Purplish
Colorado Public Radio
Purplish is a podcast about politics and policy and how they shape Coloradans’ lives, hosted by Colorado Public Radio’s public affairs reporter Bente Birkeland and reporters from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. They break down the latest developments at the statehouse, in Congress and in local communities, to find the bigger picture behind the political headlines.Purplish is produced by CPR News with support from the Colorado Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Episodes
Mentioned books
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.
May 5, 2022 • 28min
With mental health, can Colorado achieve ‘transformative’ change?
Colorado ranks last in the nation, when it comes to mental health care available, compared to the number of people who need it. This year state lawmakers are hoping to make a big difference in the problem.
Apr 22, 2022 • 31min
The fight to ban Menthols and flavored vapes
The podcast explores the heated debate over the potential ban of menthol cigarettes and flavored vapes, touching on the influence of the tobacco industry, racial justice concerns, and the balance between personal freedom and public health. It delves into the progress and challenges of the bill aiming to ban flavored tobacco in Colorado, as well as the conflicting viewpoints surrounding government intervention and its impact on small businesses and tax revenues.
Apr 14, 2022 • 26min
Who’s on the primary ballot?
And what do the choices made at the GOP state assembly say about the state of that party?
Apr 7, 2022 • 37min
Colorado at the eye of an election conspiracy storm
The story of how one county clerk came to believe in false claims about her own voting equipment, what it reveals about the many ways in which our election system […]
