Colorado was set to repeal the death penalty this year. What went wrong?

A few weeks ago, in preparation for what she knew would be an emotional debate on the state Senate floor over whether to repeal Colorado’s death penalty, Sen. Julie Gonzales crafted a speech making her case for abolition. She wrote about why she believes the death penalty is an “abhorrent and terrible” practice. She explained why she would vote for the repeal bill — legislation she co-sponsored — in spite of her regret over the bill’s rushed introduction, a process that wounded her colleague, Sen. Rhonda Fields, whose son’s killers now sit on Colorado’s death row.

On Tuesday morning, Gonzales stood on the floor of the Senate and gave a version of that speech. But, instead of explaining why she was voting for abolition, she tearfully explained why she was pulling it. The effort to repeal the death penalty during this session was ended.

“I’m going to give (the bill) a dignified death, not a torturous one,” Gonzales said.

The collision of the political and the personal — and the anguish, anger and frustration that resulted — derailed a bill once seen as near-guaranteed to pass this year. Communication breakdowns, a fumbled rollout, and, critically, four wavering Democrats led to the bill’s demise. Despite a 19-16 Democratic majority in the Senate, abolitionists simply couldn’t rally the votes.

Read more: https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2019/04/02/death-penalty-repeal-canceled/