Bente Birkeland

Rocky Mountain News Radio

Bente Birkeland appears in the following:

How Women Came To Dominate Colorado's Legislature

Sunday, February 03, 2019

This year, two legislative chambers across the country have a majority of women, but in Colorado that's been in the making long before 2018.

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Many In Colorado Are Wondering If #MeToo Has Changed The State's Political World

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Sexual misconduct allegations dominated the Colorado statehouse session this year. Now, many are asking whether the state's #MeToo movement actually changed Colorado's political environment.

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How One Group Is Galvanizing Dissatisfied Voters

Sunday, October 21, 2018

In Colorado, a group is exploiting voter dissatisfaction with the two major political parties in an effort to elect unaffiliated candidates.

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With Voters Sour On Major Parties, Group Recruits 'None Of The Above' Candidates

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Nearly 70 percent of voters say Republicans and Democrats fail to adequately represent the American people. One group is trying to help elect more unaffiliated candidates.

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Colorado Has A History Of Women In Politics — And A Harassment Problem

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Nearly 40 percent of Colorado lawmakers are women, and the state has a history of women in powerful jobs. KUNC's Bente Birkeland asked about sexual harassment in the statehouse — and found a problem.

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Denver Failed To Land Boeing. Now It's Using Lifestyle To Woo Amazon

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Boeing picked Chicago instead when it was looking for a new headquarters in 2001. This time around, Denver is pitching its quality of life to draw Amazon to build a new headquarters there.

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When A Politician Says 'Fake News' And A Newspaper Threatens To Sue Back

Friday, February 17, 2017

If the Colorado newspaper files a lawsuit, legal experts say it would be the first of its kind, potentially setting a legal definition for what is considered fake news and what is not.

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When Pot Goes From Illegal To Recreational, Schools Face A Dilemma

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Since Colorado legalized marijuana use, some schools in the state are starting to change how they teach students about the drug in health class. Educators worry students are receiving mixed messages.

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Colorado Voters To Decide 2 Lawmakers' Fates In Recall Elections

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Two prominent Democratic state senators could lose their jobs after lawmakers passed sweeping gun control laws following the theater shooting in Auro, Colo., and the Newtown school shooting in Connecticut. Gun rights activists collected enough signatures to force the historic recall elections.

The recalls follow a combative and bitter legislative ...

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Republicans Reps Likely to Return to Close 2008 Districts

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

In 2008, the Obama wave swept across the country, bringing Democrats to districts that had been Republican strongholds for decades. Democrats acquired a 75 vote majority in the House of Representatives; they currently hold the majority of Representatives' seats in 33 states, compared to Republicans' 16 states.

This year, the electoral tide is shifting and all signs point to Republicans taking back the House during today's election. The first districts likely to go Republican will be those former stronghold "swing seats," such as Ohio's 6th and 18th Districts and Colorado's 3rd, 4th, and 7th Districts.

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In Colorado Midterms, Nobody Wants to Be the Insider

Monday, July 26, 2010

It may seem like a distant memory, but back in 2008, the story of the Democratic presidential primary was the rise of a relative newcomer to Washington taking on the party establishment with grassroots organizing. It was a winning strategy for then-candidate Barack Obama in Colorado, where he earned more than two-thirds of the primary votes and defeated Hillary Clinton. 

In Colorado’s Democratic Senate primary this year, there’s another candidate campaigning as an outsider, but the establishment narrative is flipped. This time, the political newcomer is the incumbent, and the challenger is a mainstay of Colorado politics.

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Colorado voters

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Colorado has long been a solid red state, but like some other former Republican strongholds, it looks to be leaning Obama's way. Almost half of Colorado's registered voters have alrea...

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