Gov. Jared Polis set a new PR this year — in annual vetoes.
The governor, who finished his bill-signing tour Wednesday, rejected 11 measures passed by the legislature. That’s up from his previous record of 10 in 2023.
A look at the bills Polis vetoed by the numbers:
You can check out our veto list .
We’ve written a lot about the fractured relationship between Polis and Democrats in the legislature. The higher number of vetoes this year is a direct reflection of that.
But the governor, speaking to reporters this week, downplayed the significance of his record year.
“It’s always about reviewing each individual bill and always doing what’s right for ʹڲַ,” he said. “That’s what I was elected to do, and that’s my job as a co-equal branch of government. We review them legally, for policy and from stakeholders, and evaluate each bill before making a decision about whether it’s in the best interest of ʹڲַ.”
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THE GOVERNOR’S SILVER LINING
Polis told reporters that his vetoes often aren’t the end of the conversation on bills. He pointed to several measures he rejected last year that came back with tweaks in 2025, such as the .
“Usually, if you look through the letters on the vetoes, if it’s an idea I’m totally opposed to, I’ll say that,” he said. “That’s happened from time to time, but, more often than not, it has to do with specific aspects of the legislation. We want to work with legislators to figure it out.”
Polis said he is willing to work with lawmakers on bills he vetoed around rideshare safety and regulating the use of rent algorithms.
“There’s absolutely room for executive action and to legislate on rideshare safety,” Polis said. “We felt that the final bill was not in the best interest of ʹڲַ and had a number of elements that need to be improved upon.”
On rent algorithms, Polis said “we’re open to versions of that legislation.”
Keep in mind, however, that Polis will only be governor for one more legislative session. Democratic lawmakers have signaled they may just wait until his successor takes office in early 2027 to try to tackle some of their pricklier issues again.
WHAT TO WATCH IN THE WEEK AHEAD
ELECTION 2026
Amie Baca-Oehlert on the anti-capitalism resolution adopted during her tenure leading teachers union
Democrat Amie Baca-Oehlert, who this week entered the crowded primary in the 8th Congressional District, is distancing herself adopted by members of the ʹڲַ Education Association in 2023 when she was leading the statewide teachers union.
The resolution, pushed by a group of progressive teachers, said “The CEA believes that capitalism inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources. Capitalism is in opposition to fully addressing systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy (gender and LGBTQ disparities), education inequality, and income inequality.”
Baca-Oehlert told ʹڲַ this week that she was simply presiding over the union when its members passed the resolution. She pointed out that CEA’s members rescinded the resolution the following year. As president, Baca-Oehlert chaired the delegate assembly and did not vote.
She said the resolution reflected “a belief in the democratic process.” She advocated for “elected people coming together, sharing a view, debating it and voting on it.”
It was about “upholding the values and the processes of our democratic process, and that’s something that I believe in deeply,” she said. “I believe in the ability to give our members the autonomy, the voice to have public debate.”
The resolution is sure to become a talking point on the campaign trail, especially if Baca-Oehlert, a first-time candidate, wins the primary.
The race in the 8th District is expected to be fierce next year, as the contest could decide which party controls Congress. Tens of millions of dollars will pour into the district, and you can bet Democrats and Republicans alike will seize on any line of attack to try to gain an edge.
CONGRESS
Brittany Pettersen passes overdose grant bill out of House, falls short in attempt to save Medicaid addiction treatment program
U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen on Wednesday came up short in her effort to save a Medicaid program in ʹڲַ that provides residential and inpatient care for people struggling with addiction as she passed a bill reviving a grant program aimed at stemming overdoses and treating substance use and mental health.
Pettersen sought to amend the grant program measure to protect ʹڲַ’s so-called 1115 waiver program, which will be gutted if Republicans’ budget bill, currently being debated in the Senate, passes.
The program, which Pettersen helped create as a state lawmaker in response to her experience with her mother’s opioid struggles, allowed ʹڲַ to in the hopes that it would offer cost savings in the long run by reducing the need for uncompensated emergency care. But the GOP budget bill would require that 1115 waiver initiatives like Pettersen’s be cost neutral up front, which would effectively shut down ʹڲַ’s plan since it’s based on theoretical savings.
The state asked the federal government in December to extend the program, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
“It would decimate everything that we’ve done in ʹڲַ,” Pettersen said of the Republican budget proposal’s effect on ʹڲַ’s 1115 waiver addiction treatment program.
Pettersen’s amendment failed 213-213, with all four ʹڲַ Republicans in the House voting against the change despite Pettersen’s lobbying.
The passage of the broader measure, H.R.2483, is still a win for Pettersen. If signed by Trump, it would mark her second bill to become law. The first came during her first term under President Joe Biden.
The lead sponsor of H.R.2483 is U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican. Pettersen is the lead original cosponsor of the measure, which comes with hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding.
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
ILHAN OMAR IN COLORADO
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, was in Denver on Sunday for a fundraiser with a number of elected officials.
A flier for the event said it was hosted by Lisa Calderón, an unsuccessful candidate for Denver mayor, along with Democratic state Sens. James Coleman, Iman Jodeh, Cathy Kipp and Julie Gonzales. Democratic state Reps. Yara Zokaie, Junie Joseph, Lorena Garcia, Elizabeth Velasco, Jamie Jackson, Jennifer Bacon, Javier Mabrey and Andrew Boesenecker were also listed as hosts.
Republicans blasted Democrats for appearing at a fundraiser with Omar on the same day, and about the same time, as a man yelling “free Palestine” attacked a group trying to raise awareness about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023.
State Rep. Anthony Hartsook, a Parker Republican, called Omar, , a “notorious anti-Semite” and said in a written statement that the Democrats who raised money for her “should be ashamed of themselves.”
About the attack, Omar said on X: “Violence against anyone is never acceptable. We must reject hatred and harm in all its forms.”
PERSONNEL FILE
Kaylin Dines has been named chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat.
Dines previously served as deputy chief of staff and communications director to U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo and as communications director for U.S. Rep. Jason Crow. She’s a Denver-area native.
ELECTION 2026
Democrat Gabriel Cervantes announced this week that he’s running to unseat state Rep. Jacque Phillips, D-Thornton, in House District 31.
Cervantes is on the board of the Adams County Young Democrats and he’s a cofounder of Six-Siblings Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to help students from diverse backgrounds.
Phillips was elected to the seat in 2024. She hasn’t filed to run for reelection yet.
ABORTION
On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., revoked a Biden-era guidance that directed hospitals to provide abortions to women in emergency situations as part of the , known as EMTALA.
Without the guidance, that doctors may be discouraged from performing emergency abortions in states with abortion restrictions, even when women are at risk of serious harm or even death. EMTALA is still on the federal books requiring hospitals that receive federal funding to provide emergency care to people regardless of their ability to pay.
ʹڲַ lawmakers this year passed an , which Polis signed into law last month, that directs hospitals to provide abortions in emergency situations. “We were explicit that emergency medical service includes abortion, if necessary, for example in the context of an ectopic pregnancy,” said state Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat and sponsor of the bill. “People in ʹڲַ now have the protections that they have assumed that they can have under federal law going back to 1986, and we think that’s very important.”
have been in several states since 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed abortion access nationwide since 1973.
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THIS WEEK’S PODCAST:
COLORADO SUN
Meet Taylor Dolven, The Sun’s new politics and policy reporter
Hello, Unaffiliated readers. Happy to be here in your inbox.
This is my first week as a politics/policy reporter at The Sun, where I’ll be reporting alongside Jesse and Brian. A few things you should know about me: I grew up in ʹڲַ and therefore root for the Buffs, can find my way down a ski slope and went to Casa Bonita before it was cool (or when it was cool).
Most recently, I was a fellow at the University of ʹڲַ’s Center for Environmental Journalism and before that I was a reporter at The Boston Globe covering transportation. I care deeply about our state and am looking forward to bringing you accountability journalism you can rely on. I’d love to hear from you about what needs digging into.
Send your tips to taylor@coloradosun.com. Looking forward to connecting with you!
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OH BRIAN, WHERE ART THOU?
While Brian Eason is staying on with The Sun, he’s moving to a part-time role with a focus on covering housing. So while you may not see him at the Capitol or JBC hearings, or his work in this newsletter quite as often, he’ll still be lurking around.
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