By Quentin Young | editor
🗳️ It’s Election Day. Our reporters will provide Colorado coverage throughout the day, and we’ll report preliminary results when polls close at 7 p.m. Check our website and social media for the latest election news. And check out News From the States for election news from around the country.
A ballot drop box stands outside the Denver Clerk and Recorder Office’s office on June 30, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Fraieli/Colorado Newsline)
By Chase Woodruff
More than 1.5 million Coloradans have already cast their ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. If you’re eligible to vote, it’s not too late to join them — even if you’re not yet registered. With control of Congress during President Donald Trump’s final two years up for grabs, Colorado’s four incumbent House Republicans all face serious challenges from Democratic opponents. At the state level, Democrats are hoping to extend their recent run of total control of Colorado government and capture supermajorities in the state Legislature.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis presents his budget request for the 2027-2028 fiscal year in his office at the state Capitol in Denver on Monday. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
By Sara Wilson
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released his final budget proposal on Monday, once again calling for the Legislature to significantly restrict Medicaid growth in the state. The Democrat, who is in his last few months as governor, wants to limit program growth to 4.3% during the next budget year, compared to an expected 15% with current spending trends. Medicaid costs have more than doubled since the 2021-2022 fiscal year and could soon eat up around 40% of the state’s entire general fund. It is propelled in part by rising healthcare costs and an aging population that needs more services. The health insurance program for low-income people serves around 1 in 5 Coloradans.
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Aurora, speaks at a canvass launch event at the Pueblo County Democratic Party's headquarters on Sunday. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)
By Chase Woodruff
Even as Democrats have succeeded over the last decade in painting the former swing state of Colorado a solid shade of blue, Pueblo County has moved in the opposite direction: Once a Democratic stronghold, it’s become one of the state’s top battlegrounds and a national bellwether. Without President Donald Trump’s name on the ballot, the marquee race in Pueblo in the 2026 midterms is the 3rd Congressional District contest between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a first-term Republican from Grand Junction, and Democratic challenger Dwayne Romero, an Army veteran and business owner from Aspen.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Resources available for voters amid flooding in southwest Colorado | By Lindsey Toomer
Explosive spending, ugly ads and courtroom battles set stage for tense midterm elections | By Ashley Murray and Jonathan Shorman
Adams County could see up to 12 federal monitors on Election Day | By Sara Wilson
Commentary: If you care about affordability, vote with climate in mind | By Lindsay Garcia
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