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Citizen engagement is crucial in sustaining America’s experiment in representative democracy, and voting in an election is not just any ritual. Encapsulated in that act is often the purest expression of a people’s ability to choose their leaders, exactly the kind of freedom denied to so many in other parts of the world.

As a public service, we compiled this primary voter guide for the 2022 elections. This guide focuses on contested primary races, whose outcome will ultimately decide the contours – and decisions – of our executive and legislative bodies. 

A few dates to remember:

June 6 – First day that mail-in ballots are sent to voters.

June 20 – Last day for an individual to submit a voter registration application and still get a ballot in the mail

June 28 – Primary election day. The polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

We hope that you find this guide informative and useful. If there are any errors, please don’t hesitate contact editors Luige del Puerto at luige.delpuerto@coloradopolitics.com and Pat Poblete at pat.poblete@coloradopolitics.com. 

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Colorado’s top elected attorney; counsels state government agencies and legislatures; represents the public interest

Democrats: 1,069,637 Republicans: 956,294 Unaffiliated: 1,682,574 Total active voters: 3,775,931

Both incumbent Attorney General Phil Weiser and his Republican challenger, John Kellner, are unopposed in their respective primaries.

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Phil Weiser

• Party: Democrat
• Email: TeamPhil@philforcolorado.com
• Website: https://www.philforcolorado.com/
• Mailing address: PO Box 13644, Denver 80201
• Twitter: @pweiser
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilforColorado/
• Instagram: @philforcolorado
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Swarthmore College (PA); Law degree, New York University School of Law

What are your top three priorities if elected??

My top three priorities in a second term will be advancing public safety/addressing the opioid epidemic, defending the rights of all Coloradans, and protecting our land, air, and water.?

On public safety and opioids, I will continue to hold big drug companies accountable for fueling the opioid crisis and ensure that local communities can best use the $400M in settlement funds we secured to address this crisis. I will continue fighting for public safety by combatting fentanyl traffickers and holding accountable fraudulent businesses that take advantage of consumers. And I will continue to push for and defend common sense gun safety measures, including our state’s “red flag” law which keeps guns out of the hands of those who are a significant risk to themselves or others.

On defending Coloradans’ rights, I will continue to ensure that our elections are secure and that your vote is honored. I will continue to protect our civil rights, including defending the new Reproductive Health Equity Act. And I will continue to protect consumers, including by holding social media giants accountable for practices that harm children’s mental health, our privacy rights, and fair competition.

On protecting our outdoors, I will continue to defend critical air quality and climate protections. And I will protect our water and stand firmly against any reckless proposals that take water from rural communities.

What experience has prepared you for office???

As attorney general, I led national lawsuits to defend Coloradans from illegal conduct by corporate executives, successfully argued before and prevailed at the U.S. Supreme Court to defend Colorado’s election laws, and led the push for stronger criminal justice laws to clamp down on fentanyl traffickers, auto-parts theft, online retail theft, and domestic abusers. I also stood against meritless lawsuits by other state AGs to overturn the 2020 election and fought against baseless legal claims that sought to undermine the rule of law and deprive Coloradans of their healthcare and freedoms.?

Previously, I served as a U.S. Department of Justice official, where I protected consumers and held companies that violated our antitrust laws accountable. I also served in the White House as an advisor on technology and innovation, protecting consumer privacy and advancing access to broadband. I also served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Byron White, working on major federal cases that came before the nation’s highest court. And as Dean and law professor at the University of Colorado, I trained new lawyers and served as the chair of Colorado’s Innovation Council.?

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

John Kellner

• Party: Republican
• Website: https://www.johnkellner.com/
• Mailing address: PO Box 461798, Aurora 80046
• Twitter: @JohnKellnerCO
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellnerForColorado/
• Instagram: @johnkellnerco/

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business administration, finance, Spanish, University of Florida Warrington College of Business; Law degree, University of Colorado?

What are your top three priorities if elected?

There’s no question that our state is reeling from a crime wave. Amid a 25-year high in violent crime, Colorado is also #1 in the country for auto theft and #1 for the increase in property crimes over the last decade. My top priority as attorney general is public safety, ensuring everyone feels safe to raise their kids, go to work, and enjoy the beauty our state offers. Unlike our current attorney general who advocated for catch-and-release policies at the Capitol, I will do everything in my power to advocate for tougher criminal penalties and common-sense statewide policies to stop the revolving door that puts repeat criminals right back out on the street. I will refocus the Office on Colorado and critical issues that need the attorney general’s attention. Instead of prioritizing Colorado, the current attorney general used taxpayer money to advocate for “safe injection sites” in Philadelphia and flew off to Hawaii for a lavish fundraiser. I will prioritize addressing the fentanyl epidemic. It’s a statewide crisis that demands a statewide response, especially as burglaries, robberies and car thefts are increasingly linked to drug users. A solution starts by aggressively prosecuting the organized fentanyl smugglers and dealers who are killing people in our communities, using both the attorney general’s access to the statewide grand jury and partnering with local prosecutors. We must also focus on prevention efforts and educate people – especially kids and young adults – about the deadliness of fentanyl. We have to support our law enforcement officers across the state and I’m proud to have won the endorsement of the Denver Police Protective Association. Most people don’t know that the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board is a unit within the Attorney General’s Office. As attorney general, I will ensure the POST curriculum and standards are modernized so officers are well-trained to handle complex and challenging scenarios. We need an attorney general who understands policing, has worked with police officers, and actually prosecuted the cases brought forward by police.

What experience has prepared you for office?

As a young man I vividly remember seeing the twin towers fall on 9/11 and knowing that I wanted to serve my country. I became an officer in the Marine Corps and served as a judge advocate on active duty for nearly 5 years. Today, I continue to serve in the Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel. In that role, I’ve also gained a breadth of experience as a judge advocate, handling federal and foreign tort claims, law of war and rules of engagement, administrative hearings, federal prosecutions, and military courts-martial. My experience in the military has shaped how I lead my teams, and how I run my office, specifically that you have to lead from the front. A leader has to make tough and often unpopular decisions, including standing up against one’s own party or whoever is governor if they’re wrong – something we haven’t seen from our current attorney general. Just one example: Earlier this year I advocated at the legislature, along with chiefs of police and sheriffs from across Colorado, to oppose a recently passed law that allows convicted felony car thieves and felony drug dealers to possess firearms. Stopping convicted felons from possessing dangerous weapons seems like common sense regardless of which party you are in, yet, our current attorney general wouldn’t stand up to his own party and demand they fix this law. After leaving active military duty, I wanted to serve my community and became a deputy district attorney in Colorado. I earned recognition as the top prosecutor for the entire state and worked my way up in the DA’s office before being elected to represent Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. I currently run the DA’s office for the most populated judicial district in the state, serving over 1 million people, and managing a staff of more than 240 dedicated professionals. As a career prosecutor and DA, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of crime in our communities and the statewide laws and policies that have enabled criminals. Like most of us in law enforcement, I’m tired of fighting crime with one hand tied behind my back. I believe it’s time to restore balance to our state, and to have an advocate for effective public safety policies that will help make Colorado safe again.

Editor’s note: Registration numbers came from the Secretary of State’s database as of May 1, 2022