Anyone who doubts the presidential debate in Denver today is a big friggin’ deal should take a dive inside the swag bag the University of Denver is giving to media covering the event. Upon close inspection — i.e. giddy dumping of contents on the floor — we found all sorts…
Secretary of State Scott Gessler likes to say that it should be easy to vote and tough to cheat, but his critics argue that he is a lot more focused on the latter — especially when it comes to voters who aren’t Republican. While Gessler has tried to disprove those…
Last night, the Mitt Romney campaign got a lot of bounce from announcing the endorsement of John Elway — and having Elway introduce Romney at a Wings Over the Rockies rally. In truth, though, Elway’s declaration of support is about as surprising as Tim Tebow taking a knee after scoring…
Candidates for Congress fielded questions for hours this morning at a forum in Thorton where six politicians debated the economy and job creation, taxes, energy policy and unsurprisingly, health care — launching a jam-packed week of political events in Colorado…
On Wednesday, the University of Denver will host this election’s first presidential debate — and the first of its kind in Denver. DU has been getting ready for its close-up for months, and the stakes are high for both the school and the candidates. If the night is a success,…
Thousands of homeless individuals in Denver came out to the Colorado Convention Center this week seeking services as part of an event called Project Homeless Connect. It’s an effort by the city to actively reach out to those in need — and one that comes after a summer of intense…
Now who’s hiding from voters! That’s part of the message from campaigners for Representative Mike Coffman, who is criticizing challenger Joe Miklosi for not attending a congressional debate on Monday. The attack comes after opponents’ accusations that Coffman is unavailable to constituents. But Miklosi’s team says he never planned on…
Claudia Folska’s resume is impressive. In college, she started a nonprofit. After graduate school, she biked from Pakistan to China. This past spring, she earned a dual doctorate from the University of Colorado. And best of all, she once groped Arnold Schwarzenegger — a feat she jokes that she could…
After his friend and aide was accused of sexual harassment, Mayor Michael Hancock sacked him without launching an investigation into the allegations. That’s the main argument of Wayne McDonald, who plans to sue the city months after being ousted. But those aren’t the only accusations made by McDonald’s attorney. She…
Critics of Secretary of State Scott Gessler argue that he spends more time intimidating and suppressing voters than he does registering them. Though Gessler has always denied those claims, he admitted yesterday that nearly 800 voters who legally registered may not have been put into the system due to a…
In the months leading up to the November election, Secretary of State Scott Gessler has devoted some of his resources to targeting immigrant voters who may be incorrectly registered — an effort aimed at cleaning up voter rolls. And the results in the state’s largest city are likely to fuel…
Since Mother Jones shared a video of Mitt Romney saying that 47 percent of the country believe they are victims, national news outlets have covered the fallout and gloom in the campaign, with a steady stream of negative headlines. On the heels of what some have called a particularly bad…
After a week of particularly difficult headlines, and nearly two months since his last rally here, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney returned to Colorado last night, delivering a stump speech focusing on the economy and President Barack Obama’s record — and not on the recent controversies and discouraging polls his…
The young woman seen outside a Colorado Springs Safeway in a video going viral (see it below) is up-front with the person capturing footage of her: She’s interested in registering voters who’ll mark their ballot for Mitt Romney. Problem is, she subsequently claims to be in the employ of the…
After responding to some negative headlines surrounding a botched voter registration mailing, Secretary of State Scott Gessler is fielding more criticism this week — this time from a lawsuit that first reached his office via reporters’ inquiries. The suit comes from Denver Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson, a Democrat, who…
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…
