Colorado

Colorado’s attorney general has filed 54 lawsuits against the Trump administration and won 34 of them. A federal judge found Trump withheld Colorado funding as “punishment and nothing more.” Democrats control the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature, but a $1.5 billion budget deficit is forcing cuts to Medicaid and TABOR refunds.

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Federal lawsuits

Phil Weiser has sued the Trump administration 54 times since January 2025. Courts have partially or fully blocked Trump policies in 34 cases. Eight went against the state. Twelve are still pending.

Weiser blocked Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, stopped DOGE from accessing private taxpayer data, and restored $6.8 billion in paused education funds. He also helped bring a tariff challenge that the Supreme Court ultimately struck down.

Area	What Weiser blocked	Source
Immigration	End of birthright citizenship	Colorado Sun
Consumer data	DOGE access to private taxpayer records	CO AG
Energy	Freeze on EV charging and wind development	Colorado Sun
Education	$6.8B in paused federal education funds	CO Newsline
Child care	Cuts to funding for low-income families	Colorado Sun
Consumer finance	Defunding of CFPB	CO AG

Weiser is now running for governor. His lawsuit record is the centerpiece of his campaign, and voters will decide whether that record translates to executive leadership.

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Federal punishment

A federal judge found that Trump withheld Colorado funding as “punishment and nothing more” for the state’s handling of Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk convicted of facilitating a security breach of county voting machines.

The retaliation hit rural, Republican-voting areas hardest. Trump vetoed a clean water pipeline for southeastern Colorado and denied disaster funding for wildfire recovery in the northwest. He ordered five counties to recertify over 100,000 SNAP households in 30 days or lose millions.

100,000+ SNAP households in five rural counties ordered to recertify within 30 days or lose federal funding

Governor Polis commuted Peters’ sentence on May 15, 2026, reducing it from eight years to four and making her eligible for parole June 1. He framed it as a free speech issue. The Colorado Democratic Party disagreed. On May 20, 90% of the State Central Committee voted to censure Polis and suspended him from speaking at party events.

The Peters episode shows how federal pressure can fracture state-level coalitions. Trump punished the whole state. Polis tried to relieve the pressure. His own party punished him for it. The funding cuts remain.

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Healthcare and benefits

Colorado’s budget shortfall grew to $1.5 billion in 2026. The core problem is structural: Medicaid costs grow at roughly 9% per year, but TABOR limits state spending growth to approximately 3.2%.

The Legislature closed the gap by cutting $270 million in Medicaid reimbursement rates (a 2% reduction) and withholding $300 million in TABOR refunds. New eligibility criteria for the Cover All Coloradans program further tightened access.

The federal reconciliation bill made it worse. H.R. 1 constrained investments and deepened the state-level deficit at the same time Colorado was already cutting.

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Immigration

Federal immigration agents have been pulling defendants out of active Colorado criminal cases, including people awaiting trial for sexual assault. ICE refuses to return them to state courts. Victims are denied justice. Cases collapse.

Colorado passed SB25-276, which bars local officials from sharing immigration status with ICE and limits where ICE can operate without a judge-signed warrant (including schools and hospitals). A federal judge dismissed Trump’s challenge to the law, ruling that the Supremacy Clause “does not go so far as to compel state assistance.”

The Aurora gang situation that dominated 2024 headlines has diminished. Of 30 people charged in two federal indictments, nearly half took plea deals. No cases went to trial. One expert told CPR “it’s quieted down a lot in 2025.” Trump continued to cite Aurora to justify military action against Venezuela, muddling facts and omitting context.

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2026 elections

Governor Polis is term-limited. The June 30 primary will narrow a crowded field. On the Democratic side, Senator Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser are the leading candidates. Republicans have 21 candidates and no consensus.

Race	Key candidates	Date
Governor (D primary)	Michael Bennet, Phil Weiser	June 30, 2026
Governor (R primary)	Scott Bottoms, Barbara Kirkmeyer, Victor Marx, 18 others	June 30, 2026
General election	Primary winners	November 3, 2026

Republicans have not won a Colorado governor’s race since 2002. The Democratic primary is the race that will likely determine the next governor. The choice between Bennet and Weiser is a choice between a senator who knows Washington and an AG who has spent 18 months in court against it.

The next governor inherits a $1.5 billion deficit and a TABOR constraint that makes Medicaid unsustainable. Federal funding fights are personal and punitive. The Democratic Party just censured the outgoing governor. Voters should ask every candidate how they will manage that combination.

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Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration. Colorado’s primary is June 30, 2026. Confirm your registration and party affiliation at GoVoteColorado.gov.

2. Track your mail ballot. Use Colorado’s ballot tracking tool and fix any signature issues immediately.

3. Verify your Medicaid and SNAP status. If you receive benefits, check your eligibility and keep your contact information current. Reimbursement cuts and new eligibility rules take effect this year.

4. Know your rights with ICE. Under SB25-276, ICE cannot operate in schools, hospitals, or libraries without a judge-signed warrant. You do not have to answer questions about immigration status.

5. Ask governor candidates about the deficit. TABOR limits spending growth to 3.2% while Medicaid grows at 9%. Every candidate should explain how they will close that gap without gutting services.