A major force has emerged in Colorado politics over the last five years, flooding the state with largely anonymous cash, reshaping dynamics on both the right and left sides of the aisle, and driving the conversation in ways which have directed both state budgets and ballot initiatives. The rise of Advance Colorado represents the most significant sea-change in the state’s political battlegrounds since Democrats first took control of the State House of Representatives in 2004. Despite the magnitude of the group’s influence, few in the local press corps have covered its rise to dominance, and even fewer have examined its inner-workings.

Two ministry leaders from Colorado Springs qualified Saturday for the top two spots in June’s primary to determine the Republican candidate for Colorado governor in November’s election.

Known colloquially as lockjaw, tetanus is caused by toxin produced by the Clostridium Tetani bacteria found in soil and excrement. C. Tetani spores enter the body through breaks in the skin — typically puncture wounds and serious wounds. The spores germinate into bacteria that bring painful muscle contractions, often starting with the jaw.