WHO CONTROLS THE COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY (2020 EDITION)

Before I reveal my final electoral college prediction, I cannot stress enough how important downballot races are. What happens in your state capitol matters; probably more than what happens in our nation’s capital.

Because 2020 was a census year, 2021 will be redistricting and several states still redraw their districts based on what party controls the legislature. There has been an effort to flip those chambers or introduce ballot initiatives to allow for independent commissions to redraw districts that do not so strongly favor one party.

If you haven’t voted yet, do so on Tuesday

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MY 2020 ENDORSEMENTS

 

These are extraordinary times and my 2020 endorsement reflects that

HEY MR. POSTMAN, LOOK AND SEE

2020 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ENDORSEMENT (SUPER TUESDAY/COLORADO PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY)

I cast my vote for in the Colorado Presidential Primary as part of the Super Tuesday contests for…

DECISION TIME

Tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary as voters in The Granite State are headed to the polls to cast their votes on who should be the Democratic nominee for president.

But for those not in New Hampshire, you may have the opportunity to vote at the same time.

ELECTION 2018 PREDICTIONS

Hopefully I am right about my 2018 predictions in comparison to my 2016 predictions

Let’s get them in print anyways

THERE IS ONLY ONE CHOICE IN THIS ELECTION

My eleventh-hour plea to those that are sitting out this election or contemplating voting for a third-party

2018 NFL SEASON: WEEK 9

Before I get to my weekly picks, I cannot stress enough to vote this coming Tuesday.

I am not exactly a fan of this current administration nor his enablers in Congress and I’m not the only one who feels that way.

There are a lot of talks about the checks and balances that occur within the three branches of government but there is one that is commonly overlooked.

Our votes

Don’t just focus on the races at the national level or the top of the ballot, but also those races in your state as well. I care about what happens on Capitol Hill but what happens at the intersection of Colfax and Lincoln matter just as much if not more. And that is true in every other state capitol.

Vote

AMACHE COMMENTARY

WHO CONTROLS THE COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY (2016 EDITION)

Before I reveal my final electoral college prediction, I cannot stress enough how important downballot races are. What happens in your state capitol matters; probably more than what happens in our nation’s capital.

Again, to quote Omar Navarez, “Obama’s going to give me (a gay Latino) my equality. But he ain’t going to fix the roads in Dallas.”

How did Colorado, Oregon, and Washington institute a mail-in ballot system. It was magic. Because they had legislators who believed in making it easier for people to vote. Oregon has automatic voter registration which I am hoping we can bring to Colorado.

On the opposite side, look at the list of bad legislation that is coming from certain states and look at which political party controls that state’s legislature and governorship. Voter ID, limits to polling locations, right to work laws, anti-abortion laws, anti-LGBT legislation, and so many others.

OUR SENATOR(S)

2016 was going to be a tough year for Republicans defending the gains made the last time these seats were up six years earlier. In 2010, Republicans won senate seats in Florida, Indiana, Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin as well as re-election of incumbents in Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, and North Carolina. Democrats were successful in holding seats in Colorado and Nevada.

Why are these states mentioned?

With the exception of Arizona, Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina, Obama won the remaining 7 states twice in his presidential runs. While Indiana and North Carolina were Obama states in 2008, both states were in the Republican column in 2012 though North Carolina is trending more towards battleground while Indiana has reverted back to a reliably red state.

Here are my picks for some key senate races to keep an eye on while watching the election coverage on Tuesday night. For the purposes of full disclosure, here is a list of senators I donated money to this cycle.

KEEP IT LOW KEY

When he was appointed to fill the seat in January 2009, Michael Bennett was a relative nobody in the political word. He was the Denver School Superintendent when then-Governor Bill Ritter picked him to fill the seat vacated due to Obama picking Ken Salazar to be the Secretary of the Interior.

CLEARING THE SMOKE (COLORADO AMENDMENT 72)

Political ads on television are commonplace at this time every two years in Colorado.

One ad I have noticed talks with ranchers about this constitutional amendment that would create these new taxes, and they are not fans of it.

I also noticed a “No on 72” sign on the door of a gas station’s Kwik-e-Mart one day.

So I pulled out my phone to see what Amendment 72 is exactly.

IN GOOD CONSCIENCE (COLORADO AMENDMENT 106)

I recently had a discussion with my mother about Amendment 106, the Access to Medical Aid in Dying proposal called the Colorado End-of-Life Options Act. It is modeled after Oregon’s law that was passed in the 1997.

TWO-FOR-ONE (COLORADO AMENDMENTS 107 & 108)

Here is a special endorsement; a two-for-one deal involving both Amendments 107 AND 108.

Both amendments deal with how the political parties deal with choosing their nominees for offices; 107 deals with the presidential primary while 108 would open the primaries for all non-presidential elections.

ON RAISING THE BAR (COLORADO AMENDMENT 71)

Here is why I support changing the signature threshold requirements for ballot initiatives.

It is because of personhood.

RAISE THE WAGE (COLORADO AMENDMENT 70)

VOTING POWER

DOWN BALLOTS MATTER (2016 EDITION)

I received my ballot in the mail last week.

While there is the top of the ticket, there are also several downballots that deserve just as much attention.

I am equally concerned about who occupies 200 East Colfax Ave ZIP Code 80206 as much as who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and who controls Capitol Hill.

Many require a deeper analysis and I will announce my findings about those issues in several upcoming posts.

For now, these are some of elections that are on the ballot specifically in Denver that I am endorsing.

NO, THE BRONCOS ARE NOT REPEATING

You read that correctly.

The Broncos are not repeating as Super Bowl champions.