Who’s on the primary ballot and what did it take for them to get there

Primary ballots will land in Coloradans’ mailbox in a few weeks, and now, voters know which candidates will be on them. Many got there by winning over party activists at the recent Democratic and Republican state assemblies in Pueblo. These were high-stakes gatherings in a high-stakes election year, as hopefuls lined up for all of Colorado’s top offices: U.S senator, governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland, The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and CPR’s Caitlyn Kim break down which candidates rallied enough delegate support, what kinds of competitions it sets up for the primary in June, and what this method of selecting candidates means in the big picture.

Catch up on our latest coverage:

• CPR News/KRCC: Gubernatorial candidates Scott Bottoms, Victor Marx win slots on GOP primary ballot at state assembly
• CPR News: Democrats gather in Pueblo to select candidates for primary ballot
• CPR News: Kirkmeyer, Marx, Bennet file petitions to get on ballot for gubernatorial primaries
• The Colorado Sun: Colorado’s unaffiliated voters say they’re intentionally not joining a political party. Here’s why.
• The Colorado Sun: Republicans who want to opt out of Colorado’s primaries get major boost from federal judge’s ruling
• The Colorado Sun: State senator defeats two Democratic rivals, securing lone spot on primary ballot for Colorado treasurer
• The Colorado Sun: Diana DeGette narrowly made the primary ballot. Here’s why you maybe shouldn’t read too much into it.

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Megan Verlee is the executive producer. Additional reporting for this episode from KRCC’s Briana Heaney.