Politics reporter

Nick Coltrain

Nick Coltrain covers state politics for the Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2022 after covering the Iowa caucus and COVID-19 for the Des Moines Register and all things for the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

Colorado Sen. Jeff Bridges listens to a presentation during a Joint Budget Committee hearing in the Legislative Services Building in Denver on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Chairman of Colorado legislature’s powerful budget committee announces run for treasurer

April 15, 2025 at 12:49 p.m.

State Sen. Jeff Bridges, the chair of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, will run for Colorado treasurer in 2026, he said ahead of a Tuesday campaign launch.

A scale replica of the Sand Creek Massacre memorial planned for installation at the Colorado State Capitol. The Colorado General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution approving its installation Monday. It is being created by sculptor Gerald Anthony Shippen. (Image courtesy of Gerald Anthony Shippen via the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation)

Legislature approves Sand Creek Massacre memorial for Colorado Capitol

April 15, 2025 at 12:19 p.m.

The statue, by sculptor Gerald Anthony Shippen, will depict the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs Black Kettle and Left Hand, as well as a Native American woman with a child.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet announces his candidacy for Colorado governor during a rally at City Park in Denver on Friday morning, April 11, 2025. The Democrat will seek that party's nomination in 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet jumps into governor’s race, saying he wants “to forge a better politics”

April 11, 2025 at 2:57 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet feels he'd be "better situated as the governor to help us provide a view of what this future is going to look like, from the state...

Rep. Shannon Bird listens during a Joint Budget Committee hearing at the Legislative Services Building in Denver on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Colorado budget cuts — including hit for roads, loss of health workers — cause heartburn as lawmakers close gap

April 11, 2025 at 6:00 a.m.

The Colorado state budget is moving closer to finalization, but lawmakers have continued grappling over $1.2 billion in proposed cuts, with critics warning that the proposed cuts and delays would...

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, left, and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet applaud a sponsor of a new state child tax credit at Denver KinderCare in Denver on Friday, May 31, 2024. Bennet is expected to enter the race to succeed Polis in the 2026 election. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)

Sen. Michael Bennet expected to announce bid for Colorado governor

April 11, 2025 at 7:18 a.m.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is set to announce he is running for Colorado governor as soon as Friday, according to two sources briefed on his plans.

State Rep. Lorena Garcia answers in this Jan. 26, 2020, file photo. She is a sponsor of a resolution seeking to challenge TABOR's constitutionality in court. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Colorado Democrats’ bid to launch TABOR lawsuit clears first committee

April 8, 2025 at 4:11 p.m.

Democrats' latest attempt to uproot a state constitutional amendment that severely limits officials' spending authority narrowly passed its first committee vote Monday night.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Jena Griswold announces run for Colorado attorney general

April 7, 2025 at 4:04 p.m.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold will run for attorney general in 2026, aiming to fight President Donald Trump, protect abortion rights and prevent gun violence.

Tom Dodson, Safeway liquor department manager, ...

Lawmakers pass limit on liquor sales at Colorado grocery stores — as industry presses Gov. Polis to veto it

April 4, 2025 at 6:00 a.m.

Colorado lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would stop any more grocery stores from selling hard liquor in the state. But the fight over the measure may not be...

In this July 28, 2014 photo, a house and out-buildings are surrounded by wind turbines in Calumet, Okla. A decade ago, states offered wind-energy developers an open-armed embrace, envisioning a bright future for an industry that would offer cheap electricity, new jobs and steady income for large landowners. Today, many of the same political leaders who initially welcomed the wind industry want to regulate it more tightly. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Gov. Polis, lawmakers consider plan to accelerate Colorado’s clean energy transition

April 3, 2025 at 4:40 p.m.

Colorado lawmakers and Gov. Jared Polis' office are weighing legislation that would require 100% of the state's energy to come from clean sources by 2040 -- 10 years earlier than...

The Colorado State Capitol building in Denver on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

Colorado Democrats call for “a reckoning” on TABOR and taxes, as GOP vows to “fight very hard”

April 1, 2025 at 6:18 p.m.

A plan unveiled by a group of Colorado lawmakers aims to fundamentally change state tax policy and eliminate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

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