Of politics and the path forward

Sen. Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse talk to voters in Colorado's 2nd congressional district during a town hall at the University of the Colorado.

A few weeks ago, The Weed and I tried to attend Congressman Joe Neguse’s town hall in Louisville that drew more than 1,000 people. Because the fire marshal capped the event’s attendance, we were unable to fully participate.

To make up for that, Congressman Neguse and Sen. Michael Bennet, who yesterday announced his candidacy for Colorado governor in the 2026 election, hosted a second Boulder County town hall today at the University of Colorado for people who were turned away from the first event.

Again, the building was packed with constituents who registered and were granted ticketed admission.

To adequately capture the emotions and anger people shared with our elected leaders, here are some highlights:

• The first woman to ask a question of Neguse and Bennet began crying the minute the microphone was passed to her. She apologized for being emotional, to which Neguse responded, ‘We’re all emotional right now.’ The woman, a small business owner in Lafayette, asked what actions concerned residents can take. Neguse urged people to share their stories with elected leaders. Report incidents of injustice. And, have difficult discussions with people of differing political allegiances.

• The next man to speak identified himself as a scientist married to a woman in the U.S. on a green card, a legal immigrant to the country. The man said he and his wife are afraid to go to the airport or visit areas near the country’s border for fear of her being targeted and possibly deported. Neguse, the son of parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Eritrea, thanked the man for speaking up and sharing his story. He said the man’s concern’s are precisely the type of feedback elected leaders need to hear. Bennet, whose mother was born in Warsaw, Poland, and survived the holocaust, also praised the man for sharing his story and encouraged him to remain in contact with elected leaders.

• A Vietnam veteran asked what elected leaders are doing to ensure safe, fair elections. He was thanked for his service to the country and Bennet pointed out he has introduced bipartisan legislation to ban partisan gerrymandering, make it easier for college students to vote, and modernize the election system by expanding automatic and same-day voter registration.

A slide shown at Congressman Joe Neguse's town hall outlining how citizens can take action.

There were about a dozen questions asked during the 1.5 hour town hall. People were thoughtful, respectful, emotional, and angry.

Many applauded when one woman pointed out the glaring lack of leadership at the top of the Democratic party and said the party needs to have a younger face representing it.

Perhaps, the most eloquent moment of the town hall came when Neguse reflected on Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, saying the line that resonates with most people is not what resonates with him. Instead, when he’s feeling defeated he turns to the words: ‘Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.’

He encouraged his constituents to believe in the strength of a committed electorate and civic action.

Bennet added: ‘When it feels corrupt, we fight harder,’ pointing out the numerous successful legal challenges to the president’s executive orders during the past three months.

I was heartened by their words and grateful for their voices representing me in D.C. Still, when Neguse said, ‘There is no panacea for what’s going on here,’ I was reminded there are no quick fixes for chaos.

We need to stay informed.

We need to speak out.

We need to participate.

We need to share our stories.