In statehouses across the country, the political playing field is being redrawn, as states wade into the murky waters of midcycle redistricting.

President Donald Trump kicked off this effort, when he urged Republicans in Texas to draw new Congressional maps, years ahead of schedule. Then came Missouri and North Carolina, and earlier this month, California voters agreed to put aside their independently drawn map and give Democrats more seats.

Colorado — a blue state with its congressional seats split evenly between the parties — is a tempting target as Democrats look to further offset Republican gains.

But not so fast.

CPR's Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim dive into the guardrails Colorado voters put in place years ago to keep politics out of the state’s redistricting process — and why changes to the process could be slow and costly. They’re joined by NPR’s Larry Kaplow, who has been covering this issue on the national level.

Read and listen to our redistricting coverage:

• As state after state weighs partisan redistricting, the people who drew Colorado’s map hope it stays out of the fray
• Should Colorado join the gerrymandering war? Attorney General Phil Weiser thinks so
• The man who helped Colorado and California take politics out of redistricting calls the race toward partisan gerrymanders a living ‘nightmare’
• Colorado officially has new state legislative maps
• Purplish’s 2021 redistricting miniseries: The Great Redraw

Purplish is produced by listener-supported CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee , and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Theme music is by Brad Turner. Big shout out to Rachel Estabrook, who has led the audio projects team this past year and is leaving CPR at the end of the month. Thanks for your leadership!

Editor's note: This episode has been updated to remove an inaccuracy about the current partisan split in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Purplish, our focus is usually on exploring the politics of the moment. But for Veterans Day, we're offering something different -- a chance to experience a defining moment in World War II from one of the last remaining veterans to live through it.

The battle of Iwo Jima was one of the toughest in Marine Corps history. Nearly 7,000 Marines lost their lives taking the volcanic island from its Japanese defenders.

80 years on, few remain who served in that grueling conflict. One of them is Jim Blane of Denver.

It took Blane decades after the war ended to begin to talk about his time in combat. But as he prepares to celebrate his 101st birthday this month – just as the U.S. Marine Corps marks its 250th anniversary – the veteran says when it comes to the war and Iwo Jima, he’s now wide open. Blane recently shared his story with CPR’s Bente Birkeland.

Purplish is a production of member-supported Colorado Public Radio and the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. The CCNA is a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and the Colorado Sun, with support from news outlets throughout the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I’m Bente Birkeland.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf and the story editor is Megan Verlee. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey – with additional sound design support on this episode from Stephanie Wolf and Megan Verlee. Our theme music is by Brad Turner. CPR News’ executive producer of podcasting is Rachel Estabrook.

Special thanks to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans for assisting with archival sound used in this episode, and the Library of Congress for its archive of images.

Anti-hunger advocates and education groups did a victory dance election night, celebrating the passage of Props. MM and LL, two statewide ballot measures to increase funding for Colorado’s universal free school meal program.

CPR’s Jenny Brundin joins Purplish host Bente Birkeland to talk through what voters thought of these measures and what it means for the programs' future. They also dig into the results of school board races around the state.

Then, a pivot to look ahead at the 2026 midterms, and the big races on the horizon, including the fight for control of Congress and the candidates who hope to win the governor’s office. The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul, KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods and CPR’s Caitlyn Kim are on the podcast this week to preview what they're watching for on as the state gears up for a big election year.

If you're enjoying the show and want everyone to know it, email us at purplish@cpr.org and we'll send you a Purplish sticker to thank you for being an awesome listener!

Purplish is produced by listener-supported CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and Rachel Estabrook, and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Theme music is by Brad Turner.