Colorado’s political ruling class has turned common sense upside down!

By Bobbie Daniel

There was a time when Colorado ran on common sense. We valued hard work, local control, and the idea that if you played by the rules, you’d get a fair shake. But somewhere along the way, the folks running this state traded those values for political theater and personal ambition.

Today, agriculture, coal mining, oil and gas, small businesses, and law enforcement — the very things that help keep our state running — are treated like the enemy. The latest example proves just how upside down things have gotten: the Attorney General of Colorado is suing a Mesa County deputy… for doing his job.

Now, I don’t know about you, but where I come from, you don’t punish the people who keep you safe. Yet here we are — living in a state where a law enforcement officer can face ruin, not for breaking the law, but for following it.

Let’s not pretend this is about justice. This is politics, pure and simple. Attorney General Phil Weiser is running for governor. Governor Jared Polis has his sights set on the White House. Every decision they make now is a campaign move — and Colorado’s sanctuary policy, SB 25 276, is just one more pawn in their political chess game.

Here’s the truth: The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the matter themselves. They gathered the facts, made them public, and cooperated fully. Every detail in the AG’s lawsuit came from that transparent process. But instead of a phone call, Phil Weiser went for the cameras. He held a press conference and filed a lawsuit — all while ignoring that other Democrat led law enforcement agencies, including the Colorado State Patrol, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, and the Vail Police Department, did the exact same thing without consequence.

Why single out Mesa County? Well, it’s led by Republicans, it makes for big headlines, and it’s great for fundraising. It’s also a handy way to look “tough” on paper when you’re running against U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in a 2026 governor’s race.

Colorado’s new law, SB 25 276, is vague by design, making officers think twice before working with federal partners to stop drug trafficking, human smuggling, and cartel activity. Under this law, an officer can be fined $50,000 for sharing information that leads to a criminal arrest. Think about that.

In Colorado Springs, a joint operation of federal, state, and local officers busted over 100 non Americans selling meth, cocaine, and a new dangerous drug called “pink cocaine.” In the Denver metro, ICE recently arrested 243 individuals with criminal records who’d been released under Colorado’s sanctuary laws.

These are exactly the cases coordinated enforcement can stop — if the state will let them.

This fight is bigger than one deputy. It’s about whether officers across Colorado can do their jobs without fear of political ambush. Mesa County is taking this to federal court — not just to defend our deputy, but to challenge SB 25 276 as unconstitutionally vague and to protect every peace officer in this state who, in turn, protects us.

We are doing what the state refuses to do: putting public safety and constitutional clarity first.

Colorado law should not promote lawlessness or dishonor the honest efforts of citizenship. Congress should streamline the legal immigration process to welcome those who want to belong and contribute legally. But standing in open resistance to the principles of sovereignty and lawful process — to punish the officers who uphold those principles — is self destructive.

We’re challenging this law because Congress — not the Colorado legislature — has the authority and responsibility to fix immigration. What we need from Washington is legal, efficient, and enforceable reform. What we get instead from Denver is political theater at the expense of public safety.

The truth is, the state’s ruling political class has made a sport of defunding common sense. They target law enforcement and go after anyone who produces, protects, or builds. Ask a rancher dealing with wolf attacks and state manipulated investigations. Ask a miner watching his job disappear to an out of state agenda. Ask a small business owner or a rural hospital trying to survive a flood of new regulations and local governments keeping their heads above water with the state’s unfunded mandates.

That’s not leadership. That’s elitism — government by those who never feel the cost of their own policies. It’s the same “let them eat cake” attitude that’s toppled economies around the world.

Mesa County will stand against it. We believe Colorado law should honor citizenship, protect public safety, and give law enforcement the clarity they need. We believe immigration reform is Congress’s job, not a state’s playground. And we think leaders should be accountable to the people they serve, not the political ambitions they chase.

Elections have consequences. In 2026, we can continue down this upside down road or restore the common sense that built Colorado. Let’s choose leaders who stand with the people who grow our food, power our homes, protect our streets, and keep our communities free.

Vote like your future depends on it — because it does.

Bobbie Daniel is the Mesa County Commissioner for District 2 in Western Colorado. Raised in Palisade and born to a hairdresser and coal miner, she brings a working-class perspective shaped by small business ownership, public service through AmeriCorps and decades of community involvement. Daniel has served on numerous local boards and advocates for local solutions, individual liberties and policies that strengthen families and small businesses. She lives in Grand Junction with her husband and their four children.