Ana and Deep head "west and south" to break down Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, the largest and most overlooked race on the June 30 ballot. They're joined by Democratic candidate Alex Kelloff, whose family roots in the district go back 130 years. The episode walks through CD-3's wild political saga and what Kelloff is actually hearing at the doors after 13 months of grassroots campaigning. They name the Tina Peters water hostage deal, FEMA's no-show in Meeker, rural hospital closures from the Big Ugly Bill, data centers straining Western Slope water, the 5-1 Garfield County vote against an ICE detention facility, and the Hope Scheppelman bribe that proves Trump will invent fake government jobs to bend a primary his way. Ballots due 7pm June 30. (This episode was taped on June 5th)

Alex Kelloff’s website: https://alexkelloff.com/

Colorado Where to Vote: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/VIP.html

Timeline:

• Monday, June 8 - Last day for voters to change party affiliation; ballots mailed out and 24-hour drop boxes open

• Monday, June 15 - Voter Service and Polling Centers open

• Monday, June 22 - Last day to mail your ballot back and ensure it arrives on time; last day to request a replacement ballot be mailed to you

• Tuesday, June 30 - Election Day; ballots must be in possession of the Clerk & Recorder by 7 p.m.

00:00 Western Colorado Held Ransom

00:23 Road Trip Playlists And Big Head Todd

01:35 Campaign Life On The Road

02:38 Rentell Sponsor Read

03:26 Meet Alex Kelloff

04:16 130 Years In The District

06:39 The CD-3 Saga: Boebert, Frisch, And Hurd

12:17 53,000 Square Miles And 51% Unaffiliated

14:28 What Voters Are Saying At The Doors

16:31 Project 2025 Comes For Public Lands

18:06 The Tina Peters Water Hostage Deal

19:32 The Polis Commutation Question

20:43 Punishing Colorado From Washington

21:02 Meeker Burned. FEMA Never Came.

21:47 Gas Prices And The Iran War

23:01 Colorado Water Law, Explained

25:31 Data Centers Are A Water Problem

27:03 Rural Hospitals After The Big Ugly Bill

29:14 The Case For Universal Healthcare

30:48 Tariffs, Iran, And What Congress Can Fix Now

33:58 The 5-1 Garfield County Vote

35:43 Immigrant Communities And The Latino Vote

37:23 13 Months In, A Last-Minute Opponent

40:13 The Hope Scheppelman Bribe

43:04 Vote By June 30

45:22 Outro And Subscribe

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Deep and Ana welcome former state representative, Chicano Studies professor, and longtime Chicano organizer Tim Hernandez into the attic for one of LITA's most direct conversations yet about working class politics, immigrant rights, and what actually keeps people safe when ICE shows up. Tim walks through his political awakening, his vacancy committee election as the youngest Colorado state representative in 180 years, the October 7 confrontation that went viral, and the dark money campaign that took his seat. They go deep on Colorado's Rapid Response Network, why ICE is already here every day (not coming someday), how to become a confirmer, and the case Tim makes for abolishing both ICE and citizenship itself. They break down Advance Colorado's Initiative 95, the ballot measure that would force local agencies to hand people over to ICE and roll back twenty years of immigrant protections, and unpack the petition canvasser conversation Ana had outside the rec center that captured exactly how the right is selling this.

Mentioned in this episode:

Colorado Rapid Response Network (call 1-844-864-8341 to report ICE activity, register for confirmer trainings): https://coloradorapidresponsenetwork.com

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC): https://coloradoimmigrant.org and https://www.instagram.com/co_immigrant/

Casa de Paz: https://casadepazcolorado.org and https://www.instagram.com/casadepazco/

COLOR Latina: https://www.colorlatina.org and https://www.instagram.com/color_latina/

Melat Kiros for Congress (LITA 6): https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LKCEtMGQ9YtYzH6qQgU53?si=Z0YVhCuJQyWz061YdEAJEQ

Melat Kiros on Hasan Piker Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCS63veWFHg

00:24 Show Intro and Guest

00:57 California Rally Recap

01:58 Who Is Hasan Piker

05:30 Digital Organizing Power

06:15 Puerto Rico

10:12 Rentell Sponsor Break

11:15 Meet Tim Hernandez

12:14 Tim Origin Story

14:41 From DACA Protest to DC

17:55 DPS Walkouts and Electoral Leap

21:21 Ceasefire Fallout and Wins

25:43 Dark Money Primary Defeat

28:32 Life After the Legislature

29:38 Politics Shaped by Struggle

30:21 Why Representation Matters

31:21 Democracy for Sale

32:35 Identity vs Class Politics

35:41 Organizer Not Activist

36:10 ICE in Colorado Daily

39:40 Rapid Response Hotline

42:15 How Confirmers Work

45:05 Organize Your Neighborhood

45:55 Initiative 95 Threat

49:41 Abolish ICE Argument

54:34 Vote No and Spread Word

57:40 Wrap Up and Outro

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Ana and Deep sit down with Zach Neumann, co-founder and CEO of the Community Economic Defense Project, to break down Colorado’s housing crisis, eviction defense, and why renter protections keep failing at the Capitol. Zach shares how a single pandemic Facebook post grew into one of the state’s largest tenant-defense operations, helping tens of thousands of Coloradans access legal aid and emergency assistance. They discuss eviction as a debt collection tool, surveillance pricing, predatory car “kill switches,” and Colorado’s Portable Tenant Screening Report law. They end with sharing a new partnership with Rentell aimed at making housing applications easier and more affordable for renters.

Mentioned in this episode:

Rentell (Portable Tenant Screening Reports): https://www.rentell.com/

Community Economic Defense Project: https://cedproject.org

Email Zach directly: zach@cedproject.org

Javier Mabrey on LITA 2 (housing crisis, eviction defense): https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/MAzbZsEg62b

David Seligman on LITA 11 (towards Justice, surveillance pricing): https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/4IWAhGnFK2b

00:00 Cold Open Kill Switches

00:30 Podcast Sizzle Intro

00:48 Nuggets Game Six Heartbreak

03:00 Meet Zach Neumann

03:45 The Pandemic Post That Started It All

06:30 How CEDP Pays Off Eviction Debt Fast

09:30 Running For Office and Losing

12:30 His Grandmother's Story

15:30 How To Actually Get Help

16:30 Why Federal Money Disappeared

17:15 Stop Using Eviction As Debt Collection

20:30 The ROI On Stopping Homelessness

21:45 Seven Years On Your Credit Report

23:00 Two Big Policy Asks

24:30 The Colorado Supreme Court Jury Trial Saga

26:30 Worst Session For Progressives In Years

28:30 The Kill Switch Bill That Died

30:15 Cars Shutting Off On The Freeway

31:00 Subscription Capitalism Spiral

34:30 The Surveillance Pricing Bill

36:30 How Inequality Actually Compounds

37:30 Matthew Desmond's Eviction Books

38:00 Colorado's PTSR Law Explained

41:30 Why Rentell Exists

45:00 Sticking It To The Landlords

46:30 Wrap Up And Reviews

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Deep and Ana sit down with civil rights and employment attorney Azra Taslimi for one of LITA’s most direct conversations on Colorado politics, accountability, and the Muslim American experience in 2026. Azra shares her path from public defender in New York to civil rights litigator in Denver, representing clients facing police misconduct, discrimination, and censorship, while reflecting on growing up Muslim in post-9/11 America and the legacy of Sikh and Muslim solidarity. The conversation centers on Colorado Muslim Vote, the organizing effort she helped build to unify roughly 100,000 Muslim voters after elected officials failed to engage with calls for a ceasefire, including a 2024 protest vote and ongoing pressure on state leaders. They also discuss tensions within Colorado’s Democratic establishment, including a 2026 gubernatorial forum where Gaza-related questions became a flashpoint and Senator Michael Bennet no-showed. They close with a call to visit Denver’s Unseen exhibit of Palestinian family photos.

The Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2026/04/08/michael-bennet-forum-muslim-gaza-colorado-governor/

Editorial: Board Bennet backing out of forum hosted by Muslim community is shortsighted given his message on Gaza. Bennet said he would take hard questions about Gaza and Israel, and he did, but the message was clear to votershttps://www.denverpost.com/2026/04/11/bennet-backed-out-forum-muslim-community/

UNSEEN Immersive Photography Exhibit (open till May 17, 2026)https://www.redlineart.org/unseen

Featuring photographs of Colorado Palestinian families taken by local artists, UNSEEN invites viewers on a journey of what it means to be Palestinian today. Guest curated by Sumud Artist Collective.

https://coloradomuslimvote.com/

00:00 Cold Open Calls

00:15 Podcast Sizzle Intro

00:48 Nuggets Choke Talk

02:20 Meet Azra Taslimi

03:12 Librarians Fight Censorship

06:13 From Public Defender To Civil Rights

07:40 Post 9/11 Identity

09:52 Sikh Muslim Solidarity

12:00 Fear And Visibility

13:37 Colorado Muslim Vote

14:30 Gaza After October 7

18:05 Electeds Ignore Grief

20:09 Building Voting Power

21:07 Origin Story Meetings

23:04 Ceasefire Pressure Campaign

24:36 District 8 Protest Vote

26:35 Colorado 2024 Strategy

30:30 Building A Muslim Voting Bloc

32:22 Forum Negotiations Begin

35:10 Security Smears And Demands

38:13 No Gaza Questions Ultimatum

41:55 Weiser Shows Up, Bennet No Shows

44:16 Call To Action Unseen Exhibit

45:09 Wrap Up And Recording Chaos

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Ana and Deep welcome Paul Karolyi, senior executive producer at City Cast Denver, into the attic for a wide-ranging conversation about Colorado's 2026 primary landscape, and end up disagreeing with each other more than once. Paul shares how studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a protest march in Nazareth pulled him toward journalism instead of activism. They recap the YIMBY and Greater Denver Transit gubernatorial forum with Phil Weiser and Michael Bennet, where Weiser came with specifics and Bennet came with goals. From there, the trio dig into the Bennet and Hickenlooper political history and both senators' votes for Trump cabinet nominees. They close on the high-stakes CD8 race: the hypocrisy of Gabe Evans's grandfather story and the case against Shannon Bird as a general-election liability. (Episode was filmed in 2/25/26)

City Cast Denver's list of businesses that joined the anti-ICE protests: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUHOfodgWZu/?img_index=3&igsh=MTJoMXhvamR6dWc0Ng%3D%3D

Westword: Wanna Give ICE a Middle Finger From Denver? Here's How: . https://www.westword.com/news/denver-protests-strikes-business-responses-against-ice-40836696/

Paul Karolyi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-karolyi-391a8051

00:00 Spicy Cold Open

00:23 Meet Paul Karolyi

01:18 Arabic Language Proficiency

03:30 Language Backgrounds

05:22 Paul Origin Story

08:16 Observer Not Activist

09:56 Governor Forum Setup

11:51 Forum Moderation Critique

14:09 Booing and Paddles

17:45 Spin Room Reactions

20:27 Bennett Strategy Debate

21:58 Bennett Vote Backlash

23:16 Strategy Or Transparency

24:01 Hickenlooper Reelection Setup

25:45 Bennett Hickenlooper Origin

29:37 Ego Theory Vs Reality

32:45 Challengers And Polling

34:51 CD8 Stakes And Map

36:57 Gabe Evans Immigration Hypocrisy

39:30 Democratic Field Breakdown

41:07 Shannon Bird Liability Debate

45:18 Community Call To Action

46:32 Wrap Up And Subscribe

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Most Colorado voters have no idea their June primary ballot is shaped long before they show up to vote. In this episode, Ana and Deep break down the full caucus-and-assembly process — from Tuesday-night precinct caucuses to the state assembly floor — explaining how candidates either clear the 30% threshold to make the ballot or shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars in petition signatures instead. Along the way, they cover a coordinated progressive organizing effort behind Melat Kiros that flooded the delegate pool, tech meltdowns and voting chaos at the county assembly, Diana DeGette's surprisingly close call at the CD1 assembly, and the state-level results: Phil Weiser dominating the governor's race, Julie Gonzales advancing, a tight AG contest between David Seligman and Jenna Griswold, and Jeff Bridges left as the only treasurer candidate after others missed the threshold entirely. They also get honest about who the process leaves out — Tuesday-night meetings, accessibility barriers, and a delegate pool that skews older and whiter than the actual Democratic electorate.

Melat Kiros speech at County Assembly: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CNxNnU2Us/

Diana DeGette yelling at delegate: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWFBhpuCbhE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Phil Weiser: https://philforcolorado.com/

Julie Gonzales: https://www.julieforcolorado.com/

David Seligman: https://www.seligmanforag.com/

Hetal Doshi: https://www.hetaldoshiforag.com/

Michael Dougherty: https://www.michaelforag.com/

Jessie Danielson: https://www.jessiedanielson.com/

Amanda Gonzales: https://www.amandaforcolorado.com/

Jeff Bridges: https://bridgesforcolorado.com/

00:00 March Madness Intro

00:16 Sweatshirts and Sports Talk

01:22 Political March Madness Setup

03:40 How Primaries Work

04:34 Petitions vs Assemblies

08:01 Precinct Caucus Basics

08:37 Cap Hill Caucus Night

11:18 Progressive Turnout Surge

13:22 Access and Equity Gaps

14:16 County Assembly Day

15:26 Snacks and Check In Chaos

18:39 CD1 Showdown Begins

20:49 Melat Speech vs Incumbent

22:28 Viral Diana Clip Context

26:01 County Assembly Voting Chaos

28:32 Delegates Torch Passing

30:01 Local Races And Thresholds

32:25 CD1 Zoom Nailbiter

35:23 State Assembly Stakes

38:39 Pageantry And Opt Outs

42:38 AG Drama And Results

47:46 Get Involved Before June

50:23 Wrap Up And Next Steps

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

Ana and Deep host Left in the Attic with special guest Hetal Doshi, a first-generation American, former deputy in the DOJ Antitrust Division under the Biden-Harris administration, now running for Colorado Attorney General. They discuss International Women’s Day and the value of multigenerational spaces, then Doshi shares her upbringing across the Deep South and how civil rights history shaped her path to law. Doshi explains antitrust as protecting competition, wages, and fair prices, and argues states must enforce existing laws as federal enforcers fall short. She outlines priorities as AG: defending Colorado from a lawless federal administration, “Trump-proofing” the economy through antitrust/consumer protection/workers’ rights, and protecting environmental freedom. They cover the DOJ’s Ticketmaster/Live Nation case, concerns about a sudden DOJ settlement, and broader media consolidation, ending with calls to support local businesses and submit public comments.

Hetal’s campaign website: hetaltothemetal.com

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:23 International Women's Day Chat

01:35 Astrology and Apps

03:08 Why Intergenerational Matters

05:04 Meet Hala Doshi

06:09 Origin Story and the South

09:02 Finding Antitrust Work

12:07 Antitrust Explained Simply

13:22 Colorado AG Race Context

15:13 Why Run for Attorney General

19:56 Three Priorities as AG

22:36 Ticketmaster and Swifties

23:12 Ticketmaster Case Overview

24:33 How Big Is Ticketmaster

26:09 Jury Trial And Sudden Settlement

27:29 Affordability And Fee Squeeze

29:46 Big Tech Monopolies And AI

31:42 What A Real Remedy Looks Like

33:00 States Can Keep Fighting

34:00 Media Megamergers Ellison

35:45 Why Paramount Warner Deal Matters

38:08 Call To Action And Public Comments

40:21 Where To Find The Campaign

42:33 Wrap Up And Thanks

Meet Your Hosts

Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.

Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.

Links:

Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com

Instagram: @leftintheatticpod

TikTok: @left.in.the.attic

Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com

Voicemail: (303) 416-2846