It's Friday, and the election is just days away.

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😎 Today's weather: Partly sunny— high of 66. Similar weather for Halloween.

Today's newsletter is 958 words — a 3.5-minute read.

President Trump is the fight Democrat Jena Griswold wants to pick — and the political baggage Republican Michael Allen wants to shed.

Why it matters: Our attorney general contest — expected to be one of the closest statewide races — will determine who directs Colorado's legal resistance to the Trump administration.

• Democratic AGs are a key obstacle to Trump, and the stakes extend beyond partisanship to federal dollars for public services, access to mail ballots and protections for Coloradans.

The big picture: Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser's office has filed or joined about 90 lawsuits challenging the administration since January 2025.

• Griswold promises to continue that work; Allen says he'd reconsider the state's participation case by case.

State of play: The Trump stakes are overshadowing a debate about the candidates' experience and putting the Republican candidate on the defensive.

Allen, the district attorney for El Paso and Teller counties, isn't shy about blaming Trump for putting Republicans in a political bind.

• "I think he's a big factor," Allen told me, citing the president's dismal approval ratings in Colorado and reluctant donors.
• Allen said he didn't vote for Trump "at least one or two" times in the three campaigns, instead writing in a different name.

"Trump is not the Republican Party," he said.

Zoom in: When it comes to the lawsuits Weiser's filed or joined, Allen suspects some are politically motivated.

• "If they are merit-based, there's evidence and there's a law violation, then we're going to continue," he told me in a recent interview at a Monument coffee shop.

The other side: Griswold, our current secretary of state, argues challenging the administration is a core responsibility of the next attorney general.

• She supports all of Weiser's lawsuits and suggests more will be necessary.
• "We hear … just a massive concern about the Trump administration's illegal federal overreach, concern for the rule of law, concern for our democracy," Griswold said in an interview.

Keep reading

The goblins and ghouls emerge this weekend, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate in the Springs area.

• Take a look:

🦒 Boo at the Zoo runs 4–8:30pm today and tomorrow at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, with more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, animal encounters and a silent disco. Tickets are $24.75 for nonmembers ages 3–64; members pay $19.75.

👻 The Ghost Stories of Old Manitou Springs Walking Tours begin at 5:30pm today, departing from the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum. Tickets are $19.89, including fees

🥾 The Halloween Murder Mystery Hike takes place 5:30–7:30pm tonight at Mueller State Park in Divide, starting at Black Bear Trailhead. The 2-mile walk explores a homesteader's mysterious disappearance. Free with a park pass; Colorado vehicle day passes start at $10.

👺 The Angels and Demons Halloween Charity Soiree takes place 6:30–11:30pm tonight at The Pinery at the Hill. Ages 21 and older; costumes required. Tickets start at $125.

🎭 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" takes the stage at 7pm tonight and 2pm Sunday at Colorado College's Celeste Theatre in the Cornerstone Arts Center. Free.

✂️ "Edward Scissorhands" in concert starts at 7:30pm tonight and tomorrow at the Pikes Peak Center. Watch Tim Burton's film on the big screen while the Colorado Springs Philharmonic performs Danny Elfman's score. Tickets start at $49.75.

See 6 more events

"The Colorado Springs economy is holding up well. It has a lot going for it in this national environment."

🤑 The Broncos co-owners Greg Penner and Rob Walton poured more than $9 million into political causes this election cycle, largely backing Republicans. (Axios Denver)

🚧 The Polis administration is requesting $65 million in federal emergency money to help rebuild and repair roads in southwest Colorado affected by the recent flooding. (KKTV11)

⚡ A Denver-based data center company, CoreSite, is promising more transparency as a "responsible builder" in the face of community opposition to a new facility. (Axios Denver)

Your phone knows the clocks fall back an hour at 2am Sunday. Your brain — not so much.

Why it matters: Changing the clock can leave your body feeling jet-lagged — without ever leaving Colorado, my colleague Alayna Alvarez writes.

Yes, but: A few small tweaks can ease the transition, Renske Lok, a circadian biologist at CU Boulder who studies the body's internal clock, tells us.

Here's how to hack it:

• 🛌 Start tonight. Shift your bedtime and wake-up time back by 10–12 minutes a day to give your internal clock a head start.
• 👶 Parents, beware. Babies and young kids don't understand the shift to standard time, so a 6am wake-up call could become 5am.
• 💤 Don't count on bonus sleep. Data from Oura users shows they slept less overall the week after the 2024 fall time change, despite gaining an hour.
• ☀️ Chase the morning Sun. Getting outside early helps your body adjust.

The intrigue: Our internal clocks run slightly longer than a day — about 24.2 hours, Lok says.

• That makes falling back easier than springing forward.

Send to a side sleeper

The 2026 election is stressful and all-consuming. We need a smile.

😍 This is Lindy, my 4-year-old lab mix, looking not-so-happy 😆 about her Halloween costume during a photo shoot at Noble Beast this week.

The bottom line: Lindy ditched the hat. Now I'm in the doghouse.

🤞 John is crossing his fingers that this winter storm next week dumps huge snow in Colorado.

Editor's note: A story in yesterday's newsletter was corrected to show that Dick Wadhams is from Las Animas in southern Colorado (not Pueblo).

Thanks to my editor, Gigi Sukin.