As Coloradans voted to select party nominees in open statewide races, the state’s legislature prepared for its own looming shakeup: term limits that will shift leadership in both chambers.
Governor
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet competed in a Democratic primary to replace term-limited Governor Jared Polis (D) that was seen as a toss-up ahead of election day. The race was called for Weiser a mere hour after polls closed: Now, with 89% of votes in, Weiser has approximately 55% of the vote.
Just a year ago, Bennet was leading Weiser in the polls by 30 percentage points. Weiser narrowed this gap, gaining popularity from voters by casting himself as a “fighter” and highlighting his legal actions against the Trump administration. Throughout the state, Democratic voter sentiment is being driven by general dissatisfaction with the Trump administration and the rising cost of living.
Weiser has campaigned on his Colorado Blueprint which lays out his plans for protecting the state from federal overreach, increasing access to affordable housing, expanding educational opportunities, supporting rural communities, and increasing energy supply. Weiser also consistently touts his experience of standing up to the Trump administration, suing the Trump administration a total of 66 times to date. Prior to his tenure as the state’s attorney general, Weiser was a professor at the University of Colorado Law School and served as Dean from 2011 to 2016. He worked in the Obama administration as a deputy assistant attorney general and in the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division during the Clinton administration. Weiser began his legal career as a clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Four candidates vied for the Republican party nomination in a state where a Republican has not controlled the governor’s office in more than 20 years. Candidates include State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, businessowner Victor Marx, State Representative Scott Bottoms, and Kevin Wimberly, who ran as a write-in candidate. There was no clear frontrunner in the race. As of this publication, Kirkmeyer leads by a razor thin margin -- approximately 1,300 votes -- over Marx. The race has not yet been called. Kirkmeyer is considered a more moderate Republican compared to Marx.
Kirkmeyer currently represents Colorado Senate District 23, a position she has held since 2021. She sits on the Joint Budget Committee and is often viewed as a fiscal hawk by her legislative colleagues. She wants to foster fiscal and budget reforms across state agencies, citing waste, mismanagement, and inefficiencies across these agencies. She plans to create a Regulatory Bill of Rights to hold state agencies accountable for private sector costs from new regulations, pursue a “Best of the Above energy approach” to lower energy costs, and invest $6 billion over four years to improve the state’s roads and highways.
Marx is the CEO and founder of All Things Possible Ministries, a religious organization that provides trauma and medical aid to victims of terrorism, trafficking, and violence. He also previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps. His campaign centers on restoring accountability and trust in government, calling to perform audits on state agencies and to implement annual public performance reports. Marx aims to prioritize public safety, citing plans to prohibit the automatic release or non-custodial sentencing for individuals with multiple violent-offense convictions and to elevate fentanyl enforcement to a statewide emergency priority.
Whoever competes in a general election race against Weiser will have a hill to climb. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have labeled Colorado as Safe Democratic.
Attorney General
With Attorney General Phil Weiser running for governor, the attorney general’s race is an open seat this election cycle. Four candidates competed in the Democratic primary for attorney general. This includes Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, former federal prosecutor Hetal Doshi, District Attorney Michael Dougherty, and nonprofit leader David Seligman. Griswold secured the party’s nomination with approximately 45% of the vote. Reflecting a common theme among the night’s Democratic winners, her campaign highlights her record of thwarting the Trump administration. Throughout her time in office, she has worked to secure state elections and prevent federal overreach, blocking the Trump administration from accessing sensitive voter data. Griswold pledges to bring this experience to the attorney general’s office: Her stated goals are protection of constitutional rights and freedoms, holding corporations accountable for “unfair business practices,” and focusing on decreasing crime and gun violence.
The Republican primary for attorney general featured two candidates: District Attorney Michael Allen and David Wilson. Allen coasted to the party’s nomination with 60% of the vote. Allen was first elected in 2020 and was reelected in 2024, representing El Paso and Teller counties. He previously served in the Navy for eight years as an aviation electronics technician. Allen’s campaign centers on his accomplishments as district attorney, highlighting his establishment of the Organized Crime Unit to prosecute fentanyl traffickers and the creation of the state’s first motor vehicle theft team.
Treasurer
State Senator Jeff Bridges ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for treasurer. Bridges has served in the Colorado State Senate since 2019. Bridges’ campaign focuses on his experience in the state legislature where he not only currently serves as chair of the Joint Budget Committee but has also sat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. As chair, Bridges oversees the budget process. He also sponsored legislation that has expanded financial literacy programs, created new tax credits for teachers, nurses, and first responders, and established the BUILD Authority to finance local infrastructure. Bridges holds a master’s in divinity and previously served as associate vice president at Union Theological Seminary.
Former state senator Kevin J. Grantham ran unopposed in the Republican primary for treasurer. Grantham was in the senate from 2011 to 2019 where he sat on the Joint Budget Committee and served as Senate President from 2017 to 2018. He is currently a county commissioner in Fremont County. Grantham’s campaign touts his fiscal experience, highlighting his efforts to prevent billion-dollar tax increases and enacting balanced budgets without increasing taxes while serving as Senate President. Increasing transparency and accountability in the treasurer’s office is a key priority for Grantham. He calls for the treasurer’s office to deliver an annual or biannual address to the legislature on the state’s finances.
Legislature
Seventeen out of 35 senate seats and all 65 house seats are up for election. A total of six senate incumbents did not file for reelection, including Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez (D) and Chair of the Business, Labor, and Technology Committee, Jessie Danielson (D), who is running for secretary of state.
The house will face a significant shift in leadership as Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie (D) and Majority Leader Monica Duran (D) are both term-limited and cannot seek reelection. McCluskie did not run for another office this election cycle while Duran ran unopposed in her primary for the state senate, coasting to the general election. Thirteen additional incumbents did not file for reelection.