Yes, politics may be shifting in this conservative bulwark, but that's only one part of the story.

Colorado Springs’ next mayor is a man few thought would win. What happened?

The end of session brought dramatic developments, bruising disagreements and a few goofy moments.

Land use, property taxes and party conflicts — how the legislature wrapped up

Here’s a math problem for you: how do you get hundreds of different bills to add up to one balanced budget? We take you inside the complex process of pricing out legislation and the sometimes controversial ways lawmakers decide what’s worth the money.

The legislature’s spending dance

Single-family homes have ruled Colorado development for a century, but Gov. Jared Polis and his allies believe the future needs to look very different.

The year that could change how Colorado grows

As Republican lawmakers adapt to their ‘super-minority’ in the House, they’re grappling with a big question: is it better to negotiate when they can, or dig in on delays?

Colorado’s blockbuster filibuster (and why it matters)

Sky-high utility bills and record corporate profits have many Coloradans — and lawmakers — asking if it’s time to rethink Xcel’s business model.

Xcel’s winter of discontent

Housing, recreation, government -- advocates for people with disabilities say there are a lot of ways Colorado could be doing more to make those things accessible to all.

Disability rights at center stage

The policy has been banned in Colorado for four decades, but that could all change this year.

Rent control in Colorado?

From the founding of the state to modern mass shootings, we look at the forces that have driven changes to Colorado law over the years, and what it means for this year's brewing debate.

How Colorado’s gun laws have changed from frontier days to today

In the first State of the State speech of his second term, Gov. Polis picked a big fight with local governments, while saying little on a major priority for many in his party.

The Polis Agenda

Purplish is CPR News' podcast about state politics, state government, elections and political identity. Hosted by public affairs reporters Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney.

Easy and fun to listen to each week- thanks for the rundown of what’s happening in our state!

Quick and informative

Please have an episode explaining TABOR in depth

TABOR

Purplish

Colorado’s 2019 legislative session is over. The last four months of frantic lawmaking were a test for Democrats, who took complete control of the state Capitol last November. This episode, we look back at everything they were able to achieve — and why arguments over process at times got in the way of their biggest goals. And how Republicans, who lacked the votes to block legislation, found other ways to make their voices heard. The result was a session that showed passing bills isn’t as simple as just having a majority.

ALL OF THE BILLS!!!!

Colorado’s capitol is current firmly in the hands of the Democrats, so that means smooth sailing for all their policies right? Yeah, not so much.

Things Democrats Disagree About

This week we're talking about some of the ways things can get personal -- very personal -- at the state capitol.

The Political Is Personal

We're a month into session, and Capitol newbie Andrew Kenney is starting to realize it's not all pithy quotes and snappy debates. Lawmakers are getting to wrestle with some of the session's most contested proposals.

Big Ideas Incoming

Should Colorado keep the death penalty? As lawmakers once again debate abolition, it's a question that divides parties, and friends, at the state capitol.

The Matter Of Life And Death

Ken Crumb’s story likely sounds familiar. A Front Range resident sees oil and gas drilling in his community. He doesn’t like it and organizes his neighbors to pass a local drilling ban. The thing is, in Ken’s case, this all happened more than 30 years ago. And that community he rallied was Greeley -- not exactly a hotbed of anti-fracking sentiment today.This episode, we look back at perhaps Colorado’s first fractivist. What Ken did ended up limiting local control of oil and gas development. Now, Democratic lawmakers have passed a bill to tilt the scales back in the other direction.

Ken Crumb’s story likely sounds familiar. A Front Range resident sees oil and gas drilling in his community. He doesn’t like it and organizes his neighbors to pass a local drilling ban. The thing is, in Ken’s case, this all happened more than 30 years ago. And that community he rallied was Greeley -- not exactly a hotbed of anti-fracking sentiment today. This episode, we look back at perhaps Colorado’s first fractivist. What Ken did ended up limiting local control of oil and gas development. Now, Democratic lawmakers have passed a bill to tilt the scales back in the other direction.

The First Fractivist

PAPER

Security experts say Colorado is one of the most reliable places to cast a ballot. That’s largely because of an old technology: good, old-fashioned wood pulp.

You Can’t Hack Paper

Neglect can be a powerful political force. Southern Colorado spent a century mostly voting for Democrats, but in 2016 many countries in the region voted for President Trump. It was the first time some had supported a Republican in decades. The reason many voters cited was a sense of feeling forgotten by state and national politicians too focused on urban and suburban corridors. Reporters Nathaniel Minor and Allison Sherry recently visited Southern Colorado as a part of CPR’s election road trip series. They talked to voters about whether they feel like politicians are listening now--and what that could mean for November and beyond.

Neglect can be a powerful political force. Southern Colorado spent a century mostly voting for Democrats, but in 2016 many countries in the region voted for President Trump. It was the first time some had supported a Republican in decades. The reason many voters cited was a sense of feeling forgotten by state and national politicians too focused on urban and suburban corridors. Reporters Nathaniel Minor and Allison Sherry recently visited Southern Colorado as a part of CPR’s election road trip series. They talked to voters about whether they feel like politicians are listening now--and what that could mean for November and beyond.

The Forgotten State Of Southern Colorado

Walker Stapleton

A name can be a tricky thing for a politician. For Walker Stapleton, the Republican nominee for governor, his name does double duty, tying him to both a controversial Denver mayor and the Bush dynasty. Stapleton trumpeted both those ties at the beginning of his political career. Today, he’s  running more as his own man. CPR’s Ann Marie Awad dives into both the legacies embodied in Walker Stapleton’s name--and examines whether either might matter on Election Day.

A name can be a tricky thing for a politician. For Walker Stapleton, the Republican nominee for governor, his name does double duty, tying him to both a controversial Denver mayor and the Bush dynasty. Stapleton trumpeted both those ties at the beginning of his political career. Today, he’s running more as his own man. CPR’s Ann Marie Awad dives into both the legacies embodied in Walker Stapleton’s name--and examines whether either might matter on Election Day.

Walker Stapleton’s Family

The midterm election has come and gone. In Colorado, what occurred wasn't a blue wave, it was a blue avalanche. It was a signal so strong that you could wonder if this is even a purple state anymore.

Blue Avalanche

When is an election like a bad night of speed dating? When you’ve gone through five candidates and still aren’t so sure about the one you’re finally matched with. That was just one pithy observation our reporters brought back from covering Super Tuesday.

Super Tuesday Might Not Mean What You Think In Colorado…

Democratic presidential candidates are on a winning streak in Colorado. The state voted for Barack Obama twice and for Hillary Clinton in 2016. It’s been even longer since Colorado elected a Republican governor. Those results have led some to wonder if the state shouldn’t be considered purple anymore. On the electoral map, it might now be more of a light blue. One expert says not so fast.

Democratic presidential candidates are on a winning streak in Colorado. The state voted for Barack Obama twice and for Hillary Clinton in 2016. It’s been even longer since Colorado elected a Republican governor. Those results have led some to wonder if the state shouldn’t be considered purple anymore. On the electoral map, it might now be more of a light blue. One expert says not so fast.

Purple State Blues

Lawmakers aren't getting ready for 100 years of solitude. Just two weeks or so.

Legislation In The Time Of Coronavirus

Now that ballots have been cast and counted, CPR is trying to figure out what the future holds for Purplish.

BONUS: What’s Next for Pur-plish?

After eight years as Colorado’s governor, John Hickenlooper appears to be gearing up for a presidential run. On the campaign trail, he’s almost certain to emphasize gun control laws he signed in 2013. He led a purple state as it beat back the gun lobby to pass two controversial measures. But what did he do -- or not do -- to make that happen? And what does the story of those laws say about how Hickenlooper leads? CPR Public Affairs Reporter Bente Birkeland breaks it down. And keep an eye on this podcast feed! It’s where we’ll tell you more about the return of Purplish for the imminent legislative session.

After eight years as Colorado’s governor, John Hickenlooper appears to be gearing up for a presidential run. On the campaign trail, he’s almost certain to emphasize gun control laws he signed in 2013. He led a purple state as it beat back the gun lobby to pass two controversial measures. But what did he do -- or not do -- to make that happen? And what does the story of those laws say about how Hickenlooper leads? CPR Public Affairs Reporter Bente Birkeland breaks it down. And keep an eye on this podcast feed! It’s where we’ll tell you more about the return of Purplish for the imminent legislative session.

BONUS: Hick At High Noon

Colorado boasts some of the highest voter turnout in the country. Seventy percent of eligible adults submitted a ballot in the 2016 election, putting the state fourth in the country for voter turnout.But that still means 30 percent of eligible adults sat it out. Why? Many of the common barriers to voting don’t exist in Colorado. The process is easy. The elections are competitive. So we’re turning to one group that can help with some answers: nonvoters themselves.

Colorado boasts some of the highest voter turnout in the country. Seventy percent of eligible adults submitted a ballot in the 2016 election, putting the state fourth in the country for voter turnout. But that still means 30 percent of eligible adults sat it out. Why? Many of the common barriers to voting don’t exist in Colorado. The process is easy. The elections are competitive. So we’re turning to one group that can help with some answers: nonvoters themselves.

The Holdouts

The legislative session is on hiatus, but politics, governing, and Purplish all definitely go on. In fact, policy-making is going on at warp speed, as Gov. Jared Polis tries to lock down the state to slow the spread of the virus and Congress acts to blunt the economic pain from those moves.

Politics, Policy, and the Pandemic

Our hosts locked themselves in their bedrooms, or hid under blankets in their closets, to record this week's episode, which is all about the politics and practicalities of Gov. Jared Polis' statewide "stay at home" order.

The ‘Stay At Home’ Order, Discussed By Three People Staying In Their Homes

Democrats in the state legislature say they’re ready to step into two big areas where they don’t think Coloradans are being well served: with the cost of their health insurance, and their access to paid family leave.

Sausage In The Making

Gerrymandering is on the Colorado ballot this November. Amendments Y and Z promise to take the politics out of the drawing of congressional and legislative boundaries. To do it, they would hand the responsibility to a pair of commissions made up of heavily screened citizens -- not politicians or their hand-picked representatives. This week on Purplish, we look back at the troubled 2011 redistricting process and how it led to the current calls for reform. And we discover the amendments aren’t just about putting politicians in line. They also try to balance voters' dueling desires for electoral power and community.

Gerrymandering is on the Colorado ballot this November. Amendments Y and Z promise to take the politics out of the drawing of congressional and legislative boundaries. To do it, they would hand the responsibility to a pair of commissions made up of heavily screened citizens -- not politicians or their hand-picked representatives. This week on Purplish, we look back at the troubled 2011 redistricting process and how it led to the current calls for reform. And we discover the amendments aren’t just about putting politicians in line. They also try to balance voters' dueling desires for electoral power and community.

Gerryman-don’t

The best podcast episodes on non-current politics. Covering topics such as universal basic income, democracy, poverty & justice and more. For anyone interested in learning more about politics that affect that world, not just now, but in the longer term. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Non-Current Politics Podcasts

The best podcasts about ourselves as well as the world through the lense of Science. Specific topics include things about our brain, emotions to biology, physics and more!