Barbara Kirkmeyer

Kirkmeyer had 41% of the vote to Marx’s 39% at 10:30 p.m. In third place was state Rep. Scott Bottoms of Colorado Springs, with 20% of the vote.

KUNC is interviewing every Democratic and Republican candidate running for Colorado governor ahead of the June 30 primary election.

Coloradans are guaranteed to get a new governor in the fall. But first, five hopefuls have to convince voters they should represent their party in the midterms.

GOP gubernatorial candidates state Rep. Scott Bottoms and state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer faced off in their first televised debate.

Medicaid took the brunt of the final reductions, include a reimbursement rate cut for providers and a cap on Cover All Coloradans, which provides health care to immigrants who are children or pregnant.

There are two paths for the major party candidates: make their case in front of the party’s most ardent supporters at the state assembly or petition to get on the ballot by submitting signatures.

Candidates sometimes simultaneously maintain campaign accounts for state and federal office, or state and municipal office, when their pursuit of those jobs overlaps. Technically, they are running for two positions at once. Practically, they are not, and state elections officials don’t treat it as a violation of the law.

Lawmakers rejected a request to add hundreds of new prison beds, saying the state must first address staffing shortages and parole backlogs.

The funds will likely be mostly spent on the primary given that whoever wins the Democratic faceoff will likely become governor in November.

Colorado Republicans are pushing a ballot measure to criminalize fentanyl possession of any amount.