Posted by: Thomas Hendrick, News Editor, The Denver Channel.com

DENVER — Relief and skepticism both are greeting Colorado’s next member of the state Supreme Court. Monica Marquez is the first Latina and the first openly gay jurist on the state’s high court. Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter named Marquez on Wednesday to fill a vacancy on the seven-member court. Marquez is currently deputy Colorado attorney general and is past president of the Colorado Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association. Marquez didn’t talk to reporters after being named to the court. But an openly gay state senator praised the choice as a groundbreaking sign of progress.

“There are barriers that are no longer there,” said state Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver. Read the rest of this entry »

August 11, 2010

NPR’s Melissa Block talks to Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, who won Tuesday’s primary in Colorado. Bennet had the backing of President Obama, and his win may signal that the wave of anti-incumbency may not be as strong as it seemed.

Copyright © 2010 National Public Radio®.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I’m Michele Norris.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

I’m Melissa Block.

And we begin this hour with politics. In Colorado, Democrats and Republicans chose candidates yesterday for their state’s open Senate seat. And the winners tell two very different stories. On the Republican side, the candidate of the party establishment, the former lieutenant governor lost to county prosecutor Ken Buck. He’s a Tea Party favorite.

On the Democratic side, incumbent Michael Bennet also faced a spirited challenge from the left. Bennet was appointed to fill the seat 18 months ago. And with help from President Obama, he won big last night. I asked Senator Bennet if he thinks his victory means good news for incumbents elsewhere in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Colorado’s primary election takes place on Tuesday, August 10, 2010.  Voters will have the opportunity to decide who will be on the ballet for the general election in November. Following are the candidates for the office of Governor for the State of Colorado;  please click on the link to their websites for further information.

Jaimes Brown (Libertarian)  www.jaimesbrowncoloradogovernor2010.com

Jason Clark (Independent)   www.jasonclarkforgovernor.com

John Hinkenlooper (Democrat)  www.hickenlooperforcolorado.com

Dan Maes (Republican)  www.danmaes.com

Scott McInnis (Republican)  www.scottmcinnisforgovernor.com

Dan “Kilo” Sallis (Libertarian)  www.dankilo.com

Tom Tancredo (American Constitution Party)  www.tancredoforovernor2010.org

A Wednesday vote in the U.S. Senate could save the state government from an unexpected $210 million cut.

State lawmakers passed their yearly budget this spring with the expectation that Congress would extend extra money to the states for health care. But Congress wavered for weeks until the bill passed a key Senate vote Wednesday on a 61-38 tally.

Colorado, however, will not get all the money it had expected earlier this year. Gov. Bill Ritter’s office said early estimates show the state can expect $142 million. Sen. Mark Udall’s office put the Colorado total at $159 million…

The same bill also includes $156 million for Colorado school districts to either avoid layoffs or rehire employees. Udall’s office said the money should prevent 2,400 job losses at Colorado schools.

Survey USA Poll: Hick Beats McInnis, Maes with or without Tanc

by: ClubTwitty

Mon Aug 02, 2010 at 07:31:56 AM MDT

RealClearPolitics.com is reporting from the Survey USA poll:

SurveyUSA conducted the poll for 9News/Denver Post  and found Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper leading Republicans Scott McInnis by 5 points and Dan Maes by 9 points when Tancredo was not included. With Tancredo inserted to make it a three-way race, Hickenlooper takes 44% to 26% for Tancredo and 25% for McInnis; against Maes, Hickenlooper leads with 46%, with Maes and Tancredo taking 24% apiece.

COLORADO elects approximately half of its 35-member State Senate every two years, State Senators so elected serving four-year terms.

In 2010, State Senators representing the following 17 Senatorial Districts: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 30, 32, 34 are up for election to 4-year terms; State Senators from the remaining 18 Senatorial Districts were elected to four-year terms in 2008.

The entire 65-member House of Representatives is elected every two years and, thus, all 65 Representatives are up for election in 2010.

The state legislators who will meet over the two years from 2011 through 2012 will make up the 68th COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

by:  Colorado Pols
Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:29:40 AM MDT

The latest chapter in a long, sad story, told by the Durango Herald’s Joe Hanel: The good news: State government should be able to make it 10 more days, to the end of its budget year, with money in the bank.

The not-so-good news: In August, Gov. Bill Ritter will have to declare a fiscal emergency to propose an additional $75 million in cuts.

And the bad news: The end of the federal stimulus bill will require a predicted $687 million to be cut from the 2011-12 budget – nearly 10 percent…

A slightly worse forecast by Ritter’s budget office means Ritter will unveil another $75 million in cuts in August – a relatively modest amount compared with the $1 billion shortfall last year………………

READ THE REST OF THIS COLORADO POLS STORY HERE

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:12 am, June 20, 2010

A new Denver Post poll shows that Ken Buck leads Jane Norton in their race for the GOP’s U.S. Senate nomination, 53% to 37%. Michael Bennet leads Andrew Romanoff in their race for the Democrats’ nomination, 53% to 36%. The primary elections are Aug. 10, and voters will start mailing in their ballots by about July 20.

Buck leads Bennet 46% to 43%. This shows the anti-Obama Democrat sentiment has held steady all year, but the race is still close. Bennet has raised millions for his campaign while Buck has raised only several hundred thousand dollars. Buck’s weak fundraising…..READ THE REST OF THIS STORY AT PEOPLES PRESS COLLECTIVE.

For Michael Bennet, even a generous $174,000 salary in the U.S. Senate is a sideways financial move.

For challenger Andrew Romanoff, the Senate salary would be a massive windfall.

Ten years of tax records released by the Democratic rivals for U.S. Senate in Colorado reveal starkly different financial lives for two men who have Yale in common.

U.S. Sen. Bennet, a Yale Law graduate, moved from a series of legal jobs into the orbit of private financier Phil Anschutz and reached a $6.5 million payday in 2003.

Romanoff, a Yale undergrad who put himself through the University of Denver Law School while moonlighting in the Colorado legislature, made less than………..READ THE REST OF THIS STORY at The Denver Post.com

Petition Update

by: Dan Willis Thu Jun 10, 2010 at 15:08:28 PM MDT (For those of you who missed the late Friday update. Thankfully, we won’t have to try to put Joe Gwissgnksangt on the Governor Line. – promoted by Colorado Pols)

As of 6/11/10 6:00pm

On ballot: Jane Norton (R) – US Sen Steven Barton (R) – CD1 Walker Stapleton (R) – Treas Joel Judd (D) – SD34 Amber Tafoya (D) – HD4 Mark Mehringer (D) – HD7 David Casiano (R) – HD44

Did not make ballot: Joe Gschwenter (R) – Gov Mark Hurlbert (R) – SD16 Renee Blanchard (D) – SD33 Jennifer Coken (D) – HD4 Blake Harrison (D) – HD7 Raymond Keyawa (R) – HD59