Republican flips Colorado’s newest House seat

Good morning! Whether you managed to dig out from the snow or just decided to stay indoors and watch one of the more heartbreaking losses in Broncos history, the week has begun.

It’s Veterans Day, and beyond free access for veterans and active military members to any Colorado state park, folks in Loveland, Longmont, Westminster and Lakewood should keep their eyes on the skies between 11:50 and noon for a Colorado Air National Guard flyover to commemorate the holiday.

Some of the most-watched races in the election came to a close over the weekend, so let’s strap in and get caught up, shall we?

Eric Lubbers

CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE NEWS

ELECTION 2024

Gabe Evans unseats Yadira Caraveo in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District

Gabe Evans, a Republican Army veteran and former police officer, defeated incumbent Yadira Caraveo in one of the closest elections in the state. With 96% of votes counted, Evans has just a 2,596-vote advantage. Jesse Paul explains the ripple effects of the flipped seat.

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• State Board of Education keeps pro-charter school bent after Republican wins 8th District race. The victory by Republican Yazmin Navarro means that the board maintains a majority who are more willing to side with charter schools when a district rejects its applications, Erica Breunlin reports. 
• James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, elected president of the Colorado Senate. Coleman, who has been serving as Senate president pro tempore, ran unopposed to replace outgoing President Steve Fenberg, who leaves office in January.

How Coloradans cast their ballots this year — and why the state bucked the national trend toward Republicans

The nonpartisan Colorado Polling Institute released its major exit poll results, showing a voting population in the state who is most concerned with immigration, abortion and housing. Jesse Paul breaks down more highlights from the poll.

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• Kent Thiry on the failure of Proposition 131 — which he spent $6M supporting — and how he will move forward. The former Davita CEO and cochair of the board of Unite America says the loss “hurts,” but that the support that 131 did receive is a sign that voters want to change the system.
• Fact Brief ☀️ Is hand-counting votes more accurate than machine counting? Reporter Por Jaijongkit fact-checked the accuracy of this claim and discovered that some hand-counting elections showed error rates as high as 25%.

WATER

A century-old practice allows people to use more than their legal share of Colorado River water. Researchers say it should stop.

During the first few weeks of heavy runoff in the spring, ranchers and farmers are allowed to take more than their legal share of water — a practice that has become vital to many parts of the agriculture industry. But researchers from the University of Virginia call the “free river” practice an archaic loophole that should be closed to preserve the Colorado River. Shannon Mullane digs into their report.

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MORE NEWS

• Colorado builders stick with rate incentives to attract new-home buyers. With mortgage rates stuck — even after two federal interest rate reductions — Tamara Chuang looks at how Colorado builders are packaging lower rates (at first) to lure in new buyers who may be waiting for a better drop.
• Denver heat pump incentive program targets multifamily, commercial buildings for more efficient heating and cooling. A pilot program with $7.5 million to spend hopes to use the money to better understand how to set incentives and rebates to get bigger structures in Denver to switch to quieter, more efficient heat pumps, Mark Jaffe reports.

COLORADO SUNDAY

The TV peak for “American Ninja Warrior” has passed. But Colorado’s young stars are growing the sport off screen.

Once upon a time, “American Ninja Warrior” peaked with an audience of 6.5 million viewers who were captivated by the competitive TV show filled with precarious handholds, narrow ledges and daring athletes who were only one wrong move away from humiliation in a splash pool below. Though the show’s ratings have steadily declined to less than half of what they once were, the sport continues to grow, especially in Colorado, which has become a hub for ninja competition with a generation of stars making their way from fans to competitors, Kevin Simpson writes.

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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler

THE COLORADO REPORT

• Colorado voters come full circle on supporting – and re-funding – police. Four years after a national reckoning on policing in America and repeated calls for defunding law enforcement agencies, Colorado votes have changed direction.
  — CPR
• Colorado on track to see deadliest year for police shootings since 2020, data shows. Police have killed 36 Coloradans so far this year and injured 20 others, according to data compiled by The Denver Post.
  — The Denver Post

• If given the proper tools, will hikers pack out their poop? A study of Colorado’s busiest 14er explored this and more. “It’s amazing. Give someone a bag and they will poop in it.”
  — The Aspen Times
• Dueling recreational marijuana ballot issues pass. Now what? Recreational marijuana sales are likely to remain a pipe dream in Colorado Springs, for now at least, even though a majority of voters voted “yes” on a measure to allow recreational marijuana to be sold at medical dispensaries in the city.
  — Colorado Springs Independent

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Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Colorado voters strongly resisted the urge to turn red in the 2024 election. But why? Demographics tell part of the problem Republicans face in Colorado. But the disastrous condition of the state party has to be a factor.
  — Mike Littwin 
• The more things change across the country, the more they stay the same in Colorado.  While Trump and Republicans swept to victory, Coloradans seemed content to stay on the same course
  — Mario Nicolais 

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.

Thanks for starting out the week with us! Stay warm, lift with your legs when you shovel and come on back tomorrow for another edition.

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

The Colorado Sun is part of The Trust Project. Read our policies.

Corrections & Clarifications

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