In Washington, where I started my reporting career, the political action stretched from the lobbying firm offices on K Street to the complex of House and Senate office buildings that surrounded the Capitol to C-SPAN, which we often monitored instead of trekking to Capitol Hill.

Federal legislative advocacy efforts were complex and multifaceted, marshalling armies of media relations pros and grassroots experts to support the lobbyists.

Contrastingly, in Denver the action took place largely under the Colorado Capitol’s gold dome.

I learned the root of the term “lobbyist” because – duh! – there really are lobbies outside of the House and Senate chambers where the lobbyists gather (with the overflow leaning on the iconic brass rails nearby).

Dominated by older white men, the Colorado lobbying corps back then was much smaller than today and a small handful of individual lobbyists were particularly powerful. (And there really were smoke-filled rooms in that era before clean indoor air laws!)

Colorado’s lobbying environment has evolved dramatically over the past quarter century. There are many more lobbyists – 453 according to a 2011 count – and it’s a much more diverse group. Meanwhile, the advocacy action has largely modeled itself after the D.C.-style of lobbying, where major issues rely not just on lobbyists but also on a sophisticated mix of media outreach, grassroots organizing and advertising.

A major Colorado legislative initiative, like a federal issue, will now have: