January 27, 2026 10:52 AM UTC

Initiative 95 Becomes Political Liability for Republicans Overnight

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• by: Colorado Pols

Life comes at you fast. Politics are no exception.

This headline from The Colorado Sun on Friday about a new 2026 ballot initiative reads very differently today, following Saturday’s ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota:

As Jesse Paul reported for The Colorado Sun on Friday:

Colorado voters will decide in November whether to require that state and local law enforcement work more closely with federal immigration officials.

Initiative 95 would amend the state constitution to require that police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors alert the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if they charge someone whose immigration status is in question if that person has a prior felony conviction or the charge is for an alleged violent crime.

Colorado law enforcement would have 72 hours after charging someone with a crime to make the notification. They would also be required to “make a reasonable effort” to determine whether any person they are charging is lawfully present in the U.S.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Friday that the voter signatures submitted by the backers of the initiative to get the measure on the ballot were sufficient.

Advance Colorado, a conservative political nonprofit, is the main group behind the initiative.

Advance Colorado is the right-wing group run by former Americans for Prosperity toadie Michael Fields that has been focusing Republican donors on supporting questionable ballot measures in recent years. This strategic shift is a recognition that Republican politicians may no longer be electable in Colorado after more than a decade of drubbings up and down the ballot, which leaves the initiative process as the only way for Republicans to attempt to influence policy decisions in the state.

But after last weekend’s news in Minnesota, President Trump’s immigration crackdown has backfired into an issue that is crossing traditional political boundaries and generating mainstream ire nationwide, leading to the first indications of real backpedaling from the White House. While Initiative 95 might have seemed like a somewhat-reasonable proposal when it was approved for the 2026 ballot on Friday, it now appears destined to become an albatross for Colorado Republicans in 2026.

As Navigator Research points out today, opinions of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have changed dramatically in recent weeks:

Americans’ perception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has deteriorated over the past month – going from a favorability rating of net -8 in June to net -14 in December to net -20 in January, following the shooting of Renee Good. The story of Renee Good’s shooting broke through to overwhelming majorities (78% heard a lot/some), even among passive news consumers, or those who say news comes to them (65% heard a lot/some).

Favorability of ICE has taken an even sharper turn among those who have heard the news of the shooting of Renee Good compared to those who have heard less about the news (have heard the news: 58% unfavorable, have not heard the news: 49% unfavorable). Other groups who have seen stark drop offs in ICE’s favorability are Hispanic Americans (from net -23 in June, to net -30 in December, to now net -41), those living in the Midwest (from net -2 in June, to net -13 in December, to now net -22), and moderates (from net -22 in June, to net -31 in December, to now net -39).

Perceptions of ICE are even shifting among Republicans, with Republican women and Catholics now indicating that ICE has been too aggressive in their actions.

Republican donors will need to have hard conversations about what resources they are willing to devote to Initiative 95 now that public sentiment on ICE has moved significantly. Top Republican candidates in 2026, including Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Ft. Lupton); Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Grand Junction); Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo. Springs); and candidates for races such as Governor and Attorney General are not going to want to answer questions about their level of support for forcing local law enforcement officials to work more directly with ICE. Even if public opinion moves in the other direction in coming months, candidate answers on Initiative 95 will be a flashpoint for criticism and an entree into a broader discussion that Republicans really don’t want to be having in 2026.

It is ironic that backers of Initiative 95 — who are focusing on ballot measures in response to declining support for Republican politicians in Colorado — might well end up doing even more damage to Republicans on the ballot in 2026.