The OpEdge — The Gazette Opinion Podcast

ACE Scholarships CEO Norton Rainey joins The OpEdge to discuss how a new federal education tax credit could expand school choice in Colorado. Rainey tells Deputy Opinion Editor Antonio Olivero how taxpayers will be able to direct up to $1,700 toward scholarship organizations, why he believes that could open new educational opportunities for families and how competition and parental choice can reshape education.

Cedric Pride, CEO of the nonprofit Pride Initiative in Denver, joins The OpEdge with a blueprint for workforce development, skilled trades, and economic opportunity. Pride tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger why he believes the trades offer a path to the American Dream through meaningful work, behavioral health support, and second chances for people seeking to build better lives.

Amy Oliver Cooke, Independence Institute senior fellow and Always On Energy Research co-founder, joins The OpEdge to dissect Colorado's energy transition, grid reliability, and the state's net-zero goals. Cook warns host Jimmy Sengenberger that current state policies threaten affordability and reliability — and explains why she sees nuclear energy as one key to a more dependable electric future.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman joins The OpEdge to explore why he's spent every Friday night since February sleeping at a homeless shelter. Coffman tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger what the experience is teaching him about homelessness, why he believes Aurora's incentive-based model is the superior alternative to "Housing First," and how the city is working to move people toward self-sufficiency.

Michael Fields, executive director of Advance Colorado, joins OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger to assess the good, the bad and the ugly of the Colorado General Assembly's 2026 legislative session, spelling out what the budget, transportation and crime ramifications mean for concerned Coloradans.

The Common Sense Institute's director of communications and research operations, DJ Summers, dives deep with OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger into the costlier state of Colorado and its sharp drop in the Institute's Free Enterprise Competitive Index.

Colorado Springs District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal reveals why teachers' union contracts hold schools back. Gaal tells OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger how ending D-11’s labor contract unleashed flexibility on teacher pay, staffing and accountability, while arguing school choice and innovation are key to improving education in Colorado.

Veteran campaign winner, political analyst, and Gazette columnist Dick Wadhams dissects the electoral shifts of Colorado politics with OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger — charting the curious cases of Colorado's Democratic and Republican Parties, the surge of unaffiliated voters, and where the state may be headed in the future.

Writer, Denver Gazette columnist, and business executive Michael A. Hancock tells OpEdge host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger how his book, Rules for Restoration, offers concrete ways to counter Colorado's "radicalism" and restore genuine hope for Colorado and the nation.

District Attorney and law enforcement hawk George Brauchler tells host and investigative columnist Jimmy Sengenberger what lawbreakers can expect in the 23rd Judicial District — on The OpEdge, The Gazette's new opinion podcast. Brauchler recaps his recent commentary for The Gazette — "Jailbreak" — detailing legislative Democrats' efforts to empty Colorado prisons and other Centennial State crime topics.