Election Aftermath and Colorado’s Sex Trafficking Crisis

On November 7, 2024, Kevin Lundberg, Karen Levine, and Tom Copeland joined the show. Analyzed the 2024 election results including Trump’s decisive popular and electoral victory, Colorado’s rejection of ranked-choice voting despite $15 million in support, and the controversy over BIOS passwords on the Secretary of State’s website Discussed early signs of renewed housing market activity following the election, available inventory across price ranges,.

Trump’s Decisive Victory and Colorado’s Political Landscape

Start listening at 17:07 – Hour 1

Kevin Lundberg, former state senator and author of the Lundberg Report, breaks down the historic 2024 election results. Trump not only secured the electoral college but also won the popular vote with 71 million votes, shattering the Democratic “blue wall” across swing states. Lundberg attributes the victory to Trump’s clear policy messaging versus Harris’s evasive approach during her brief 107-day campaign.

The conversation turns to Colorado’s unique political situation, where voters rejected Proposition 131’s ranked-choice voting despite $15 million in support. Lundberg explains how both parties recognized the danger of eliminating meaningful party influence in elections. However, he expresses deep concern over the state’s constitutionalizing of taxpayer-funded abortion through Amendment 79, calling it a “deep, deep, troubling disappointment.”

The BIOS password controversy involving Secretary of State Jena Griswold draws sharp criticism. Lundberg highlights the hypocrisy: when Mesa County had a password briefly exposed, Griswold decertified all their equipment, yet the Secretary of State’s own website hosted BIOS passwords for months without consequence.

“This is going to be quite an adventure, and I’m very, very grateful that we’ve been granted this reprieve from the abyss, you might say.”

Kevin Lundberg, Former State Senator

Real Estate Market Responds to Election Certainty

Start listening at 62:59 – Hour 2

Karen Levine, RE/MAX realtor, reports early signs of renewed market activity following the election. Her managing broker noted showings on properties that had been dormant for weeks. With more inventory available across price ranges from the mid-400s to just under a million dollars, buyers have meaningful choices.

Levine puts interest rates in historical perspective, noting that rates between 5% and 7% represent the historical norm for 30-year mortgages. The artificially suppressed 3% rates of recent years created unrealistic expectations. She encourages buyers to embrace current conditions, reminding them they can refinance if rates drop while building equity in properties with adjusted pricing.

“Government never does things cheaper or better than the private sector. And when we allow small businesses and people who work hard to provide those services in the marketplace for us, we get a better service at a better price.”

Karen Levine, RE/MAX Realtor

Colorado’s Hidden Sex Trafficking Epidemic

Start listening at 71:11 – Hour 2

Dr. Tom Copeland, Director of Research at the Centennial Institute, reveals alarming statistics about human trafficking in Colorado. The state ranks 10th worst in the nation for sex trafficking, with 84 confirmed cases in 2023, up 75% from 2016. But those numbers represent only the surface, as thousands of cases go unreported.

The border crisis has compounded the problem dramatically. ICE has lost track of more than 32,000 unaccompanied minors who failed to appear for immigration hearings, with nearly 300,000 additional children never even scheduled for hearings. Copeland explains how overwhelmed border agents simply process migrants to clear the backlog, failing to properly vet the “sponsors” claiming these children.

The connection to abortion proves particularly disturbing. Traffickers cannot afford to have victims “out of commission” for nine months, so they frequently force abortions, sometimes multiple times. Studies indicate 30% of trafficking survivors were forced to undergo multiple abortions. Colorado’s new amendment prohibiting any “impediment” to abortion access may eliminate requirements to check identities or look for trafficking signs at clinics.

Copeland outlines solutions: closing the border through executive action, holding Homeland Security accountable, eliminating sanctuary city policies, funding law enforcement task forces, training medical professionals to recognize trafficking signs, and requiring abortion providers to report underage patients.

“We are the 10th worst state in the country for sex trafficking, which is interesting because we’re not really aware of it. We don’t use it in the opening, but we’re just not really watching or paying attention or hearing a lot about this.”

Dr. Tom Copeland, Director of Research, Centennial Institute