LITA 29: Only 2% of Elected Officials Are Latino with Uriel Espinoza on Closing the Registration Gap, Plus Macklemore's Cancellation and the Denver Mayor Interviews
Ana and Deep welcome Uriel Espinoza, co-founder of Momento Presents and senior advisor for public engagement at Courageous Colorado, for Hispanic Heritage Month. Uriel breaks down Colorado's Latino registration gap (56% of registered Latinos statewide are unaffiliated, and 250,000 eligible Latinos in Colorado aren't registered at all), why candidates keep treating Latino outreach as an afterthought, and why leading with culture instead of policy forums is the fix. He previews Momento's October 2nd voter registration concert at Levitt Pavilion, featuring DJ Bolo, following their 2024 event that registered nearly 4,000 new voters. He also doesn't hold back on Manny Rutinel, calling out the CD-8 candidate's authenticity. Then in T-Time: Macklemore gets dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour after a pro-Palestine statement, and Ana and Deep connect it directly to Melat Kiros's canceled Denver venues earlier this year. They close by reacting to the Kyle Clark interviews with Mike Johnston, Lisa Calderón, and Shontel Lewis on their relationships to Democratic socialism, including Lisa's contradiction (a dues-paying DSA member who won't call herself one). Plus: the first issue of the LITA Substack is live.
The LITA Substack Is Live
Our first issue dropped this week: They Will Call the Graduated Income Tax Socialism. It's a Moderate Compromise. Harshy Kaur Badhesha's debut Harsh Take breaks down Colorado's three November tax measures (vote yes on NN, yes on Amendment 87, no on Prop 136) and makes the case that treating TABOR as untouchable is moderate cowardice. Plus more! leftintheattic.substack.com/
Momento Presents: @momentopresents on Instagram
October 2nd Voter Registration Concert (DJ Bolo, Levitt Pavilion): RSVP here https://tickets.venuepilot.com/e/bolo-2026-10-02-levitt-pavilion-denver-denver-fde919?
Chapters
00:00 Why Latino Turnout Lags
00:22 Hispanic Heritage Kickoff
01:02 Cinco de Mayo Mythbusting
02:38 The Tejana Hats
04:18 Meet Uriel Espinoza
06:26 Watching His Mom Become A Citizen
08:13 250,000 Unregistered Eligible Latinos
11:07 Candidates With No Latino Turnout Strategy
14:27 What Actually Moves Latino Voters
18:49 Flipping Burgers To Flipping Sides
22:20 2% Of Elected Officials Are Latino
25:18 Culture First, Policy Second
27:16 The World Cup Watch Party
30:43 Bowling Alone And The Civic Vacuum
33:33 Blue Zones And The Power Of Belonging
34:24 The October 2nd Concert
38:17 How To RSVP And Register
39:00 Ballots Drop October 2nd
40:31 Macklemore's Free Palestine Backlash
47:05 The DSA Question, Three Mayors
47:31 "I'm Not A Card-Carrying Member"
52:27 Lisa Calderón's DSA Contradiction
56:38 Shontel Lewis Defines Democratic Socialism
58:44 The Budget Fumble, Revisited
01:05:06 The LITA Substack Is Live
01:06:01 Mile High Tea: The Twitter Beef
01:07:55 Wrap And Subscribe
Meet Your Hosts
Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action.
Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics.
Links:
Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com
Instagram: @leftintheatticpod
TikTok: @leftintheattic
Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com
Voicemail: (303) 416-2846
