Jason Crow

Colorado, once a reliable Republican state, has leaned decidedly Democratic in recent cycles, and 2026 looks similar. Gov. Phil Weiser and Sen. John Hickenlooper are favored for easy wins over underfunded Republican opponents Victor Marx and Mark Baisley, with some GOP figures, including former Rep. Ken Buck, crossing over to back Weiser. The closest races are in the U.S. House: Democrat Manny Rutinel is seen as favored over Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in District 8, while Republican incumbent Jeff Crank is expected to hold District 5 against well-funded Democrat Jessica Killin despite backlash over the Space Command relocation. Analysts attribute the overall Democratic advantage to anti-Trump sentiment and weak Republican statewide recruitment.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army Ranger and member of the House Armed Services Committee, plans to introduce the Cooperative Overseas Military Battlefield Advancement in Trauma (COMBAT) Care Act. The bill would authorize the defense secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to establish a joint training and education program with foreign militaries to study lessons from overseas conflicts, including Ukraine, and apply them to battlefield trauma care for U.S. service members and veterans.

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) and is endorsed by the University of Colorado Anschutz. An identical provision was already included in both the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act. The program would allow joint conferences, symposia, and professional exchanges among medical professionals. It builds on the Pentagon's Joint Trauma System, established in 2016 to improve battlefield trauma readiness and survival outcomes. Sponsors say continued research partnerships are needed as modern warfare evolves.

Colorado's congressional delegation is voicing growing concern over artificial intelligence, though members diverge on how—or whether—Washington should respond. Rep. Brittany Pettersen called for stronger industry standards, including independent audits and mandatory incident reporting. Sen. John Hickenlooper, who co-introduced bipartisan legislation on AI testing standards, warned the country is "entering a new and dangerous era" and urged the White House to address the technology's risks. Rep. Jason Crow echoed concerns about privacy and national security.

Sen. Michael Bennet argued Congress "will never be able to move fast enough" to regulate AI directly and instead proposed creating an independent federal agency for oversight. Republicans showed a different emphasis: Rep. Gabe Evans backed "common sense guardrails" and helped pass a House bill targeting AI data center costs, while also promoting American-made AI models over foreign competitors. Rep. Jeff Crank called for safety nets from AI companies themselves. The mixed responses highlight an unresolved national debate over federal AI oversight, with implications for markets tracking regulatory timelines and outcomes.