this week, Coloradans got a reminder of just how quickly things can change inflation in the Denver metro area, which is the benchmark for much of our state, climbed to 5% over the past year.

Severe weather rattled nerves across Denver when tornado sirens sounded by mistake, and very real wildfire conditions continue to threaten communities across Colorado.

At times like these, it's really easy to feel like a lot is out of our control.

But one thing Coloradans do have a saying is who is going to help lead the state through whatever comes next.

Primary ballots arrived in our mailboxes now, giving voters a chance to shape Colorado's future.

The team behind me is so ready to discuss everything.

So let's get started with this week's Colorado Inside Out.

Hi everyone I'm Kyle Dyer.

Let me get right to introducing you to this week's insider panel.

We start with Patty Calhoun, founder and editor of Westword.

David Kopel, research director with the Independence Institute.

Alton Dillard, consultant with the dealer group Rockford Gray, political analysts at Denver seven, and also former election spokesperson for the City and County of Denver and then Kali West, executive director of the Colorado branch of the American Petroleum Institute.

Registered voters across Colorado are receiving their ballots, with Primary Day now just a little more than two weeks away.

Whether it's the governor's race, Colorado's eighth Congressional District, the contest for attorney general, or a number of the other races on the ballot, candidates are now, trying to get their final push in to earn that spot on the November ballot.

We have seen a series of debates over the past couple of weeks, though not every candidate is showing up to those debates.

So as we enter these final weeks, where are these campaigns strategically?

Is it about earning media attention, or is it about winning debates, getting the endorsements or really mobilizing supporters who will actually return their ballots on the 30th?

Patty, what are you watching?

It is going to be who is returning their ballots, not just on the 30th, but in the days ahead of it and how you can persuade them to return their ballot.

And if they're unaffiliated, which ballot are they going to return?

Since they could decide to either vote Republican or Democrat or not vote at all.

But you cannot vote everything, right?

So that's a huge issue right now.

I talked about it last week, but one of the it's very tempting to think, why not vote Republican where you have the really unusual gubernatorial candidates, but then you look at the Democratic ballot with the four candidates for AG's office, which is a very, very I wish I could say it was more competitive.

It's a tough race.

You have some very good candidates, and then you have Jenna Griswold, who is just a no show to most of the debates.

The debate this week on Wednesday night, she presumably didn't show up the next night at Brother Jeff's kind of a grassroots group.

And I think people want to hear from her about a variety of issues, why she's qualified for this after, and how she did as secretary of state and then district eight is wild.

I mean, there are a lot of people going to want to vote in the Democratic primary primary for that one, to see who really would go best up against Gabe Evans.

Well, you can tell a lot from the debates about who doesn't show up.

Yeah.

And in the attorney general's race on the Democratic side, that is Jenna Griswold, her current secretary of state.

And it's no wonder she won't appear on stage with her competitor candidates because she's she's indefensible.

For months, she put out promotional material claiming that she had argued at the United States Supreme Court, which was not true.

And in fact, it's impossible.

I researched and read, searched every back issue of the Journal of the Supreme Court of the United States, which lists the admission of attorneys to the U.S.

Supreme Court, bar.

She's not listed anywhere in there.

in June of 2024, the last election, someone on her staff posted an online spreadsheet which that accidentally revealed hidden voting machine passwords at the deepest level And you know what she did?

What she found out?

Nothing.

And of course, the county clerks of both parties were furious that she hadn't told him to change the passwords promptly.

She is incompetent, dishonest, vindictive, and a queen of dark money.

She is unfit for any position of public trust.

well, I am watching, CD eight.

You know, it's been so interesting because the ads in that particular campaign have had this sort of weird, whiny vibe to them.

Well, yes, you did.

Well, no, you did where you supported this and you did supported that.

And it's just like, are we serious right now?

And this is one of the things that's wrong with politics right now is because now we're in an environment where facts are up for debate.

So either you voted to cut Medicaid or you didn't, or because people don't understand the nuances of things being buried in like omnibus legislation, etc.. And the other thing that's going to be problematic from what I'm seeing is, Manny Root Nails refusal to give straight answers on where he stands on single payer.

And, you know, politics is the art of the possible.

But when it seems like you can't even stick to your guns and just go ten toes in on your opinion and say, this is where I stand, you have a choice of voting for me or not, but when you're trying to play it down the middle, all that does is get you beat up on both sides.

this race is really going to be key to seeing who controls Congress in the midterms.

And like.

it really is critical that Colorado voters know where candidates stay on major issues.

And when we look at that race and the Democratic primary, you know, that district contains Weld County, which is the heart of Colorado's oil and natural gas industry.

It is one of the most important energy producing regions of the state.

So when you have a candidate who is saying that they will ban fracking, that may sound good as an initial campaign slogan, but what you are saying is that if elected, your plan is to eliminate 30,000 jobs in your district, to turn away millions of dollars for your school district, and many more consequences.

So it's not a minor thing and I recognize that represent fruit now, recently in the same debate said that, he now supports and all of the above energy policy.

But this has been a cornerstone of his campaign since the very beginning.

And it was right up until that debate.

So I think Colorado voters have, they deserve to know where candidates really stand on the issues.

And it's disappointing to see something that is so critical to the economic success of his district be played as a political football.

Okay.

All right.

You know, one comment from last week's gubernatorial debate is still generating conversation.

When asked who might fill his U.S.

Senate seat if he is elected to be governor, Senator Michael Bennet didn't name any names, but said it would be good for Colorado to have a senator who is under the age of 50.

That comes as a new poll finds 8 in 10 Americans support both age caps and term limits for members of Congress.

David, your father entered the legislature in his 30s, right?

And he served for over two decades.

Chris.

Well, I think Michael Bennet is being smart, and it's also a more trivial thing he's saying, because, yes, he's going to appoint somebody under 50, the obvious choice for a vacant Senate seat if he becomes the next governor is the goose from Colorado's second congressional district.

he's a proven vote getter, not just in Boulder and Fort Collins with the college kids, but in rural areas.

And that is partly because he has a very effective, bipartisan, widely respected lawmaker and especially on public lands issues.

He could hold this seat for 42 years, conceivably winning election after election, because he's such a strong candidate Bennet himself was 44 when he was appointed to the US Senate.

So now goose is very close to that age, and he would be one of Colorado's youngest senators at the start of what will be a many decades long career.

Gary Hart was 38 in 1974, Cory Gardner was 40 in 2014.

And let's not forget Simon Guggenheim, who was just a little bit older in 1906.

Okay.

All right.

All ten.

Yeah.

Bennett really sort of stirred the hornet's nest just a little bit and always have to get on the record that I am a member of the AARP State Executive Council.

Okay.

And so there are some people who consider that remark to be a little on the ages side.

And like you mentioned, the Marist poll says that 80% of people in the country think there should be age or term limits.

So just think about everything from the 2024 presidential debate.

Think of Mitch McConnell going into screensaver mode when he's standing in front of a press conference.

Chuck Grassley, 92.

But then we have a president who's getting ready to turn 80, who was flooded the zone to the point where every political ad all the way down to dog catcher mentions his name.

So putting just a number on it, I don't think is necessarily ages because everyone loses their fastball at different rates.

But, you know, but also the fact that some people have been in office for a certain amount of time using the CD one debate, we have a generational argument being made there.

And so it's going to be interesting to see between, you know, the young Ethiopian woman and the 61 year old veteran and the 68 year old incumbent congresswoman, which way that's going to break?

Really.

one thing I just want to highlight is everyone's talking about this one appointment.

But as governor, whoever it is will appoint thousands of people to positions throughout their term in government.

That is judicial nominees.

It is boards and commissions.

It is the leadership of key agencies in Colorado.

And these have widespread everlasting impacts on the state of Colorado.

So when I think about the appointments he's making, it is interesting to think about who is going to fill the seat in the Senate.

But I'm also really thinking a lot about who is going to be leading the Colorado Energy Office and who is going to step in and take the reins at the, at at the, health care, policy and financing department, who is going to have to figure out how to right the ship when it comes to Colorado's Medicaid situation?

So there are a lot of positions that are really critical that he is going to make appointments to or whomever is the governor is going to make appointments to that are really front of mind for me.

Good to point that out.

And Patty.

Well, thank the Lord.

There aren't term limits at this table, but it's really fascinating to watch because when he came out with the it'll be under 50.

That rules out Polis, who was quite young when he went to Congress, but so he didn't have to once again bash the governor.

He had already said he wasn't going to appoint, but it did immediately bring the eye on to niggles.

The name I've heard one of the crazier theories has always been that he would appoint Mike Johnston, which I couldn't believe in a million years, although I've got a couple of bets out on that one, but it is much more an issue.

I think people are tired of seeing the same old or young faces.

Younger faces.

I mean, Diana DeGette is 68, which is spring chicken compared to Donald Trump, but she has been there a very, very long time, as her predecessor, Pat Schroeder, was.

No one would ever have argued that Pat Schroeder was too old to serve.

She had just been there for a long time.

It was remarkably efficient.

So that is one of the things you lose with term limits, both in the state House and in Congress, which is you lose people who might be very, very good public servants and really get things done.

On the other hand, you'll also lose people who are really out of it.

Okay.

All right.

So the US Department of Education has its eye on Colorado schools.

The Cherry Creek School District is under investigation over allegations of racial discrimination involving student clubs and programs.

Jefferson County Schools have also received a federal warning alleging title nine violations.

Both districts potentially facing a big loss in federal funding, and also both districts are under interim leadership now following departures of their previous superintendents.

Amid controversies, along with some additional turnover in the top administration levels.

I really want to talk about the whole Cherry Creek thing, because as you mentioned, they're being investigated because of race, quote unquote, being a factor in their programing.

And so I like to like separate cherry Creek, the high school where you've got Range Rovers in the student parking lot versus the Cherry Creek School District.

There are a lot of second English speaking language people in Cherry Creek School District.

The Cherry Creek School District has schools that are in different parts of Aurora, unincorporated Arapahoe County.

And so this belief that trying to make sure that the field gets leveled a bit is drawn an amazing amount of scrutiny.

And then over the other thing with Cherry Creek, they did something that I thought no one would ever do, and that was not DPS off the front page for having nonsense going on.

I mean, it's just this whole business with who traveled and who spent what and who's married to whom and blah, blah, blah.

also on the whole title nine thing, as I always like to say, you know, the whole discussion of anything having to do with gender can be a bit of a third rail, but Jeff goes either going to have to just come out and say, we're standing by our guns and we'll take our chances with the federal funding or not.

But that's when they're not going to be able to play both ways.

Right?

Right.

Carly.

So one thing that really stands up is how much uncertainty there is here and federal funding.

And it really reinforces how important it is that Colorado make sure to they support the sources of funding that are coming from the state and local level.

That's one way we can shore up and insulate ourselves against some uncertainty when it comes to federal funding.

Colorado's oil and gas industry contributes hundreds of millions of dollars every year to schools, local governments and public services.

And just as a snapshot over the last five years, oil and gas royalties generated approximately $737 million for Colorado schools and approximately 1.2 billion in Colorado.

Property tax revenue came from oil and gas production in 2022.

So as we look at an uncertain future when it comes to federal funding for our schools, it's time for us to also think about how we make sure that Colorado is generating the revenue that can help make up that difference, and really support our students and school districts here, and encouraging the industries that are here in Colorado and contributing to that effort is one key way we can do that.

Okay, Patty.

To play off Carly's theme, could anything be greasier than what's going on in Cherry Creek?

It's incredible.

So you have the superintendent now deposed, who is married to the HR person, also now deposed, who they and the board which took their sweet time, taken care of this problem.

Somehow it didn't work things out well enough that the deposed superintendent now thinks that he can sue for more money, because they didn't really work out the severance correctly.

And then on top of it, the feds are looking into them.

I think the feds can look into a lot more than just the guy over there.

Jeffco, which has lost its superintendent in a slightly less wily way.

They they are standing for their position, and they've already been under attack for it before.

On the day.

I think they may be able to hold on, but it's just a really tough time.

And then you look at the DPS, which is when you look again at the numbers and how the administration is beginning to be a much larger percentage again, of the budget.

It's really a tough, tough time.

And also with declining enrollment at the DPS.

So tough time for not just higher education but the next level down.

But cherry Creek really is taking the cake.

Well, what Cherry Creek School District has been doing for a long time has been taking federal funding to millions and millions and millions of dollars.

That's their choice.

But when you take federal money you have to comply with the federal conditions.

And one of those is title six of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

students who are discriminated on on the basis of race in class assignments, and an academic support against teachers who are forced to go through a training that divides everyone into oppressors and oppressed solely on the basis of race, and against parents whose participation in parent decision making is limited by race, which is illegal and has been, fortunately for over half a century.

It's time for Cherry Creek to catch up with modern times.

Okay, the pressure on education is not just in K-12.

Colorado's universities are also under pressure.

Right now.

At the University of Denver, officials are moving forward with a major academic restructuring, including consolidations of some programs and departments, as they address a projected, what, $30 million budget shortfall.

And then also at the Colorado School of Mines.

Leaders have announced workforce reductions not as large scale, but say there could be more cuts as they continue to manage long term budget pressures.

Looking at these together, are they smart adjustments for the future or signs of deeper challenges that are ahead?

And Carla, you have to think what it means for the students and eventually for Colorado's workforce pipeline.

Absolutely.

I think this is all part of a broader conversation about the value of those institutions and workforce needs, and students and families are having to make hard decisions right now about investments in their education Colorado needs to ensure that what we are developing in terms of outcomes serves all of those populations.

We're looking for geologists and technicians.

We're looking for skilled labor and a wide variety of jobs that pay a great wage and a good opportunity, for folks in Colorado to get into.

So it's important that as our institutions of education are looking at how they make sure they're meeting the need of today, they're looking at what those industries are that are here in the state, what the opportunities are for people who are training in different areas to step into those roles and make sure that there is alignment there between the education opportunities and the employment opportunities.

Do is major.

Do you?

You has been fairly controversial really since Covid and before, but in recent times of protests and who was kowtowing to whom.

But this is a massive reorganization that first of all, you wonder, is it really true that the faculty was so, was kept so in the dark about what was going on?

That's the indication from the letters they're putting out now.

But we don't know if that's necessarily as bad as it was.

But to here you can see now in this world gender studies, which is kind of being erased.

But the technology and is seeing a Dan Ritchie program, something named after Dan Ritchie, one of the greatest philanthropists in this state, kind of merged and was something else is really showing just how massive the due changes are going to be.

And I don't know what's going to happen with faculty there because they are not happy.

And the more education department as well.

Right?

Exactly.

Really a Steam program.

David.

Well, dues under severe financial pressure.

They used to have an enrollment of over 14,000 and now they're down to under 12,000.

If you pay the full price for a year on campus, a do you that's $86,000 a year.

And the number of customers who families who can afford that especially is small.

And that's all the more so for a school that is like D, which is good and solid, but it's not national elite.

The consolidation means you'll reduce overhead administrative costs, fewer department heads, fewer associate deans, fewer support staff.

And it's important they did not eliminate any majors at all.

So even things that are being consolidated, students can still continue in those majors.

The hope is this will create synergies.

Like you talked we talked about the the Ritchie Engineering School is now going to be in the same college as kinesiology and sports studies.

So, you know, maybe the people doing sports studies when they actually learn how a fulcrum works will be, all the better.

Okay.

All right.

No, David, I love how you synthesize numbers on the fly.

That's very impressive.

I'm 100% serious.

Well, yeah, well, one of the things that I shout out, Governor Polis, for is starting to factor in vocational and vocational training under the umbrella of how the state educates people, because like going back to the EU and they're, you know, dropping enrollment, a large part of that, and you can tell that just by driving down Evans Avenue now is because of the drop in student visas.

And so when you are cutting off students from certain countries, that's going to have that downstream effect.

I've coached, you know, high school basketball for 25 years.

I have a couple of my guys who graduated about six years ago, who are knocking down six figures as over the road truckers.

And so that's why I think we need to balance the fact that four year education is not for everybody.

I think a lot more young people are saying, do I want to go into this endeavor and then come out with 5 or 6 figures worth of debt, or do I want to just try to enter the workforce out of high school and take my chances?

So it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out.

Yes it will.

All right.

Now let's go around the table and talk about some of the highs and the lows that we witnessed this week.

We'll start on a low point.

And with Patty.

We are having enough trouble with Mother Nature and giant hail balls falling from the sky.

We do not need fake sirens in the city of Denver, because sooner or later that will become the boy who cried wolf situation.

But we indeed had it, and the city needs to figure out why that siren alarm really went off and take it seriously.

Okay.

Well, has Nancy Law of Home reported in the Colorado Sun?

She's a long time Great Western Slope reporter.

The town of Peoria has been turned into a complete surveillance state by the town manager, without the consent of the people.

I'm having robots running all over town doing facial recognition on people.

And happily, the town seems to be standing up for itself.

And there's even a petition to recall the mayor.

And, have somebody who's more privacy minded, in the government.

Okay.

All right.

And my Lou is a national one, and this goes for, Omar Barton, who is the Somali soccer referee who was turned away simply for being Somali.

Now, if he ends up being a sleeper cell or something, I will sit here and eat my words.

But when the president says, and I'm quoting, wanting to make sure the right people come into our country, that just again illustrates for me that there is about a two and a half year window left to complete the Trump administration's whitewashing of the country.

And he's a top, top brass.

I know he was supposed to come to World Cup.

Okay, Carly.

So I attended an event with the Common Sense Institute this week, and it was really focused on reflecting on this legislative session and what it looks like for economic competitiveness.

And there were just some very jarring data points that came out of that discussion.

Colorado is ranked 48th in the nation for the establishment of new businesses, and Colorado saw one of the highest rates of business losses in the country in 2024.

So we're not starting new businesses, and we're seeing businesses leave.

And I think it's just really critical that we keep that in mind as we look to the policies we're putting in place and whether they are encouraging or discouraging.

Okay.

All right.

Let's talk about something good, please, Patty.

Well, for all the debates we've seen televised, I'm sure many more people saw the John Oliver clip of the response.

The first of all, the question from Kyle Clark, which was exquisite, and then Victor Marx's response.

So at least people are paying attention to our elections.

The question being, what makes you so are you worried?

Yeah.

Extraordinary.

Or a liar, wasn't it?

Or a fraud?

Yes.

John Oliver had fun with that.

With for with Colorado.

Yeah.

It's funny John Oliver has never made fun of grand plan or the, the Nazi, who just won the Democratic Senate nomination and, maybe he didn't take his dog.

Yeah.

His, his, his humor is very selective.

Somebody who's actually good as Gordon Wood, who passed away a few days ago, former Professor Brown University.

I was blessed enough to have him in 1978.

Nobody over a career scholarship has done more to explain to the American people what the what the revolution meant.

And how what came out of it in the early Republic was something really never seen in the world before him, a new order in the world.

So to to celebrate America 255 the Gordon book, Gordon Wood book and read it.

He taught you?

Yes, he did.

That's cool.

All right.

And my high is a shout out to my dentist doctor, John Robbie.

The Robbie Family Dentistry is now celebrating 120 years of continuous dental practice.

And I actually went to his father, doctor Max, who served in the 10th Mountain Division here in Colorado, the famed 10th Mountain Division.

And when I first started going to the practice, they were in the old Republic Plaza building downtown.

That is not the today's Republic Plaza.

And then I was also my dentist board patient.

And he, of course, being a Colorado guy, broke his, collarbone right before you're supposed to take his boards.

So we had to fly me to the University of Missouri at Kansas City and do them there.

So I got a free trip to KC, but barbecue was kind of tough after 16 hours in the dental chair over two days.

Oh my.

Gosh.

And you've got a fabulous smile.

Thank you Carly.

So my high this week is summer in Denver.

And this is a bittersweet one for me because I'm actually moving out of Denver this weekend.

So this Friday is the last time all attend my neighborhoods.

Food Truck Fridays, which they do throughout the summer.

And there's music and food, and we'll take the kids and walk over and have an ice cream with the neighbors.

And it's just a great community event.

And while I love mine, I know that these go on throughout neighborhoods, across the city.

So those opportunities to engage with your community and spend time, I think, are one of the greatest things about Denver.

In the summer.

My neighborhood had one this week.

Yeah, yeah.

All right.

So my high of the week is grit.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Lambda Skoff, won two major NHL awards this week, including the bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which honors perseverance and sportsmanship and dedication to the game.

And after years being off of the ice because of his knee injury and seeing him back on the ice and then being recognized is a reminder of what determination can accomplish.

And then, speaking of determination, I have to mention the Knicks come back the other night, which was unbelievable.

My family, my neighbors and I. Yes, Patty, we were really jumping up and down inside my house watching that game come to an end, and it was just one of those moments.

It reminds you how powerful belief and effort can be when people refuse to give up.

In a week filled with challenges, it is so nice to be reminded that perseverance really does matter.

Thank you, insiders, for joining us this week.

Good luck with the move.

Thank you for watching or listening to our podcast.

I will not be here next week.

I have to head back east to deal with some family things and see the fam.

But you are so in great hands with Krista Kafer who is going to be the guest host.

Thank you Chris in advance.

I will see you in two weeks.

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