Colorado's Progressive Party Movement, 1908–1912

Introduction: Origins of the Progressive Movement in Colorado

Though the Progressive Party did not become an official national political party until 1912 — when Theodore Roosevelt lost the Republican Party's nomination for the presidency and formed the party along with many other Republicans and independent political figures — the progressive movement had a long history leading up to this split. Fears that the inordinate influence of big business was keeping Colorado behind the rest of the nation in progressive politics fueled certain liberal elements of the Republican Party in the state. Early rhetoric used to sway voters toward the progressive movement was less extreme than in other areas, out of concern that language too strongly condemning the existing system would alienate voters.

The Colorado Progressive Party and Edward P. Costigan

Edward P. Costigan, later a Democrat appointed to office by President Woodrow Wilson and eventually serving as a United States Senator for the same party, helped found the Colorado Progressive Party in 1912 but lost his bid for the governorship of the state. The major platform of the Progressive Party included sweeping governmental reforms at almost every level, from election reforms that included women's suffrage to a redefinition of the judicial role — moving away from dependence on oral arguments and precedent in favor of careful consideration of factual evidence on hand. The platform extended even to the reorganization of city and local politics, aiming to dismantle the "boss" system that dominated so many localities across the country.