Vote a GOP slate and pull the Legislature back from the brink

One of the swiftest paths to extreme politics is one-party rule.

The ruling party gets giddy wielding so much power and inevitably abuses it, pushing the envelope ever further with progressively more reckless policies...

That’s pretty much the current state of affairs at Colorado’s state Capitol, given its lopsided political alignment. Democrats hold all the levers of power in our state government — in both the legislative and the executive branches. All statewide elected posts from governor on down are occupied by Democrats.

In the Legislature, Democrats hold 46 of the 65 seats in the state House of Representatives — a super majority. All Democrats need is to increase their majority in the state Senate by one seat, and they’ll have a super majority in that chamber, as well...

Emboldened by their overwhelming numbers — and goaded by a growing radical fringe — legislative Democrats have been passing more extreme laws driven by narrow dogma rather than the broad public interest...

There would be little to complain about if Colorado were one of the states where Democrats long have comprised the overwhelming majority of rank-and-file voters. Or, for that matter, like those Republican states where most voters affiliate with the GOP.

But historically “purple” Colorado is not at all like those states. In fact, Democrats, who claim only 26% of registered voters, constitute almost as small a political minority as do Colorado’s Republicans at 23.4%. Fully 48.5% of Colorado’s voters now register as unaffiliated.

Meaning, a small political minority has been calling all the shots in making the policies the majority must live by...

With that in mind, The Gazette Editorial Board endorses six Republican candidates for the Legislature — vying for three House seats and three Senate seats across Colorado — in hopes of restoring moderation at the state Capitol. They are:

Marc Catlin in Senate District 5

Scott Bright in Senate District 13

Cleave Simpson in Senate District 6

Matt Burcham in House District 43

George Mumma in House District 25

Dan Woog in House District 19..