For businesses in our industry and similar sectors, the recent primary results were an alarming wake-up call that many read as “get out of Dodge, now.” 

To say that the results in both the Democratic and Republican primaries were surprising and disturbing to many in the business community would be an understatement.   

On the Republican side, the primary for governor was disconcerting, as we found a proven leader, Barbara Kirkmeyer, with extensive knowledge and experience at the local and state government levels, was defeated by an individual who has not held any public office and appears to have limited knowledge and understanding of how government works.   Many have felt that for the Republicans to have any chance in the governor’s race and other races down the ticket, the party needed someone at the top of the ballot with significant credibility who could win the support of independents, who make up half of Colorado voters.   

In the case of the Democrats, no one would have imagined that a socialist would replace long-term liberal 1st Congressional District U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver. The selection of Melat Kiros and other Democratic Socialists sent a chill through the business community, as many in that group view those in the private sector as at best a necessary evil.    

In the case of our industry, where we represent blue-collar companies, one would think that the increased footprint of the Democratic Party, which professes support for working people and jobs, would be a boon to our industry.  Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.  Over the past number of years, the state has seen an exodus of many companies and a loss of blue-collar jobs. 

What happened?  Well, the Democratic Party hasn’t placed as high a priority as in the past on the creation and retention of blue-collar jobs in Colorado.   Rather than policies that support attracting and retaining businesses that employ blue-collar workers, the legislature and state have passed laws and regulations that have dissuaded many of these companies from locating here and, in fact, have been a contributing factor in pushing businesses out of the state.  This shift in policy seems to coincide with the diminishing number of “Blue Dog Democrats” in the legislature. Blue Dog Dems is a term for those individuals who represented districts with large working-class populations in mining, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, oil and gas and construction.  Those Blue Dog Democrats were staunch supporters of blue-collar workers and their families, and they prioritized issues relating to jobs, housing, healthcare and public safety because of the importance of these matters to blue-collar families.    

Over the years, we have seen a number of those individuals pushed to the side, along with moderates in Democratic seats and replaced by progressives whose primary focus is on social justice, public safety reforms, social welfare, and environmental issues, rather than the creation and retention of good jobs, which appears secondary.  While all of these other issues are important, it is essential to the welfare of working-class families and our state economy that we attract and retain businesses that can employ blue-collar workers in good-paying jobs with benefits so they can afford to be here.   

The recent primary further added to the discomfort of business and industry, coming on the heels of several years of state-level legislative and regulatory activity that has already made it much more difficult to operate a business in Colorado.  The additional laws and rules are not only costly but also time-consuming, which is extremely challenging for businesses, especially small ones. 

 As an indication of the impact of our regulatory and fee burden, in the last year, I received a number of calls from companies that were closing their doors, shrinking their operations, or looking to move out of the state.   I didn’t receive a single call from a trucking or logistics operation looking to move into the state or considering a major expansion of their operations.   

Unfortunately, I found that Colorado is no longer on the site list for many base industries.  A recent report by the Colorado Chamber Foundation seemed to confirm this, reporting that between 2019 and 2025, Colorado lost 98 companies that relocated out of the state or that Colorado lost opportunities to attract companies to our state.  Of particular concern is that 27 of those relocations or lost opportunities occurred in 2025.  Overall, the report indicated that the State lost over 13,000 jobs to other states since 2019.   

What may be even more discouraging for those in the business community is that the loss of these businesses and jobs appears to be of little concern to many elected representatives and government officials.  When Colorado’s largest publicly traded company, Palantir Technologies, relocated its corporate headquarters this year from Denver to Miami, causing a loss of over 700 jobs and a drop in our GDP by more than $100 million (per the Common Sense Institute), a major factor cited was the current and worsening regulatory environment.  There was nary a peep from most elected officials, and while the legislature did pass a measure this year to address some of Palantir’s concerns related to burdensome regulations on artificial intelligence systems, few legislators seemed interested in addressing the underlying situation that created this problem, which is the legislature’s and administration’s continued march toward more regulations and rules on Colorado business  

In speaking to owners or management of companies considering relocating to another state, it isn’t only the current business environment, but the view that, based on political trends and actions at the state and local levels, the future offers little hope and conditions are more likely to get worse.  Many of our trucking companies are small businesses owned by people who grew up in the state and launched their businesses here.  They wish to stay but feel that they can no longer compete with businesses in adjoining states where the tax, fee, and regulatory environment is much better.    

Business leaders in the trucking industry are not alone in their concerns about the future in Colorado.  In a recent poll by the Colorado Chamber of Businesses in the state, 34% indicated they are not likely to make investments in Colorado. This is up from 25% last year.  Among those already working in other states, this hits 41%. 

While many in the legislature speak of affordability, a foundational piece of this concept is good-paying jobs.  Rather than discouraging business development and growth in our state, we need to aggressively build it by attracting a diverse range of businesses that offer good, secure jobs for our workforce.  To do this, we must improve the climate for business and seek to reduce or eliminate costly or unnecessary regulations that impose high costs on businesses while providing little benefit.  

The next governor and the 2027 General Assembly have a chance to turn conditions around and send a message to business and industry that Colorado is open for business again.  This will involve grappling with some tough issues, such as reducing and streamlining regulations and aligning them with other states; curtailing new fees; improving our infrastructure, particularly our roadways, and reining in the growth of state government and its reach.    

Greg Fulton is a longtime veteran of politics at the State Capitol and serves as president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, which represents more than 600 companies directly involved in, and affiliated with trucking in Colorado.