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J. Paul Brown may be one of the most conservative members of the Colorado Legislature. He not only votes against virtually all Democrats’ bills, he often votes against his fellow Republicans’ bills. More than once, his has been the only no vote on a bill.

Early voter numbers released this morning by the Colorado secretary of state's office bring good news for Democrats. The lead notched by registered Republicans dipped a point over the weekend to 38 percent of all votes cast so far in the state. Registered Democrats stayed even at 36 percent and unaffiliated voters gained two points to hit 25 percent.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman won 65.7 percent of the vote in his first Colorado Congressional District Six reelection campaign two years ago. It's likely to be quite a bit closer this time.

With Colorado Republicans enjoying a one-seat advantage in the State House, Democrats are eying a dozen or more districts as winnable this year. One of those is HD 27 in northwest suburban Jefferson County, where hard-right first-term incumbent Libby Szabo is fighting off Democratic insider Tim Allport. Voter registration numbers slightly favor Szabo but Allport is confident heading into the last weeks of the campaign.

Luis Toro, director of left-leaning government watchdog group Colorado Ethics Watch, said on Monday that a preliminary review of documents suggests Secretary of State Scott Gessler's decision to bill taxpayers for travel to partisan political functions stands out when compared to decisions made by other state-wide office holders.

DENVER-- Speaking at a conservative conference here Thursday, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler claimed voter fraud had affected the outcomes of elections, that there is evidence of "organized" voter fraud, that Democrats are intentionally registering noncitizens to vote, and that his critics willfully ignore evidence that these crimes are being committed.

Washington and Oregon both have measures similar to Colorado’s Amendment 64 on the ballot this year. It is unknown how the federal government will respond if any or all of them pass. The feds could respect the decision of voters, they could try to block implementation of some parts of the law, or they could shut down dispensaries and arrest people involved in the wholesale and retail ends of the business.

There is no question that keeping marijuana illegal comes at a price. There are no easy answers when it comes to how high that price is, though.

Mitt Romney campaigned in Pueblo, Colorado, on Monday, telling about 3,000 supporters that, as president, he'd create jobs in the state by developing U.S. energy resources. Yet, even before he touched down at the city airport where the event was held, Romney was under fire by wind-power advocates for leading opposition to the federal tax credit extension tied to the loss announced last week of roughly 100 jobs at a Pueblo wind tower factory.

If Amendment 64 passes, it will become almost immediately legal under Colorado law for adults to possess, grow, consume and give away up to an ounce of marijuana. It may take more than a year, however, before adults can purchase marijuana legally in a store.