The skies over Colorado have been smoky all week because of five active wildfires burning along the Western Slope. Hazy is also an appropriate word to describe the future financial situation within Colorado amidst pending tariffs with our state’s two biggest trading partners. There is continued talk about the challenges mounting for the state’s budget and for all of us who live and work here in Colorado. Our Insiders might not be top economists but they’re able to decipher what’s at stake… but first we addressed some findings in some recent polls.

Slowing Population Growth & Net Migration: Net migration for Colorado is down 52% since 2015, and the drop for Denver is close to 70%, according to this week’s report from Common Sense Colorado. Our Insiders say factors contributing to this slowdown include affordability, education, and overall livability, particularly for families.

• Patty Calhoun: “Ten years ago, people would have been dancing in the streets of Denver to hear that fewer transplants were coming because we have traffic, we have the traffic going to the mountains and traffic going downtown. The state demographer had warned about this two years ago. So, this is nothing new and surprising, but we need to deal with it.”
• Penfield Tate: “I believe Colorado has been what I call a ‘churned state.’ That is young people come here, stay for a year or two, get some experience, work a job and then leave, and they’re replaced by other young people. The difference now is that when these young people are leaving, they’re not being replaced by as many young people coming in. And I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”

Cost of Living & Housing Affordability: Another poll released this week from the Colorado Health Foundation says that political turmoil is the #1 concern of Coloradans, followed by cost of living and housing affordability. Read the full Pulse Poll here.

• Amber McReynolds: “Half of the state’s population of voters are unaffiliated. I think that further demonstrates the frustration that was shown in this poll about the partisan politicians.”
• Carly West: “Energy costs impact every family and every business. It’s not just the bill you’re paying, it’s the cost of all of your goods and services, and down the line. And, there are a lot of things that we have done as a state that has dramatically increased the cost of energy here over the past 15 years… 150 statewide mandates that have made requirements that all add up to additional costs…. with state models predicting electricity prices to grow three times the rate of inflation.”

Tariffs with Canada & Mexico: This week, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order for state agencies to look for and mitigate the negative effects of the upcoming August 1 tariffs. Colorado’s agricultural community faces a significant threat since it relies heavily on trade.

• Penfield Tate: “The underlying problem with the whole tariff war is nobody knows the objective of the war. Who’s the enemy, who are friends and where are we supposed to end up? We’re in a situation now .. with a number of states trying to evaluate what’s going to happen with budgets because we have such robust trading relationships with Canada and Mexico.”

Colorado’s 150th Anniversary Pedestrian Bridge: Governor Polis’s plan for a $29 million bridge has met criticism. You can take the state survey by July 21 at midnight here.

• Penfield Tate: “If the press reports are accurate and five of the six members of the Capitol Development Committee are opposed, it’s dead in the water.”
• Carly West: “I have a hard time wrapping my head around having that view be different in a substantial way.”
• Patty Calhoun: “I like the fact that Polis, by proposing this bridge, has actually connected the state in its hatred of it… I think we can replace this with something that truly would connect people, bring them together.”
• Amber McReynolds: “Next year, there’s going to be a 150th Anniversary stamp released by the United States Postal Service, and the ceremony will happen here. And the artwork is from a Colorado artist.”

June 2026 Midterm Primary & Election News: Secretary of State and Congressional races are already heating up—and a firebombing incident is reminding us how high the stakes are for election workers.

• Patty Calhoun: “I’m enthusiastic over how many people are getting involved… It’s going to be a wild election season.”
• Carly West: “Low turnout in primaries skews representation, leading to concerns that the legislative body does not accurately reflect the population of Colorado.”
• Amber McReynolds: “It’s all tied to a lot of the misinformation and disinformation that we’ve talked about before on this program… and that is having a negative impact on these incredible election officials.”
• Amber McReynolds: “Denver is considering Ranked Choice Voting… Hopefully Colorado Springs starts to look at these options too.”
• Penfield Tate: “You can vote for your favorite, your second, your third, whatever, and you get a different set of candidates running, and winning elections.”

Denver Bond Package Under Review: Mayor Mike Johnston’s $800M plan is under scrutiny for focusing on “nice to haves” during a tight budget year.

• Carly West: “Denver needs to prioritize ‘have to have’ investments—particularly with downtown vacancy rates hovering around 40%.”
• Patty Calhoun: “We’re going to have very upset constituents who are looking at the sidewalk fee and the parking fees and the trash fees… it’s going to affect their bottom line.”

ICYMI: CIO’s Rachel Farha Up for Two Heartland Emmy Awards! We’re celebrating Executive Producer Rachel Farha, nominated for:

• “Rebecoming Me” – stories of adults who grew up in Colorado’s foster care system. Watch here.
• “Revel in Life” – featuring Revel, a Denver nonprofit supporting young adults with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Way to go, Rachel—we’re so proud of you!