away.

Colorado Republicans are breaking with their party’s gubernatorial nominee, raising questions about what those endorsements reveal about the choices facing voters. That tops the conversation on this week’s Colorado Inside Out, along with reaction to key political debates that put candidates face to face for the first and only time this season. The Insiders also examine state legislative races that could determine whether Democrats secure a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature.And, Proposition NN, an AI-generated campaign video, and where to draw the line between political satire and misleading voters.

This week’s Colorado Inside Out acknowledges how the 2026 election season is entering a new phase with ballots now heading to voters. The race for governor takes center stage, along with the growing challenge of housing affordability.  The panel looks at a changing drug landscape, from contaminated vape cartridges to a new synthetic opioid and the growing scrutiny of kratom. And the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear Boulder’s climate case against ExxonMobil and Suncor.

With Colorado ballots heading out next week, election security is in focus, and a last-minute lawsuit is challenging the proposed graduated income tax measure. Immigration detention is back in the spotlight, with a new legal fight over a planned facility in Hudson and continued concerns about the Aurora facility.  Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is talking affordability with New York’s mayor, while Denver Health funding is in dispute and a new campaign is promoting the city.  Colorado schools are preparing for the "October Count," while Denver Public Schools is asking voters to approve $44 million in property-tax revenue and facing questions about leadership, spending and the cost of outside legal help.

All systems are go after this week’s Supreme Court ruling — voting by mail will continue as planned, with Colorado ballots heading to voters in two weeks.
Also in two weeks, a major change is coming to the Colorado River as the federal government takes over management.
Washington and Colorado are moving in different directions on energy and the environment, while data centers are heating up the debate.
And what will it take for office attendance in Denver to rebound? Our Insiders weigh in on Colorado Inside Out.
 

Colorado’s November election is heating up, with a crowded ballot and growing concerns about voter participation, campaign spending and trust in the democratic process.
We examine the debate over Colorado’s public lands, federal disaster aid following devastating wildfires and floods, and the controversy surrounding the state’s wolf reintroduction program. Plus, a look at several high-profile legal cases, including the fallout from the Missy Woods investigation and the Colorado Supreme Court’s review of the Kendrick Castillo case.

Colorado’s November election is set, but questions remain about how smoothly it will be administered — from mail delivery to protecting voters’ private information. We examine the growing debate over campaign money, legal challenges surrounding ICE enforcement, and the disappearance of maternity care in rural Colorado. Plus, a lighter look at Denver’s newest reality: driverless Waymo cars on our streets — and our Insiders’ highs and lows of the week.

Plans for Colorado’s midterm election are moving forward, as new federal efforts regarding mail ballots create some confusion. Election officials everything will go as planned. On Colorado Inside Out, we look at the latest measures to make the ballot as the deadline to qualify appraoches. In Denver, could a rising Democratic Socialist movement give mayoral challenger Shontel Lewis a real shot against Mike Johnston? And with devastating wildfires prompting Colorado to seek federal disaster aid, will the federal government provide some help? 

On this week’s Colorado Inside Out, we examine how Colorado and the Trump administration are increasingly at odds. Colorado is also taking legal action against the company running the Aurora ICE detention center over access to health records in a tuberculosis investigation. As students head back to school, new testing results show progress in some areas — and persistent gaps in others. And the Insiders weigh in on some of the many issues that will make the statewide ballot in November.