Purplish
Colorado Public Radio
Purplish is CPR News' weekly podcast about state politics, state government, Colorado policy, and political identity. This season the show is hosted by public affairs reporters Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney. Each week while the legislature is in session, they'll break down the latest developments, look ahead to what's next, and dive into the bigger picture of what it all means.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 16, 2020 • 24min
Election Grab Bag
You know we’re getting close — the whole Purplish team is finally together in the studio for the first time.
Oct 9, 2020 • 29min
So Many Ballot Measures. Like, SO MANY
Eleven, to be precise. Do we manage to talk about all of them in a half hour? Heck no. But our team does dive deep on a few, while also talking about the larger dynamics at play on the ballot.
Oct 2, 2020 • 18min
The One About Debates
What happens when two candidates who are both running as the "nice guy" in the race meet on stage? This week we look ahead to the upcoming run of Senate debates. What's at stake for Cory Gardner and John Hickenlooper? And what about that presidential debate, huh?
Sep 25, 2020 • 21min
Ground Game, Grounded?
It's political gospel that to win a campaign, you've got to reach individual voters, the more directly the better. So how are campaigns adapting their techniques to meet the challenges of the pandemic? Plus, there's about to be a giant Supreme Court nomination fight in Washington. Do Colorado voters care?
Sep 18, 2020 • 19min
Mail Ballot Blues
Some people worry the rapid move to mail ballots nationally is inviting massive fraud. Others fear postal slowdowns could sabotage the whole system. The Purplish team takes a local look at the reality behind the fears here in Colorado, a state with a long-running tradition of universal mail ballots.
Sep 11, 2020 • 20min
Purplish Returns: The Election Season
CPR's Public Affairs team is back with your weekly dive into the upcoming election: the big races and the big issues, what we're hearing from candidates — and voters, and the moments that make us go wait... what? It's all here in the new season of Purplish.
Jun 19, 2020 • 22min
BONUS: The Democrats Competing To Take On Cory Gardner
In this bonus episode, we talk to voters about the primary race for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat, between John Hickenlooper and Andrew Romanoff, and review the candidates' records.
Jun 12, 2020 • 15min
The End Is Near
The legislature is on its final sprint to adjournment and we'll catch you up on everything they've done, and are still trying to do.
Jun 5, 2020 • 20min
Protests, Policing, And Education Cuts
Last week lawmakers were laying aside even the most popular bills to make room to focus on the pandemic. But the past week of protests have pushed a new issue to the top of the agenda: police reform.
May 29, 2020 • 19min
The Legislature Strikes Back
Lawmakers returned to work Tuesday in a changed world. The first order of business was to start laying aside most of their bills from the first half of session. The second order of business was to argue passionately about how they'll work from here on out. And the third was to set a new, pandemic-driven agenda. We discuss it all on this week's Purplish.
