This story by Delilah Brumer appeared on Colorado Newsline on June 18, 2025.
More than 40 Colorado elected officials as of Tuesday have requested the redaction of their addresses and other personal information from the state’s online campaign finance database. The Colorado secretary of state suspended the website on Saturday, due to safety concerns in the aftermath of shootings targeting two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers.
Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota House Democratic leader, and her husband Mark Hortman were shot and killed this weekend by a man who came to their home posing as a police officer, federal officials said. Vance Boelter, 57, faces charges for the murders, as well as for the shootings of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, who are expected to recover.
Colorado lawmakers have condemned the shootings, and many are taking additional safety precautions. Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat from Dillon, said in a statement that “what happened in Minnesota has shaken us to our very core.”
“Our democracy is based on the idea that we resolve our differences through peaceful debate and in courts, elected bodies, state legislatures and the halls of Congress, not political violence,” she said.
Colorado Senate President James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, said he has “been in close and ongoing communication” with the Colorado State Patrol, and he has adjusted his driving patterns when going to work, for safety reasons.
“This assassination and targeted attack in Minnesota was a tragedy and a disturbing escalation of political violence in our country,” Coleman said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s understandable that legislators are concerned for their safety and the safety of their families. I am, for myself and my family.”
Colorado political candidates submit their campaign finance information, which is posted in the online database, known as TRACER, to comply with state election transparency laws. The website includes their home addresses, phone numbers and other personal information.
The secretary of state is allowing lawmakers to redact personal information online that is not required to be public based on a campaign finance rule that protects “any person who believes their safety or the safety of an immediate family member may be in jeopardy.”
A spokesperson for the Colorado secretary of state’s office said there is not a specific time anticipated for when TRACER will be online again, but it will be “back up soon.”
Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, a Colorado Springs Republican, said in a statement about the Minnesota shootings that “violence has no place in our politics. Not now. Not ever.”
“This is an unconscionable act of violence,” Pugliese said. “There is absolutely no justification for targeted attacks on elected officials — or anyone — based on their political beliefs. Our nation was built on civil discourse and the peaceful exchange of ideas, not horrific acts of violence. We are keeping the families of Rep. Hortman and Senator Hoffman in our prayers.”
Coleman called for respect and less negativity in political interactions nationwide. He emphasized that he serves both Democrats and Republicans, and said the safety of all state lawmakers, as well as Coloradans as a whole, is a top priority.
“I keep my head on a swivel,” Coleman said. “We always need to be aware of our surroundings and not get caught off guard, but we can’t live in fear. We focus on what we can control.”