“Populism is not conservatism,” noted Colorado Christian University (CCU) President Eric Hogue as he introduced the 2026 Western Conservative Summit. While Hunt co-hosted the Rocky Mountain Freedom Festival last month, an event decidedly aimed at the populist wing of the Republican Party, CCU’s Western Conservative Summit spoke to more moderate, or at least more ostensibly principled, elements of the Republican Party. “In the Republican Party, it used to be our principles were based on fiscally conservative, personal responsibility, limited government. Hartsook noted that the Democratic Party in Colorado might see its own brand of infighting soon. State Sen. John Carson (R-Highlands Ranch) Photo: Sean BeedleThe spectre haunting the Democratic Party was a regular theme at the Western Conservative Summit.