What a second Trump presidency means for Colorado

In a second Trump presidency, Colorado's blue-state status puts a big red target on its back.

Why it matters: The local implications of President-elect Trump's agenda are hard to understate, from immigration and women's health care to U.S. Space Command and oil and gas.

Driving the news: In the hours after Trump's victory became clear, Colorado lawmakers and advocates began girding for battles on multiple fronts and preparing to enact new protections to limit federal intervention.

• "We've built a strong bulwark here in Colorado, and there's more we can do," Henry Sandman, the co-executive director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, tells Axios.

State of play: Trump has pledged mass deportations of people living in the country illegally who are convicted of violent crimes. It would start in Colorado under his "Operation Aurora" plan, named for Colorado's most diverse city that's home to thousands of migrants.

• In addition, Trump is likely to locate the U.S. military's space force again to Alabama, a move reversed by President Biden, who stationed it in Colorado Springs.
• The president-elect is pledging to put tariffs on foreign goods, a move that's generating concern among the state's manufacturers.
• And environmentalists worry about Trump selling public lands or opening them to development.

What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) issued a defiant statement Wednesday, swearing to "do everything in my power to protect Colorado, defend the Constitution, and stand against Donald Trump's worst impulses."

• Gov. Jared Polis gave a similar warning, saying "no matter what … we will do everything in our power to protect all Coloradans and our freedoms."

Between the lines: In the first Trump administration, Colorado's U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner became a key ally of the president, which allowed him to shield the state's marijuana industry from a crackdown and lure the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction.

• This time, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Windsor) is the state's most notable Trump confidant, but it's unclear whether she would leverage the relationship for Colorado.

The other side: One industry that may benefit from a Trump administration is oil and gas. The president-elect has pledged to make it easier to drill and may reverse Biden's regulations for extraction on public lands.

• "We are hopeful there are plans to develop on public lands," said Kait Schwartz, the American Petroleum Institute's Colorado director. "Something we can all agree on is we need more energy, not less."

What we're watching: Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser will play a key role in protecting Colorado's current laws. He's particularly concerned about the FDA removing approval of mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug.

• In an interview, he said his office is prepared to use the courts if needed to block federal action that harms the state. "My commitment is to serve and protect Colorado," he said.