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Rocky Mountain Voice

With Evans victory in 8th District, Colorado Republicans earned split in U.S. House
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

With Evans victory in 8th District, Colorado Republicans earned split in U.S. House

Colorado's 4th District has now been held by Republican in 50 of past 52 years By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Gabe Evans has delivered on a seat Republicans always believed they could capture. “Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Army veteran, Arvada police officer, state representative, grandson of immigrants, and now: Congressman," said Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Congressional Committee. "Gabe Evans is a fighter for the American Dream who will work tirelessly on their behalf in Congress, and we look forward to seeing the valuable results Congressman-elect Evans will deliver for Coloradans.” Shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs blocked the Broncos' kick for victory on Sunday, Evans blocked Democrat Yadira Caraveo's bid at re-election to Colorado'...
Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Livestock raisers from the Western Slope are trying to plan ahead as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) prepares to relocate another 10 wolves on the western landscape this winter. With calving season beginning in January, a season when livestock is most vulnerable and the wolves are looking for a meal in unfamiliar territory, the inherent conflict is seemingly unavoidable. To that end, livestock growers met with CPW in Glenwood Springs to learn about hazing and wolf predation mitigation strategies, as well as risk-reducing programs offered by the organization. CPW's Adam Baca was joined by Dustin Shiflett from Colorado Department of Agriculture and Lauren Emerick from Colorado Wildlife Services, to provide information about ...
Ryan Gonzalez hands GOP win in HD50; Tight races for Woog in HD19, Keltie in HD16
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Ryan Gonzalez hands GOP win in HD50; Tight races for Woog in HD19, Keltie in HD16

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Ryan Gonzalez has won a reliably blue Weld County seat, and two other races remaining that are too close to call could potentially help pull Republicans out of a superminority in the Colorado House. The 29-year-old Republican defeated three-term Democrat Mary Young by 554 votes in House District 50, outside the trigger for a mandatory recount. As of Monday, Gonzalez held 51.1% of the 25,606 votes, with Young holding 48.9%. Gonzalez initially trailed on Election Night, but continued to cut into the margin and eventually took a lead over Young late last week. That margin doubled over the weekend. It is a significant win for Republicans, considering the seat has been in Democratic Party control since 2005. It secured a plus-one-seat gain for ...
Carr: Risk-limiting audits in Colorado have little chance of finding and fixing incorrect election outcomes
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Carr: Risk-limiting audits in Colorado have little chance of finding and fixing incorrect election outcomes

By Tasha Carr | Guest Commentary, Larimer League of Independent Voters Voters have the right to ensure that our votes are counted correctly. The Risk-limiting Audit (RLA) is the only method available for Colorado voters to be assured that wrong election outcomes are detected and fixed. Yet, the RLAs in Colorado have little chance of fixing any incorrect outcomes because the Secretary of State is violating key assumptions of the RLAs and not complying with best practices. Fundamental to RLAs is the statistical concept of a risk limit. In plain English, the risk limit is the risk (chance) of not discovering and fixing wrong election outcomes. To ensure our elections are valid, we want the chance of missing a wrong outcome to be very low. But the risk limit only applie...
Verhoeff: On Veterans Day, we honor service and sacrifice, yet many Colorado schools remain open 
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Verhoeff: On Veterans Day, we honor service and sacrifice, yet many Colorado schools remain open 

By Sean Verhoeff | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As we approach Veterans Day, a day dedicated to honoring the men and women who have selflessly served our nation, we are reminded of the sacrifices these individuals and their families have made. This federal holiday offers the nation an opportunity to reflect on the courage, commitment and resilience of our veterans, and to express gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy as a result of their service.  However, in Colorado, many public schools do not observe Veterans Day as a holiday, meaning students attend classes as usual, and families often miss the chance to celebrate together. For families with a legacy of military service, this lack of observance can feel like a missed opportunity to pass down stories, traditions an...
Vietnam veteran Ray Gooch educates younger generations on U.S. Constitution
Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Vietnam veteran Ray Gooch educates younger generations on U.S. Constitution

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice U.S. Army veteran Ray Gooch says "the Lord was taking care of me" when he was "kept out of Vietnam and sent to Alaska". "I learned an awful lot up there with the Arctic, the people and the environment,” he says, reflecting on his time in the military.  His journey from a tight-knit Colorado mountain community to serving in the Cold War and now teaching the U.S. Constitution, as written, as intended, and as ratified in 1887. His is a testament to resilience, patriotism and purpose. Gooch was raised in the mountains of Coal Creek Canyon, Colo. “Our party line had 12 people on it,” he recalls with humor, referencing the shared telephone system where multiple households were connected on the same line. “That was our way of life...
Gilmartin: Win in House District 50 by Ryan Gonzalez, age 29, is historic
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Gilmartin: Win in House District 50 by Ryan Gonzalez, age 29, is historic

By Jack Gilmartin | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a groundbreaking election for Colorado Republicans, 29-year-old Ryan Gonzalez claimed victory in House District 50 in Greeley, unseating incumbent Democrat Mary Young. This win carries multiple layers of significance: it’s the first time since Tambor Williams’ victory in 2002 that a Republican has won this district, a traditionally Democratic stronghold, and it represents the first GOP gain in the Colorado House of Representatives since 2014. With this victory, Republicans increase their count from 19 to 20 seats in the 65-seat chamber. This victory is especially meaningful for the Colorado Federation of Young Republicans, as Gonzalez, a young and dynamic new voice, is one of their members. In a cycle where the Colorado...
Republican Gabe Evans now holds a lead of 2,529 votes in 8th District U.S. House race
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Republican Gabe Evans now holds a lead of 2,529 votes in 8th District U.S. House race

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice In a latest report from the Colorado secretary of state's office, Republican Gabe Evans has pulled ahead of Democrat Yadira Caraveo in the 8th District U.S. House race. Evans now holds 49.03% of votes, with Caraveo trailing at 48.21%, which presently places the race outside the threshold of an automatic recount. The 2,529-vote lead is a significant swing from where the race sat just a few days ago. The one-term U.S. Rep. Caraveo once led by a somewhat comfortable 1.59% margin. On Thursday, Evans narrowed the deficit to 2,096, which represented less than one-tenth of 1% of all votes to have been counted. A day earlier, Caraveo had a 3,817-vote lead, when an estimated 16.63% of the vote remained unreported. The 8th District is typically view...
Some candidates still watching and waiting to see if final returns can flip their fortunes
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Some candidates still watching and waiting to see if final returns can flip their fortunes

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Polls closed nearly 72 hours ago at this point, but there are still some races in Colorado that could drag into the weekend and perhaps next week before a clear winner is decided. The most high-profile of those races is in Northern Colorado, where Gabe Evans and Yadira Caraveo are fighting it out for the 8th District seat in the U.S. House. But, there are other seats which are either undecided or close enough a trailing candidate with some help in remaining vote returns might have a chance for a comeback. Here's a look at the races we're still watching across the state: District 8, U.S. Representative: Democrat Yadira Caraveo's margin in the race is shrinking. A race the one-term U.S. Rep. Caraveo once led by a somewhat comfortable 1.59% ...
Kalam: Lessons (not) learned from the 2024 election
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Kalam: Lessons (not) learned from the 2024 election

By Ahnaf Kalam | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As I settled into my usual spot at my go-to Colfax bar for its election watch party, donning my black MAGA hat, I could feel the tension even before the manager approached me. I’d come to watch the election results, as did everybody else, but it seemed my hat alone was enough to make people uneasy. The manager — a friend, or so I thought — came over and, with a forced smile, asked if I’d either remove the hat or leave. Her reasoning was that “some women in the bar don’t feel safe with you openly supporting a rapist.” Leaving aside the fact that the allegation she referred to is, at best, tenuous and politically motivated, I had to marvel at the double standard. People in Biden or Harris attire were mingling freely, without so...