Inside Colorado Politics with Rep. Ken DeGraaf | The Taproom, Episode 1

I sat down with my friend of more than a decade, State Representative Ken DeGraaf, for a candid conversation about where Colorado is headed. We had some connection problems during the recording, so there are a few rough spots, but the conversation was too important not to share.

What we talk about

• Why so many businesses are leaving Colorado, and what taxes, mandates and the FAMLI program have to do with it
• Education: why Ken says the system is focused on ideology over results
• Where the state budget goes first
• Mail ballots and chain of custody: what Ken says happens after your ballot leaves your hands
• Tax questions on your ballot: what "yes" and "no" really mean, and how inflation pushes you into higher brackets
• What it would take to make Colorado affordable again
• What testifying at the Capitol is really like, and why Ken wants every Coloradan to show up and speak, two minutes at a time
• Can Republicans and Democrats work together? One bill that got support from both parties
• What still gives Ken hope about Colorado, and why he says people of faith can't sit this out

No sound bites. No shouting matches. Just a real conversation.