The Unaffiliated | Democratic presidential primary voters will have a none-of-the-above option. The new House Judiciary Committee.

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President Joe Biden speaks at CS Wind on Nov. 29 in Pueblo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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If voters casting ballots in Colorado’s Democratic presidential primary next year don’t like any of the candidates on their ballot, they’ll be able to choose what’s effectively a “none of the above” option.

The Colorado Democratic Party added a “noncommitted delegate” choice to the March 5 ballot that gives voters the option of sending untethered representatives to the Democratic National Convention next year to select the party’s nominee. Instead of being bound to support a Democratic presidential primary candidate supported by Colorado voters, the delegates could back any candidate on the floor of the nominating convention.

The 2024 Democratic presidential primary in Colorado will be only the second time in state history that voters will be able to cast a ballot for a “noncommitted delegate.” It comes as national polls have shown that Democratic voters are wary of President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.

“We aim to provide as many choices as we can to our voters,” Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said in a text message to The Colorado Sun.

The Democratic presidential primary in Colorado is not a winner-take-all contest. How well a candidate — or the “noncommitted delegate” choice — performs determines how many delegates from the state they will get at the Democratic National Convention, where the party’s presidential nominee will be selected.

There are 87 delegates up for grabs.

The last time presidential primary voters had the option of supporting a “noncommitted delegate” was 1992, when the choice received the support of 2% of the 242,211 voters who participated in the contest. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown received nearly 29% of the vote, while then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who ultimately became president, received about 28%.

The 2024 presidential primary will be only the state’s fifth presidential primary contest. In other years, Democrats and Republicans used the caucus and assembly process to select presidential primary delegates.

Colorado Republicans never have offered such a none-of-the-above option on their presidential primary ballot.

  MORE:   Dec. 11 was the last day a presidential primary candidate could file to be on the March 5 ballot in Colorado, but the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has until Jan. 5 to finalize the candidate list. Candidates may drop out by that deadline as well.

In addition to Biden, others seeking a spot on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in Colorado next year include Marianne Williamson, who received less than 1% of the vote in 2020, and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, of Minnesota. There are five other Democratic candidates who submitted paperwork to be on the ballot but who appear to be political novices with no real shot.

Six candidates filed to appear on the Republican presidential primary ballot in Colorado, in addition to former President Donald Trump. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is awaiting a court decision before determining whether Trump can be on the ballot.

Other Republicans who filed paperwork include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

There are 37 Republican presidential primary delegates from Colorado up for grabs.

A candidate must win at least 20% of the statewide vote to secure delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next year, with the number of delegates distributed proportionally among the candidates who clear that threshold.

Candidates must be approved by the state chapter of their political party before appearing on the presidential primary ballot. The Colorado GOP is requiring that Republican presidential candidates pay the party up to $40,000 and post on social media about their “excitement to be on the Colorado ballot” to get the state party’s approval.

Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy and Dallas pastor Ryan Binkley have all satisfied the social media requirement, with Trump paying the party $40,000 in September for ballot access.

The Colorado GOP will file its financial report for November on Wednesday, revealing whether the other candidates who have filed to be on the March primary ballot have also paid the fee. Democrats do not have such requirements for their presidential candidates.

The Joint Budget Committee will receive quarterly economic and tax revenue forecasts Wednesday morning from the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting. The hearing starts at 9 a.m. You can find copies of the LCS forecast on the agency’s economic forecast website once the forecast is released. The OSPB forecast can be found here. Look for a story at coloradosun.com after the forecasts are presented. The Title Board meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday to consider nine proposed ballot measures, including three that would overhaul the state’s election system. The Commission on Property Tax created by Democrats at the Capitol during the special legislative session on property tax and other financial relief will hold its first meeting at noon Wednesday. The task force is charged with coming up with a long-term solution to Coloradans’ rising property tax bills. It’s also supposed to analyze proposals from political groups that are on or headed for the 2024 ballot. The Colorado GOP and Colorado Democratic Party will file their monthly fundraising and spending reports with the Federal Elections Commission on Wednesday. The reports will show how much they raised and spent in November. U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, voted against the majority of House Republicans nearly 18% of the time in 2024. Click on the graphic for a larger version. (Sandra Fish, Special to The Colorado Sun)

Outgoing U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, voted against the majority of his fellow House Republicans on the chamber’s floor nearly 18% of the time in 2023. That percentage, the highest intraparty-split rate among Colorado’s eight members of the U.S. House, was up from 14.4% through the first nine months of this year.

In fact, 42% of Buck’s out-of-partisan-step votes happened in October through December, a stretch during which Buck joined Democrats and seven other Republicans to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California. Buck announced his retirement Nov. 1.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Garfield County, cast the second-highest share of her votes in opposition to the majority of her caucus, at 11.1%, followed by U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, of Thornton, who voted against the majority of Democrats 7.3% of the time.

Democratic U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, of Centennial, and Joe Neguse, of Lafayette, cast the fewest votes this year against the majority of their party.

  ROLL CALL:   DeGette in line for key Democratic spot on health panel

House Judiciary shake-up could open up path for bill banning sale of guns defined as assault weapons

There’s been a lot of focus on how Speaker Julie McCluskie’s shake-up last week of the House Judiciary Committee will affect political dynamics in the chamber. Less attention has been paid to the policy implications.

For background: McCluskie said she removed Democratic state Reps. Elisabeth Epps, of Denver, and Bob Marshall, of Highlands Ranch, from the panel “to address frustrations that the Judiciary Committee needed a reset due to the level of acrimony in the personal relationships on the committee.” McCluskie said the change will also “help deliver the progressive outcomes our caucus is looking for.” Additionally, the speaker removed Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, at Daugherty’s request.

McCluskie filled the vacancies with Reps. Leslie Herod and Javier Mabrey, both of whom live in Denver, as well as Rep. Judy Amabile of Boulder.

While Herod, Mabrey and Amabile generally have political beliefs and leanings similar to Epps and Daugherty, they each are far more left leaning than Marshall, a former longtime Republican who lives in Highlands Ranch and is considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the House.

So how does that affect the trajectory of measures that go before the House Judiciary Committee?

Look no further than Epps’ bill last year that would have banned the sale of a large swath of semi-automatic handguns and rifles, which the measure defines as assault weapons. House Bill 1230 failed in April in the House Judiciary Committee on a 7-6 vote, with three Democrats on the panel voting “no”: Marshall, Said Sharbini of Brighton and Marc Snyder of Manitou Springs.

Assuming Herod, Mabrey and Amabile would vote “yes” on a measure banning the sale of so-called assault weapons in Colorado, the bill would pass the committee without Marshall on it (also assuming the other votes hold steady).

Herod and Mabrey have expressed support for a ban on the sale of assault weapons. Amabile has said she would “absolutely support a federal assault weapons ban” and she has expressed support for a state-level ban, too.

Sharbini, meanwhile, will be replaced on the House Judiciary Committee next year after he announced his resignation Monday. He’ll also likely be replaced by a more liberal Democrat.

Whether the gun measure could get enough support to pass the House floor, or the Senate floor for that matter, is a different question. And even if it passes the legislature, it would likely be vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis.

  STORY  : Another Colorado Democrat resigns from legislature, citing low pay and “vitriol” at Capitol

  MORE  : McCluskie didn’t just remove Marshall from the House Judiciary Committee. She also rescinded her appointment of Marshall to serve as her representative on the State Board of Equalization, which reviews property tax protests and local property valuation changes.

In a letter dated Nov. 28, McCluskie informed the executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs of the decision. She didn’t explain why she was taking Marshall off the board.

“I have decided to serve on the State Board of Equalization myself rather than designating another individual to serve on the board as designee,” McCluskie wrote in her letter.

McCluskie was part of a unanimous decision by the board Monday to block Douglas County’s creative attempt to offer property tax relief to its homeowners. Marshall is from Douglas County.

  STORY  : State board blocks Douglas County’s creative attempt to provide property tax relief to its homeowners

  MESSAGING:   GreenLatinos, an environmental nonprofit, sent a mailer last week urging people to ask Gov. Jared Polis to crack down on industrial polluters. The group is among several suing the state, claiming Colorado failed to comply with the Colorado Environmental Justice Act. “Close the Polis polluter loopholes,” the mailer says. It was sent to anyone living near one of the 18 facilities that would be impacted by the rulemaking process to enforce the act.

  TABOR REFUNDS:   A bill passed during the special legislative session that makes refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights equal next year will reduce racial economic inequality, a new analysis shows. But it’s only temporarily since the measure is a one-year-only change. The demographic analysis released Monday by nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff found that Coloradans who are Hispanic, Black or belong to other racial minorities will benefit disproportionately from the measure, which increases TABOR refunds for those making under $104,000, but reduces them for higher earners.

  NONPROFITS:   Brenna Simmons-St. Onge is leaving the Alliance for Collective Action after nine years with the environmental nonprofit, the past six as executive director. The Alliance, based in the Alliance building in Lower Downtown, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and expanded beyond Colorado. A search for a new executive director is underway.

  GUNS:   The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence now gives Colorado’s gun laws an A- rating. The state previously had a B grade. The group says the improved grade had to do with measures passed during the 2023 legislative session. Colorado had the most improved rating of any state graded by Giffords.

  STORY  : What it looked like as Colorado wildlife officials released 5 Oregon wolves in Grand County

  STORY:   Colorado wants to hire lawyers to prosecute gun crimes in federal court, some of which are no longer illegal under state law

  STORY:   Colorado’s low-income energy assistance program is receiving a record number of applications

  COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO:   Colorado sets new regulations on gas-powered lawn tools. Clean air advocates say they don’t go far enough

  BLOOMBERG:   Cory Gardner to attend Florida fundraiser for David McCormick’s U.S. Senate bid

  COLORADO POLITICS:   Ex-GOP county chair quits Colorado state party’s governing board, cites attacks on fellow Republicans

  MEDIAITE:   Jared Polis shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters

  THE VAIL DAILY:   Colorado governor wants passenger rail from Denver to Steamboat, Craig to be “envy of the world”

A first look at U.S. House candidate financial disclosures

Adam Frisch, the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, gives an interview at the election night party at the Belly Up in downtown Aspen on Election Day, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Kelsey Brunner, Special to The Colorado Sun)

As 2024 approaches, we’re digging into the personal financial disclosures of U.S. House candidates in Colorado.

Here are some things that stuck out to us:

Democrat Adam Frisch, the former Aspen city councilman aiming for a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in the 3rd Congressional District, reports assets between about $13 million and $50 million and no debt. That’s somewhat less than the $13 million to $54 million in assets he reported in 2022. Boebert’s latest disclosure was filed in May. You can check it out here. We wrote about it back then. Frisch’s Democratic primary opponent, Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, reported assets between $80,000 and $200,000 with debts of up to $50,000. Republican Curtis McCrackin, a Delta County business owner and one of several Republicans running against Boebert, reported assets between $2.3 million and $7.5 million. He reported no debt. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction lawyer running against Boebert in the Republican primary in the 3rd District, reported earning $439,000 from his law firm during 2022. Russ Andrews, a Carbondale investor also vying for the GOP nomination in the 3rd District, reported earning nearly $355,000 in income in 2022. His wife owns 25% of a bitcoin mine in Garfield County valued between $15,000 and $50,000. Weld County Commissioner James Scott, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 8th Congressional District, earned nearly $177,000 in 2022 working as a commissioner and as a radio host. State Rep. Gabe Evans, a Fort Lupton Republican running against Scott in the GOP primary, reported earning $53,000 as a state lawmaker so far this year. (State lawmakers earn about $44,000 a year, but they also receive per diem and mileage reimbursement.) Scott and Evans are running to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Thornton, who filed her 2022 personal financial disclosure in August. It showed she has assets totalling between $145,000 and $525,000, including a rental house valued at between $100,000 and $250,000. Caraveo, a doctor, reported earning about $100,000 last year, including $64,000 that she was paid from her 2022 campaign account and $30,000 she was paid for her work as a state representative. She has a student loan balance of between $250,000 and $500,000 and two mortgages. None of the Republicans running to represent the 4th Congressional District have filed financial disclosure statements yet.

Keep in mind: Candidates report assets in a range for their privacy.

Also, so you know: Most members of Congress earn $174,000 a year. Members of leadership in the House and Senate get more.

  MORE:   State Sen. Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, is the latest well-known Republican to endorse Hurd over Boebert.

“I know Jeff to be a man of integrity who would make an outstanding and hardworking congressman,” she wrote.

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