In November 2015, Robert Dear opened fire on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, killing three people and injuring nine. The shooting intensified the ongoing battle over abortion, riling up pro-life and pro-choice communities throughout the state.

Colorado is a politically diverse state, and is one of the critical battlegrounds for women's reproductive rights. The issue of abortion has always been a divisive issue in state politics, and as a swing state, abortion could play an important role in how people here vote.