The third highest-ranking official in the federal government has done little to conceal the extent of his Christian nationalism. House Speaker Mike Johnson has decried American culture as ‘dark and depraved.’ He has compared himself to Moses. He has called the separation of church & state “a misnomer.” And this weekend, he was in Colorado, stumping for Gabe Evans in the seat which Johnson says may decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November.
It appears Donald Trump will visit Aurora after all. According to Colorado GOP Director of Special Initiatives Darcy Schoening, the former president is scheduled to speak this Friday afternoon at 1pm at the Gaylord Rockies Resort. The venue, which also has a convention center, is located just outside of the Denver International Airport and technically within the boundaries of the City of Aurora.
Mainstream Republicans and other business-oriented conservatives are again endorsing GOP candidates in Colorado who promote election conspiracies or outright deny that President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
As part of our weekly roundup of articles about political extremism, the Colorado Times Recorder is featuring Steve Rabey’s breakdown of Focus on the Family’s network of Conservative Christian organizations, Jason Salzman’s reporting of a staunch anti-LGBTQ+ advocate’s support of Gabe Evans, and James O’Rourke’s coverage of conspiracy theories and misinformation spread by State Senate Candidate Scott Bright. We have chosen Denver7’s Jeff Anastasio’s reporting on prominent election denier and former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ sentencing of nine years in prison for her role in a data breach plot.
Cole Buerger, a fifth-generation Coloradan with much deeper roots in Silt than former resident and Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, said his experience fighting for democracy overseas and his reaction to the U.S. Capitol riot in 2021 converged to get him into politics in 2021.
Trisha Calvarese, a Douglas County resident and communications specialist, is running to represent Colorado’s 4th congressional district. A political newcomer, Calvarese comes from a long line of union workers and worked for the AFL-CIO as director of speechwriting. Calvarese sat down with the Colorado Times Recorder to elaborate on why she is running and answer questions on the economy, the environment, foreign affairs, and more.
Doesn’t sound very Christlike, does it?
In 2022, Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D-Colorado Springs) beat Republican Dave Donelson, a Colorado Springs City Councilor, by 710 votes. The narrow victory was a sign of the slow electoral shift in Colorado Springs, a city long considered a conservative stronghold. Since then, Vigil has focused on increasing protections for gig workers, renters, and LGBTQ people in Colorado, and that has made her public enemy number one for El Paso County Republicans.
“Those of you who know me, know I don’t Quit stuff,” conservative education advocate Scott Bright wrote of his work at the state Capitol in an Instagram post last year. “I think I’m making some progress.”
