Wayne Laugesen: A Conservative Voice Shaping Colorado’s Editorial Landscape

Wayne Laugesen, a prominent figure in Colorado’s media landscape, serves as the editorial page editor for the Colorado Springs Gazette, where he pens roughly half of the publication’s editorials. His work, deeply rooted in conservative principles, reflects a career shaped by personal experiences, ideological shifts, and a commitment to challenging what he perceives as Colorado’s economic and social decline. Laugesen’s influence extends beyond the Gazette, with contributions to national outlets like the Washington Examiner, owned by conservative billionaire Philip Anschutz, who also owns the Gazette and its sister publication, Colorado Politics.

Laugesen’s journey to conservatism began in unconventional circumstances. Born in Philadelphia, he lost his father, a professor, to a brain aneurysm at age six. His mother, a single parent of three with no formal education, returned to her native Denver, where she earned a GED and gained admission to a Minnesota State University in the early 1970s. Immersed in the counterculture of the era, she protested the Vietnam War and campaigned for George McGovern. After graduating in three years, she taught kindergarten in northern Minnesota, later marrying her school principal who supported Barry Goldwater. The couple purchased a small Kansas newspaper, where her husband’s conservative editorials profoundly influenced Laugesen., especially after Reagan was elected. His mother eventually embraced conservatism, persuaded by her husband’s arguments, which Laugesen credits with offering solutions to her earlier liberal ideals.

Laugesen’s own career began in college, writing for the student newspaper before working at Newsweek in Washington, D.C. He later joined the Gazette in 2007 under its previous owner, Freedom Communications, before Anschutz, a conservative billionaire worth an estimated $15 billion, acquired it. Anschutz, known for his unsuccessful bids to purchase the Denver Post and Washington Post due to ideological differences, has shaped the Gazette into a conservative stronghold. Laugesen believes media is driven more by ideology than profit, a perspective that informs his editorial stance.

In his editorials, Laugesen argues that Colorado, once an economic powerhouse, has been in steep decline since 2018, when Democrats gained control of the state legislature and key statewide offices. He points to several indicators: the state’s economy, previously among the top five, now ranks in the bottom ten; income growth has plummeted from third to 39th nationally despite a high minimum wage; and housing affordability has deteriorated, with Colorado among the five least affordable states due to excessive regulation, including a construction defects law fueling class-action lawsuits. He also cites the state’s sixth-highest regulatory burden, which he believes stifles business growth, this includes the construction defects law. This law prevents the building of starter condo homes due to the highly litigious nature of the l

Laugesen highlights specific policies as exacerbating these issues. Senate Bill 181, passed in 2019, curtailed energy exports, costing high-wage blue-collar jobs, while House Bill 1286 imposed greenhouse gas reduction targets on commercial buildings, driving businesses out of state. Inflation, running 15.4% higher than in 2021, has outpaced national averages. Homelessness has surged, with urban areas like Denver resembling California’s crisis zones. Laugesen ties the 72.4% increase in overdose deaths from 2018 to 2023 (from 17.4 to 30 per 100,000 residents) to drug decriminalization, noting Colorado’s second-highest teenage fentanyl overdose rate. He also points to declining birthrates, rising crime, and a 65.5% increase in abortions from 2017 to 2023, criticizing Governor Jared Polis for signing abortion bills despite claims of protecting children.

Beyond economics, Laugesen has been vocal on social issues. He critiques insurance fraud allegedly used to fund transgender surgeries, citing detransitioner Dela Cruz and Dr. Travis Morrell’s opposition to such procedures on children. 

When asked about relying on the Associated Press to write articles about local elections, he agreed that they add their own editorial comments, which reflects poorly on the Gazette. He did not commit to investigating the problems with the elections in Colorado but welcomed articles or letters to the editor on the subject. Within the Republican Party, Laugesen decries “RINO watch” efforts that target major donors, arguing they weaken the party internally.

Laugesen’s influence extends to new media ventures. In January, he launched a podcast, inspired by Joe Rogan’s model, though independent of the Gazette. The podcast has featured figures like Rich Wyatt, Jefferson County GOP chair and a Second Amendment advocate who served three years in prison. Laugesen’s platform amplifies conservative voices, including Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, whose book Laugesen edited, challenges electrification mandates, arguing they export poverty rather than solve environmental issues.

The Gazette’s editorial board, led by Laugesen and including Chairman Ryan McKibben, Vice Chairman Christian Anschutz, Publisher Chris Reen, and Newsroom Operations Director Pula Davis, maintains a conservative bent. Letters to the editor, managed by a single conservative staffer, reflect this alignment.

Laugesen’s was asked about articles written by Stewart Sallow blaming a Boulder attack on Christian scripture or claims that Colorado faces a 50% recession risk, which are unfairly attributed to national figures like Donald Trump. Laugesen admitted that he has little control over guest opinions, but does agree with the room on Sallow’s articles.

Through his work, Laugesen remains a polarizing figure, championing Reagan- and Trump-style conservatism while critiquing Colorado’s leftward shift. His editorials, grounded in his personal evolution from a hippie-influenced upbringing to a staunch conservative worldview, continue to shape the state’s political discourse, urging readers to reconsider policies he believes are driving Colorado’s decline. Letters to the editor can be sent to opinion@gazette.com.

You can find Laugesen’s podcast at https://www.youtube.com/@WaynesWordPodcast. He asks that everyone subscribe to improve his reach.