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Something new for you today from the 9NEWS political team. In this five-minute discussion, we take a look at the widely-discussed possibility that former Congressman Bob Beauprez (R-Colorado) will jump into the Governor's race amid a crowded field. Should he run? Can he win? Also, a look at how the US Senate race is shaping up now that Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) has decided to take a run at Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colorado.) #BeOn9: We want YOUR TOPICS & QUESTIONS for future episodes. Email 9NEWS political reporter   Brandon Rittiman   or reach out on  Twitter.

The list was finalized today and Denver is in the running to bring one of the biggest events of the next presidential election to Colorado. The 2016 Republican National Convention is looking for a host city and the list of 8 contenders came out on Thursday: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Denver, Dallas, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Now that the list of contenders is out, the question is: “Do we have a shot?" The graphic above shows the picks from the 9NEWS political team, representing where we think the RNC is most likely to go. I'll explain my full ranking of the cities below, but bear in mind that t he decision is a soupy mix of picking a place where things will go smoothly and where the best political story can be told.

DENVER-- I was on assignment to explain how Colorado is preparing to implement taxes on the legal sale of recreational marijuana when I found my way to a business called "Medicine Man" in Denver. The medical pot company plans to sell the drug for both medical and  recreational use beginning January 1. Andy Williams "We'll be open at 8 a.m.," beamed owner Andy Williams, sounding like any other good salesman plugging deals on a big shopping day. As he continued to tell me that he anticipated a line down the street for the first day of recreational pot sales, I got to thinking of how different it felt to report on marijuana than it did just a couple of years ago.

One year later, and I think it's a good time to allow myself to look back for a reminder of what it was like to cover the tragedy we are all remembering today. I happened to be scheduled on-call the night of the theater shooting. It's a night I'll never forget. I hadn't quite gotten into REM sleep. I answered the phone just a few minutes after the shooting had occurred, but we didn't know what was going on-- only that it sounded bad and that it seemed like every ambulance in the metro area was heading there.

Want to learn more about the issues and names on your ballot in Colorado? 9NEWS partnered with the Denver Post to bring you a series of debates on the hottest campaigns in Colorado. We set out to cover a lot of issues in the controversial marijuana amendment, and congressional races in districts 4, 6, and 7. From here, you can find links to all of these debates.

As of now, Colorado is the only swing state where you can turn on the TV without being bombarded by political ads. That's about to change. They've been suspended in the wake of Friday's mass murder in Aurora. The calm won't last long. Both major presidential campaigns plan to resume ads this weekend.

DENVER - In the crowded newsroom at 9NEWS (KUSA-TV), my colleagues and I watched in in frustration. We were selected by the judge to provide live video to all television outlets on the planet of the first court appearance for the suspect accused of killing 12 people in a crowded Aurora, Colo. movie theater. It was not going well. I could sense the expletives being hurled at us from every control room and newsroom across the face of the globe. A few minutes in to the court hearing, the video and audio froze-- a little bit at first-- and then so much you couldn't make sense of what was happening.

COLORADO SPRINGS- Gov. Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination is holding an event in Colorado Springs at a company called Springs Fabrication, Inc. The company was awarded $2.3 million in federal stimulus funds, according to these records from recovery.gov, the official website for tracking Recovery Act spending. Romney has publicly stated his opposition to the Recovery Act.

This is my first time covering the Iowa caucuses in person, and it's been a pretty incredible experience so far. Here's what it looks like from where I stand for TV live shots. For now, we're all reading the tea leaves and trying to keep up with what candidates are saying during the final push. The caucuses begin at 7pm Iowa time and we should have first results an hour and a half after that. Behind the scenes, Iowa has an other-worldly feel to it at the moment. For one, there's no escaping the campaign ads here. Candidates and PACs have covered the airwaves with their messages, trying to win over caucus-goers.

The week is almost over and it's about time to get packing for the big trip to Des Moines, where the weather is supposed to be lovely next week. It's an exciting trip because 9NEWS photojournalist Brian Willie and I will get a front-row seat to the start of what promises to be a very crazy 2012 election cycle.