
Purplish
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.
Latest episodes

Nov 4, 2022 • 30min
What we’re watching for on Election Day
The big day is almost here and our team looks at where the campaigns, the polling and the voters stand, as things come down to the wire.

Oct 28, 2022 • 32min
What keeps our elections safe?
Colorado's election system has all sorts of checks built in to prevent fraud and subversion, but much of it happens out of public view. We go through some of the biggest security measures -- and some of the biggest conspiracy theories still circulating.

Oct 22, 2022 • 32min
All your 2022 ballot measures explained (plus a few weird ones from history)
There are 11 statewide measures on the ballot this year, and we're here to give you the key points on each of them. Oh, and Andy plays stump-the-hosts with 140 years of initiative history.

Oct 14, 2022 • 30min
Housing on your ballot
Coloradans are increasingly naming housing as a top issue, and it's one that will appear on ballots this fall in a couple of ways.

Sep 29, 2022 • 22min
Colorado’s Latino voters and the 2022 races
One in six Colorado voters is Latino, a fact the campaigns are very, very aware of. But are candidates and parties forging meaningful connections, or just falling back on transactional habits?

Sep 15, 2022 • 28min
Moderates in the Midterm
Senate candidate Joe O'Dea is getting national attention for his views on abortion, Trump and other issues that set him apart from many in his party. But will his positions be enough to win over the moderate voters so crucial to winning Colorado's elections?

Jun 30, 2022 • 23min
What did we learn from the primary?
Colorado's Republican establishment is celebrating a night of victories that they believe will give them a leg up on the general election, and could even be a turning point for their party.

Jun 25, 2022 • 22min
Unaffiliated Voters — the big question mark
the primary approaches, one big question is what influence an influx of unaffiliated voters might have on the GOP selection contests.

Jun 17, 2022 • 32min
The GOP Divide
The party is torn between its grassroots, with their concerns about the 2020 election and their hunger for a more combative tone from lawmakers, and its more traditional voters, who […]

May 14, 2022 • 33min
What lawmakers did with their time
Over the past 120 days, lawmakers have argued over justice reform, housing, behavioral health and so much more -- we'll wrap up everything they did -- and didn't -- get done.