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Home Archives for Ben

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Key Poll: Two in Three Likely Colorado Voters Say Government Spending Too High, Affects Them Personally

An interesting political poll is out today, commissioned by the group Public Notice and conducted jointly by The Tarrance Group and Hart Research. What's interesting for this time on the calendar is that it asks no questions about candidates or ballot issues. But the results from 500 likely Colorado voters (asked between Sept 12 and 15) offer some valuable, if not terribly surprising, insights about the upcoming election: 68% of likely voters say government spending is too high; only 10% say it is too low.... Nearly two thirds (61%) named government spending among the most important issues to their vote.... Nearly two thirds (65%) say government spending is a factor in their own financial situation.... The perceived impact of government … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, liberty, National Politics, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

John Hickenlooper Coddles Government Unions, Makes Guv Race Clearer

(H/T Who Said You Said) Another reason for conservatives to unite their support behind the more electable candidate for governor: Democrat John Hickenlooper is going to perpetuate the Bill Ritter legacy and coddle government employee unions. Specifically, Hick wouldn't want to revoke Ritter's executive order giving union leaders gold-plated access to state government for fear of hurting somebody's feelings -- even if some state employees have suffered. Wow, what leadership: Meanwhile, as WSYS reports:Contrast the mayor’s comments with those of Tom Tancredo, the American Constitution Party candidate, who on Friday released a statement that read, “I’ll repeal the Executive Order unionizing state government before lunch on my first … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Labor, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

J.J. Ament Concedes, Walker Stapleton to Face Cary Kennedy for Treasurer

On his Facebook page, just a few minutes ago J.J. Ament published a concession to Walker Stapleton in Colorado's Republican state treasurer primary:... would like to thank the countless volunteers across the state who made this a competitive race and I wish Walker all the best in defeating Cary Kennedy in November. At this hour the Denver Post reports with 77 percent reporting that Walker Stapleton has a 50.7-49.2 lead over Ament. Not to toot my own horn, but I did predict that Stapleton would beat Ament 51-49. Hey, I had to nail one race right on, didn't I? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado State House Breakdown: Plenty of Tough Races Up for Grabs

On Tuesday I shared an update of the state senate rankings and concluded that Republicans still have a good shot at recapturing the majority (at least before the Scott McInnis fiasco unfolded, the effect of which on down-ticket races remains to be seen). It's time to update the state house rankings, and there are a few changes to report. All 65 seats are up for election this fall, but only about 20 to 30 of the seats have a competitive challenger. Most of those seats currently belong to Democrats, and the Republicans -- needing a net gain of six seats to hold a true majority -- are poised to take advantage. Will the GOP win the majority? Possibly. As it stands now, the numbers suggest Republicans will pick up between 5 and 8 seats. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

State Senate Updates: Lefty Group Enters GOP Primary, Dem Running Insurgent Write-In Campaign?

If I've been less than inspired to write much about the governor's race recently, I'm too downright disgusted to follow it now. I'd rather focus in on a couple items following up on my latest projection of Colorado's state senate races: 1. The top-rated race in the state, southwestern Colorado's Republican primary in Senate District 6, took a strange turn this week. I was taken aback by a Rocky Mountain Right diary reporting that an obviously Left-leaning group known as "Colorado Outlook" is sending out mailers attacking conservative candidate Dean Boehler. The group is listed in the Secretary of State database registered under the name of Julie Wells, the bookkeeper for a large share of the Left-leaning, pro-Democrat, and union-founded … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Colorado State Senate Majority Looks to Hang on a Tight, Razor-Thin Margin

Nearing the middle of September, it's about seven weeks until Election Day. And in many counties ballots will start going out weeks before November 2. One oft-overlooked piece of the electoral puzzle comes down to which party will have control of Colorado's state legislature for the next two years -- a critical piece of setting state policy and the next round of Congressional re-districting. Today is Mount Virtus' final big picture look at the 2010 state senate races before Election Day. First, a little overview. The Colorado State Senate has 35 seats, with senators serving up to two four-year terms. Democrats currently hold a 21-14 majority. Roughly half of the 35 districts are up for election in any given cycle. In 2010, Colorado … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Survey: What Should Scott McInnis Do?

Update: Upon further deliberation, I've decided to leave the survey open a little longer. Today's Denver Post editorial calls for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis to drop out of the race due to "revelations of extensive plagiarism in work [he] claimed as his own." While the Post has a quick Yes or No poll on its site to determine whether you agree with their editorial stance, I'm interested in a little more information. This morning I created a quick, 6-question, multiple choice survey to see what politically active and knowledgeable readers think should be done, and how it affects the state of the race. Click here to take the survey I will leave the survey open through tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, at 6 PM Mountain … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Colorado Politics, liberty, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Chinook Fund-Columbus Day Protest Link Raises Demand for Transparency in Hickenlooper’s Charitable Giving

Complete Colorado broke a story late last night that adds another twist to the governor's race -- specifically tying Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper and the Chinook Fund he founded to timely financial support of the "Transform Columbus Day Alliance" and its 2007 Denver protests that led to 83 arrests. Featuring a somewhat disturbing original picture, Complete Colorado notes:The 2007 Columbus Day Parade protests included bloodied fake babies in the streets. Writing on the Denver Post's political blog, Chuck Plunkett probes the issue more deeply:The Complete Colorado report helps provide a snapshot of how donating to “Transform Columbus Day Alliance” type groups causes these kinds of spectacle leads to real-life trouble for city … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Journalism, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Denver’s Michael Fallon Embraces Tough Task of Retiring Diana DeGette

Last week I was privileged with the opportunity to sit down and meet Dr. Michael Fallon, the Republican candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District. For those in the know, that phrase typically evokes shrugs of apathy. A Republican in the 1st CD? That covers the heart of Denver. The city has been represented by the tag team of Lefty Democratic icons Pat Schroeder and Diana DeGette for a combined 37 years. Republicans has held the office for a total of one two-year term since 1946. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, only 49 of 435 Congressional Districts are considered more heavily Democratic. But don't think for a moment that deters the 45-year-old Fallon. "Diana DeGette is out of touch with the district," the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, Health Care, liberty, National Politics, PPC

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Local Veteran Blogger Goes Pro as NRO Colorado Election Correspondent

One of Colorado's best and hardest-working people in new media has gone pro. Michael Sandoval, originally an innovative and successful blogger at Slapstick Politics and more recently managing editor of People's Press Collective, is now on the Colorado 2010 election beat for National Review Online. His first posting helps to get a national audience up to speed on our state's U.S. Senate race. (By the way, thanks to Michael, for the incoming link.) Here's guessing he's not itching to provide similar treatment of Colorado's roller-coaster gubernatorial campaign. Anyway, over the next few months I look forward to good original reporting and more insightful analysis from NRO's home-grown Colorado correspondent. And I encourage my readers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Labor, liberty, National Politics, PPC

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Inside

  • About Ben
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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
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Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
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Christian Commentary et al.

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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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