COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

“MILE HIGH MAGIC at home for the first time in a decade. You create the THUNDER, Broncos fans!”
-9News (KUSA), Facebook 
 
On Sunday, the Denver Broncos will face off against the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship Game – the Broncos’ first AFC Championship Game appearance since 2016. After a heart-pounding overtime game last weekend, the Broncos pulled off a win against the Bills… but we also lost our starting quarterback, Bo Nix, to an ankle injury. So, all eyes will be on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
 
Although the Patriots are favored by 4.5 points, no one’s counting the Broncos out just yet. First of all, road teams favored by more than 4 points have historically struggled in postseason games. Second of all, the Patriots have lost to a backup quarterback in Denver before.
 
It was a cold, snowy Sunday game in 2015. The Broncos’ starting quarterback at the time, Peyton Manning, was out with a foot injury. Backup quarterback Brock Osweiler had been tapped to replace Manning for the rest of the season. After making a comeback, the Broncos defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots in overtime.
 
This game is one of the most memorable games of Osweiler’s career. It was also pivotal in the Broncos securing a tiebreaker over the Patriots (who they beat in the AFC Championship Game later that season too). That was also the season the Broncos won the Super Bowl. 
 
Needless to say, Mile High Magic is in the air this week here in Denver. Maybe not as much at the Capitol, but there were lots of people wearing Bronco jerseys in the lobby today, which is close enough.
 
Rep. Weinberg Not Seeking Reelection 
 
Last night, Representative Ron Weinberg announced he would not run for another term in the House. Earlier this month, it was announced that Amy Parks would challenge Weinberg in a primary. Parks briefly served in this House seat after her partner, Minority Leader Hugh McKean, passed away in 2022. At the beginning of 2023, Weinberg was appointed to fill the seat.
 
In recent months, Weinberg has come under fire for accusations of sexual harassment prior to his time in office. Representative Brandi Bradley (another House Republican) also recently filed a campaign finance complaint against Weinberg, accusing him of mishandling campaign funds.  
 
Read more – Rep. Ron Weinberg won’t seek reelection 
 
CPW Pauses Wolf Reintroduction
 
On Wednesday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced they would pause their wolf reintroduction program for the remainder of this release season. The reintroduction began a little over two years ago and was the result of a voter passed ballot measure in 2020. CPW’s handling of the reintroduction effort has received criticism from elected officials on both sides of the aisle, impacted communities, and Colorado’s agriculture industry. 
 
CPW also received pushback from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including a cease and desist letter threatening for the federal government to terminate Colorado’s authority to manage the wolves. The pause on reintroduction is a huge win for rural communities and Colorado’s agriculture industry.
 
Read more – Colorado halts wolf releases for 2026 as federal pressure mounts
 
Tina Peters Altercation
 
A couple weeks ago, we shared in our update that Governor Polis had indicated he was considering clemency for Tina Peters. As a reminder, Peters is currently serving a nine year jail sentence for interfering with her county’s election system, in an attempt to prove voter fraud in the 2020 Election. 
 
When Polis explained his rationale for considering clemency a couple weeks ago, one of the points he made was that Peters is 70 years old – how much of a threat to society could she possibly be?
 
On Monday, news broke that Tina Peters got in a fight with another inmate at their correctional facility. From the surveillance video, it’s hard to tell how the altercation started. However, Peters’ lawyer maintains it was the other inmate who struck her first. 
 
Read more – Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters involved in prison altercation, Department of Corrections says 
 
What’s Next
 
Next week, joint committees of reference will wrap up with SMART Act hearings, and start considering introduced bills. Although there were a few bills that dropped this week, the number of introduced bills still remains just below one hundred. Next week will likely be a very busy week for bills being introduced.