Leadville, CO – We wish that Colorado’s electorate was somewhat consistent, but that’s what makes politics here fun. While consistently supporting more conservative principles at the ballot box when it comes to business and taxes, they support liberal politicians. We’ll discuss what this means going forward, and how conservatives can capitalize on this (later). First, let’s look at some electoral history.
Let’s look at the last decade of how Colorado has voted. Namely, we’ll look at tax and spend policies regarding ballot initiatives. Here are the ones that have FAILED at the ballot box since 2010:
- 2011’s Prop 103 – sought to increase taxes, and allowed the Colorado government to keep $500 million for education funding.
- 2013’s Amendment 66 – taxes and revenue for education to the tune of $1 billion.
- 2014’s Amendment 68 – wanted to allow expanded gaming at racetracks, the taxes would go towards education funding.
- 2016’s Amendment 69 – this would have created a single-payer health care system in Colorado and doubled Colorado’s budget while creating a tax and spend committee to raise revenue (taxes) in perpetuity.
- 2016’s Amendment 72 – cigarette taxes for various government programs.
- 2018’s Amendment 73 – this would have created income tax brackets and raised taxes, adding a minimum of $1.6 billion in revenue.
- 2018’s Proposition 109 – this was supposed to be debt funding for roads.
- 2018’s Proposition 110 – this was tax and debt financing for roads (again, that’s what proponents alleged).
- 2019’s Proposition CC – this would have gutted the Taxpayer Bill Of Rights (TABOR) and allowed the state to keep and spend more money.
Colorado voters have sent the message that they don’t want new taxes, or the government to have more money. Most of these initiatives have failed by large margins, so the message is clear.
However, during this time, especially the 2012 and 2018 elections, Colorado voters elected the most extreme-far-left liberal politicians to the Colorado Legislature. Including, of course, our Boulder Governor Jared Polis. So, what gives?
Sure, we can waste a lot of ink on why Republicans have failed at the ballot box. But clearly, Colorado voters still don’t want larger government. We would be remiss not to mention the passage of Amendment 64, Proposition AA and BB that allowed the state to tax and keep revenue from marijuana. Also, Proposition DD may pass (we’ll update this when official) that will allow new revenue from sports betting.
So what can conservatives do moving forward?
Is it as simple as Republicans need to “stay on message” and call Democrats what they are (tax and spend liberals) who don’t listen to voters and spend all of our money? Well, yes – that’s a part of it. Republicans also need to learn how to play nice as conservatives, while maintaining some semblance of unity. For instance, Republicans supporting a lot of this crap divides the party. This starts at the ballot box, at State and County Assemblies/Conventions, and in Republican Primaries.
What we have noticed is that politicians like to be popular. So if the popular thing is NOT to support more money for the government – it will be easy for voters to put “Republican” politicians in a box, so they have no choice but to support conservative values. This will take some leadership, and Republicans do have some of that at the state level.
Minority Leaders in the State House of Representatives and State Senate will need to step up. We expect that Patrick Neville in the House and Chris Holbert in the Senate will hammer home the will of the voters.
It should be pretty easy. The State Budget has grown by over 30% in the last decade. We still aren’t funding transportation, while funding for both education and government-run healthcare eats up about 75% of the budget. The percentages have greatly increased with Colorado’s move towards single-payer after the 2013 legislative session. Democrats pushed Medicaid expansion, moving 1 in every 7 Colorado citizens on government-run health care to almost 1 in 4.
What suffered in funding during this time? Transportation! What do Colorado voters complain about the most? Transportation! So, quite simply Neville, Holbert and their teams can answer every question with “the Democrats don’t listen to voters, can’t run the government, and Republicans will fund transportation and the state’s priorities.”
Republicans shouldn’t fear the press or calls that they hate children. Voters have spoken. Fund government services within the current budgetary means, just like Colorado families do with their budgets. Voters see through the baloney.
2020 could be the year that Republicans get back a chunk of what they lost in 2018. And 2022 is poised to be a big year for Republicans and conservatives.
If Proposition DD does pass (it’s ahead while we’re writing this), and the Democrats try to spend this revenue on anything but water projects, again Republicans can say that Democrats don’t listen to voters.
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