Spring 2025 Listening Tour
Courageous Colorado visited nearly 20 cities across the state to connect with around 150 community leaders. This tour was about understanding people’s beliefs and what Coloradans wanted out of their leaders. Whether in a rural or urban area, Coloradans want leaders who act with integrity, listen with humility, and stand up for their communities, even when it's hard. We created space for a cross-partisan conversation rooted not in partisan identity, but in the kind of leadership and democracy people want to see.
These themes called people in, not as voters of a particular party, but as neighbors, civic actors, and hopeful architects of a better political future. Across every region, Coloradans agreed: courage is not just about speaking up—it’s about showing up, listening deeply, and delivering on promises even when it’s unpopular.
Courageous Colorado’s first ever statewide tour asked communities what courage and representation mean to them.
Overview
We learned that Coloradans across the political spectrum are ready for a new era of leadership—one that prizes integrity, action, and a deeper connection between people and power. We asked them what they wanted out of their leaders and what priorities they wanted to support. Location also played a factor in each communities priorities. Because of their unique identities, we focused on building place-based impact. We also asked them to identify both cynical and aspirational narratives of our democracy. Taken together, these narratives reveal a complex political reality: people are frustrated, disillusioned, and even heartbroken, but they are not indifferent. They are hungry for something better.
Participants described courageous leaders as those who:
● Stand firm in their values but remain open to dialogue.
● Are willing to lose elections rather than betray their constituents’ trust.
● Step outside their party’s talking points and challenge entrenched power.
● Lead by example—especially when advocating for marginalized communities or crossing partisan lines.
● Accept the personal risk that comes with public service and stand up to misinformation and special interests.
Priorities
Campaign Finance Reform
Rank Choice Voting
Open Primaries
Civic Education
Citizen Assemblies
Term Limits
Vacancy and Caucus Reform
Proportional Representation
Election Day Holiday
Legislative Transparency & Bill Cap Reform
This list helped guide us to create our priorities list.
We worked with communities and national experts in democracy reform to curate our list of priorities. This listening tour was the first step in our journey to make a Courageous Colorado.
In spring 2025 the Courageous Colorado Listening Tour convened roughly 150 community members, civic leaders, and local officials across nearly 20 cities and towns. In fall 2025, we moved from listening to building with the Fall 2025 Activation Tour
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