Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has covered Colorado politics and government since spring of 2006. She loves the variety and challenge of the state capitol beat and talking to people from all walks of life. Bente's work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, American PublicMedia's Marketplace, and she was a contributor for WNYC's The Next Big Thing. She has won numerous local and national awards, including best beat reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Bente grew up in Minnesota and England, and loves skiing, hiking, and is an aspiring cello player. She lives in Lakewood with her husband.
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The Colorado Supreme Court has barred former President Trump from the state's primary ballot, citing a Constitution clause that disqualifies candidates from office who've engaged in insurrection. -
Some state Republican parties — like Colorado's — are struggling after steep election losses, and are witnessing infighting that has left deep divisions when it comes to the future of the GOP. -
Abortion access has declined dramatically nationwide, but many states have further protected abortion by enacting "shield laws," allocating funding, stockpiling medication and repealing old laws. -
In 2023, a record number of states have passed rules or legislation to eliminate youth gender-affirming care, but a record number of states have also moved to protect care for trans youth and adults. -
If Dominion prevails in its massive defamation suit against Fox News, a big challenge for the voting tech company will be to demonstrate that it deserves more than $1 billion in damages. -
Even though it wasn't a swing state in 2020, Colorado has been at the forefront of false claims that the election was stolen. -
In Colorado, canvassers have been knocking on doors in some communities to determine whether people actually voted. The effort is raising concerns about voter intimidation. -
State Rep. David Ortiz was paralyzed from the waist down while serving in Afghanistan. To give him access to the House podium, legislative staff say they have built the first lift of its kind. -
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man ever elected governor in the U.S., wed his longtime partner on Wednesday. -
Weeks after the mass shooting in Boulder, Colo., the push for a statewide ban on assault-style weapons is losing steam, even among prominent Democrats who say it is the wrong strategy.
