Controversial Colorado Open Records bill draws calls for veto

The bill was never really debated in the Senate where it was introduced, then it was tacked on to a House bill amid the blizzard of activity that marked the last days of the Colorado legislative session. Government watchdog and elections groups on the right and left are now asking Gov. John Hickenlooper to veto it, arguing the bill would deny citizens the right to inspect voter ballots and “gut” the state’s Open Records Act.

Defiant Coffman sure to turn to middle in new tossup 6th District

In his more than 20-year political career, Colorado 6th District Republican Congressman Mike Cofffman has never lost an election. Before heading to Capitol Hill, he was a state representative and senator, then state treasurer and then briefly secretary of state. Among insiders, it has been accepted as a given that Coffman is planning to take a run in 2014 at Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Udall’s seat. Any future Coffman political plans, however, were complicated Thursday, when Denver District Judge Robert Hyatt put the 6th District GOP stronghold into play by paring off large swaths of mostly white suburbs south of Denver and including more urban, working-class and Latino regions to the north.

Republicans reclaim state House, but votes are still being counted

The red wave that swept America in last week’s election didn’t exactly miss Colorado, but it was very selective. It will probably be felt most acutely in the State Legislature, where control will be split, the Republicans gaining a slim edge in the House and Dems solidly reclaiming the Senate.

Schaffer jabs McInnis on Twitter, conjuring ghosts of 2008

One thing the whole Scott McInnis plagiarism scandal has dredged up is a bit of not-so-ancient history revealing internal cat fighting in the Colorado Republican Party right before they were swept aside in the 2008 election.

If you recall, that…

Speaker Carroll says McInnis should pull out of guv’s race

Colorado Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll Tuesday called on gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis to withdraw from the race after the Denver Post published a story alleging the former six-term U.S. congressman plagiarized parts of several articles on water…

Carroll responds to attacks on voting reform proposal

Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, appeared uncharacteristically off-balance and back on his heels this morning, reeling from the firestorm of conservative criticism that erupted in the face of his draft plan to cut the costs of and up participation…

Swalm, done offending poor on the House floor, takes to the Twitter

State Rep. Spencer Swalm seems intent to inflame these days, tossing out provocative bon mots on the House floor, in committee hearings and on the Twitter. The Centennial Republican on Monday railed against a bill aimed at easing tax…

Budget debate rhetoric: Eliminating tax exemptions versus raising taxes

The debate went on in the House chamber for days, bleeding over to Monday from Friday, amounting to more than 30 hours of wrangling over eight bills designed to eliminate tax breaks granted to Colorado businesses. “Eliminate tax breaks,” anyway,…

Rep. King offers first defense against ‘double dipping’ ethics complaint

Grand Junction Republican state Rep. Steve King told the Colorado Independent this week that he is seeking to answer all questions related to travel expenses he incurred last spring that may have been reimbursed twice, once by his campaign and once by the state. King said he believes complaints about the expenses amount to dirty politics.

“I take this seriously. Any type of accusations about ethics need to be taken seriously. I will cooperate fully with leadership in answering the questions they might have,” he said. “I am confident at the end of the day this will be found to be just an election year attack and an attempt to assassinate my character.”

Colorado’s ‘epic’ 2010 legislative session begins

DENVER– A Colorado youth symphony played the national anthem to open the Colorado Senate this morning, the gavel bang marking the start of a legislative session that will be characterized by extraordinary wrangling over the recession-constrained budget in a heated election year.