Purplish

Progressives sailed through Colorado’s primary elections in late June, including a once-in-a-generation upset for a Democratic Socialist who ousted a longtime incumbent in Denver in a race that grabbed national headlines. There was an upset of a different kind in the Democratic race for governor with a U.S. Senator losing to the state’s Attorney General, while the GOP race was too close to call on primary night. In a big election year, with all of the top statewide elected offices up for grabs, and control of Congress on the line, there is a lot to dissect about what this primary means for the November midterms and the future of Colorado politics.
CPR’s Bente Birkeland, The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and CPR’s Caitlyn Kim discuss what the shakeups illustrate about the state of politics in Colorado.
Catch up on our latest primary election coverage:

CPR News: Is the GOP governor’s primary headed to a recount?

CPR News: What is the DSA and who is Melat Kiros?

CPR News: What just happened to Diana DeGette?

The Colorado Sun: Why Melat Kiros was able to tap into the anti-establishment wave and Julie Gonzales was not

The Colorado Sun: Phil Weiser overcomes big spending, name ID to beat Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic primary for governor

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. Story editing from Nicole Vap. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Other music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Additional reporting for this episode from Sandy Battulga, Ishan Thakore, John Daley, Allison Sherry, Kiara DeMare, Ben Markus, Molly Cruse and many others in the CPR newsroom. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasts.

The Colorado State Capitol Building opened its doors in November 1894. A grand neo-classical monument in the West, it used local materials to capture some of the feel of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Over the decades it’s become, like many statehouses across the country, a trove of artwork, history and curiosities. The building is also the frequent site of protests, rallies, celebrations and a variety of other public events, a “People’s House,” if you will. 
In this repeat episode of Purplish, which first published last fall, we shift the conversation from the consequential laws and debates that happen in the state’s seat of power to the building itself. CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Stephanie Wolf travel from top to bottom to explore what’s on its walls and in its halls — and phone a friend for a rare look into what’s down below the basement. Their reporting reveals that the building, and its many collections, open up bigger conversations, not just about history but about the state right now. 
Read more of our reporting:

CPR News: Portrait donated by White House will hang temporarily in capitol where painting Trump despised used to be

CPR News: Should Colorado Display A Rediscovered Portrait Of Its KKK Governor?

Rocky Mountain Community Radio: How a wonky radiator helped uncover the Capitol’s bygone glory

Denverite: Meet the ‘Bloody Espinosas’ and other Colorado Capitol legends on these free ghost tours

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Other music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasts.

Congressional races across the state are heating up: with the gloves coming off in the Democratic primary for Colorado’s newest, and swingiest, district; other longtime Colorado Democrats facing challenges from more progressive candidates; and a Republican freshman trying to defend his seat from his right flank.
CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim, along with Kiara DeMare and Rae Solomon, discuss who’s on the ballot, as well as the dynamics of these races and what it says about politics right now.
Catch up with our latest coverage:

CPR News: 2026 Colorado Primary Election Voter Guide

CPR News: A new season of the Who’s Gonna Govern podcast

CPR News: Melat Kiros says she’ll bring change, lower costs in bid for Congressional District 1 seat

CPR News: Rep. Diana DeGette is focused on healthcare in bid for 30th year in Congress 

CPR News: Wanda James brings military experience to Congressional District 1 campaign as war in Iran rages

Denverite: Denver congressional candidate Wanda James sues other CU Regents over censure

CPR News: What voters in Colorado’s newest and most competitive congressional district are thinking about right now

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Other music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasts.

Colorado released former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters on parole June 1 from a women’s state correctional facility in Pueblo. She was less than two years into a nearly nine-year sentence for her role in tampering with county voting machines months after the 2020 presidential election, part of an effort to search for election rigging. Peters, who has become a hero among some MAGA voters, wasted no time repeating claims that Democrats are using technology to steal elections. 
The decision to free Peters early has potentially upended Gov. Jared Polis’ final months in office, enraging his political allies and disheartening defenders of the election system.
CPR’s Bente Birkeland and Tom Hesse dig into this long and complicated tale, from the original plot to access Mesa County’s election equipment, to the pressure campaign President Donald Trump launched to free her and Polis’ recent clemency decision. They also discuss what her early release could mean for elections and politics in the state, and elsewhere, going forward. 
Catch up on our latest coverage:

Colorado Matters: ‘It brainwashes people:’ Head of Colorado’s county clerks is concerned Tina Peters’ disinformation against elections will continue

CPR News: Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters released from prison

CPR News: Colorado Democrats censure Gov. Jared Polis over Tina Peters commutation

CPR News: Trump hails Peters’ commutation as state Democrats call it ‘a sad day’

CPR News: The Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ election security controversy, explained (2022)

Colorado in Depth: The Colorado clerk on trial for the big lie, and what it means for the 2024 election

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Other music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Additional reporting from CPR’s Kevin Beaty, Sam Brasch, Anthony Cotton and Ryan Warner. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasts.

Colorado’s primary elections are just around the corner. And there’s a lot riding on them — all of the statewide constitutional offices are on the ballot — and thanks to term limits, all of those races are wide open, including Colorado’s top office: governor. The fields include a who’s who of Colorado politics, and one newcomer who may have the potential to shake things up.
CPR’s Bente Birkeland talks with The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and CPR’s Ben Markus about who’s on the Democratic and Republican tickets and the dynamics at play as they vie for votes. The five hopefuls on the ballot are running at a time when both parties are doing a bit of soul searching, and Coloradans on both sides of the aisle seem frustrated with the status quo. 
Catch up on our latest coverage:

CPR News: 2026 Colorado Primary Election Voter Guide

CPR News: Bottoms, Kirkmeyer make their cases to primary voters in CPR News gubernatorial candidates debate

CPR News: Democratic gubernatorial candidates Bennet and Weiser make their pitches to voters in live debate

The Colorado Sun: A third of Colorado voters have still never heard of Phil Weiser, poll shows

CPR News: Colorado GOP governor primary pits MAGA candidates against establishment favorite

The Colorado Sun: Tina Peters isn’t the first Colorado convict to become a central figure in a governor’s race

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Megan Verlee is the executive producer.