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
Sep 1, 2021 • 15min
A Road Trip Through Colorado’s (Maybe) 8th District
The first draft of the Congressional map puts the state's newest district north and east of Denver. We hit the road to hear what residents think of that idea.
Aug 27, 2021 • 17min
Redistricting Highlights Challenges To Latino Representation
Denver's Northside, historic home of the Chicano movement, has been getting whiter over the last decade. At the same time, some suburbs, like Commerce City, have seen their Latino populations increase. How Colorado's new political maps reflect these changes could have a big impact on the state's Latino representation.
Aug 25, 2021 • 20min
Colorado ‘Nonpartisan’ Redistricting Process Is Still Plenty Political
Republican relief, a bit of Democratic chagrin, and a whole lot of thumbs hoping to sneak onto all sorts of scales -- we look at the political side of Colorado's new approach to redistricting.
Aug 20, 2021 • 17min
Redistricting: What You Need To Know To Learn The Things You Need To Learn
Colorado's redistricting is in the hands of new independent commissions -- we explain what led up to the change and how the process is works.
Aug 19, 2021 • 55sec
Get ready for Purplish: The Great Redraw
Redistricting: that once-in-a-decade process with huge implications for representation and the balance of power, in Colorado and nationwide. In a special season of Purplish, we look deep into how the state's new process is working and what may come of it.
Jun 10, 2021 • 22min
That’s All, Folks!
Everything you need to know about the end of session, from 11th hour bill failures to last minute filibusters to post-session caucus infighting, all brought to you by two hosts who really, really need to get some sleep.
Jun 4, 2021 • 12min
The Chopping Block
Several mysteries unfold at the Capitol as the final days of the legislative session approach.
May 28, 2021 • 19min
Into The Whirlwind
We're down to the last two weeks of session and that means two things: rush, rush rush, and stall, stall, stall.
May 21, 2021 • 22min
The Big Money Episode
Through new fees and tweaks to the tax code, Democrats are moving forward with policies that could bring in a lot of new money to state coffers, all without having to ask voters' permission.
May 14, 2021 • 23min
Race, Politics and Racial Politics
Issues of race and systemic racism have boiled over repeatedly during this legislative session, in policy discussions and public comments, exposing deep divisions in lawmakers' views, and their lived experiences.
