There hasn't been a sing dull moment over the past two week's since Colorado's primary. Scott and Henry connect the big national headlines to Colorado Politics. Graham Platner's implosion in Maine brings up lessons about leadership in Colorado. Recent polling shows more and more Coloradans are at their breaking point with rising costs and everyone, it seems, is worried about whether our elected leaders are up to the task.

The 2026 Colorado Primary Election was one for the history books. Henry and Scott break down some of the key reflection points after Tuesday's results. We talk about political waves and movements, and what an anti-establishment wave might mean for the establishment and beyond. Don't miss this special episode of Crux Politica. Thank you for listening!

Tune in to Crux Politica Episode 10, with veteran Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Aaron Paul.  We get into his beat at the State Capitol, what it's like to cover the state budget, the role of "dark money" in Colorado's primary elections and how the issues of the day are manifesting in the Governor's race.

This Episode is dedicated to the great Lynn Bartels.  May she Rest In Peace.

Tune in to Crux Politica Episode 9, “Have you been stakeholded lately”. Got a little behind on releasing this latest episode where we start with some thoughts on the early June Republican gubernatorial debate; a debate so bananas it would later be spotlighted for the entire country by John Oliver. We discuss the latest round of vetoes from Gov. Polis, and reflect on some of the themes around public decision-making that our guest, Berrick Abramson, facilitator for Colorado’s AI Taskforce, shared with us. Berrick’s expertise is facilitating consensus and agreement on complicated issues with disparate participants.  In this episode we dig in on how facilitated stakeholder meetings are run, the finer details of AI regulation, the role of agitation, and when it’s time for calmer conversation.  Lots to chew on. We hope you enjoy it!

Tune in to Crux Politica Episode 8, where we digest the recent news of Governor Jared Polis' commutation of Tina Peters' sentence. We then chat with guest David Seligman. David is the Executive Director of the legal non-profit Towards Justice and running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Colorado.  We dig in on economic populism and take the other side of the conversation about business regulation and what needs to be addressed in the economy. 

Tune in to Crux Politica Episode 7, with Scott Wasserman and Henry Sobanet.  In this episode, we recover from some misadventures in coordinating a guest and talk amongst ourselves. We check in on what will be on the 2026 ballot via citizen initiative and explain how this relatively unknown, but very Colorado process works.  If you have ever wondered how or why we have so many things on our ballots in this state, this is the episode for you.

CEO of Denver Health, Donna Lynne, enters the chat! Donna joins Crux Politica for Episode 6 and gives us some straight talk about what ails the health care system in Colorado and the United States. 

Kelly Brough joins Crux Politica for a deeper look at the business climate in Colorado and Denver, and what it might take to recapture some of the pre-COVID19 mojo. Kelly Brough is currently the President and CEO of the Fitzsimons Innovation Community.  Prior to that, she was the CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of of Commerce for 12 years and also served as Chief of Staff for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. 

As the conversation unfolded, the imperative to recapture collaboration from the public, private and non-profit sector became clear, as well as the essentiality of a high-quality and affordable system for grade school through post-secondary education.

The Dynamics of Colorado Politics: Insights from Ian Silveri

Henry and Scott interview Ian Silverii, a seasoned political strategist, former executive director of Progress Now, and host of the Get More Smarter podcast.  In this episode, we cover the evolving dynamics of party affiliation and electoral trends in the state. And in particular, is Colorado a “purple” state anymore?  Ian gives his emphatic take on that topic.

Other topics in this episode include the shift in party affiliations, the dominance of the Democratic party in Colorado, the evolving role of independent voters, and the impact of economic and demographic trends on the political debate.

Henry and Scott reflect on Palantir's sudden exit from Colorado, what it means for the "Business Friendliness" debate, and the tensions that exist between attracting corporations and creating a prosperous economy for everyone.