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All voter registration statistics are as of Oct. 1, 2022, and provided by the Secretary of State. Redistricting commission ratings for congressional districts are based on election performance in the 2016 U.S. Senate and presidential races, the four top statewide election results in 2018, and the 2020 presidential and Senate election results. Some experts believe those numbers may overestimate Democratic advantage by as much as 5%.

Republicans are hoping to end a drought in major statewide races this year in Colorado, where the GOP hasn’t notched a statewide win since 2014.

The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet is ranked among the most competitive in the country this year. Going into the election, the chamber is evenly divided, with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie-breaking vote, so if either party nets one seat, it would shift the balance of power.

The congressional races profiled in this voter guide are considered to be the most competitive and could determine control of U.S. House, where Republicans need to flip five seats to take the gavel from Democrats.

GOVERNOR

Democrat Jared Polis, a former five-term congressman from Boulder, is seeking a second term. Republican Heidi Ganahl of Lone Tree, a University of Colorado regent at-large, is challenging him.

Statewide voter registration: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999

DEMOCRAT

Gov. Jared Polis

• Phone number: (970) 921-9779
• Email: info@polisforcolorado.com
• Website: https://polisforcolorado.com/
• Mailing address: PO Box 36006, Denver CO 80236
• Twitter handle: @polisforco and @jaredpolis
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PolisForColorado/
• Instagram: @jaredpolis
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics, Princeton University

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

As governor, I am focused on doing what’s right for Colorado. We have kept Colorado moving forward through tough times, but there is more hard work ahead, which is why it’s nearly impossible to name one program. Over the next four years, I will keep delivering on the issues that matter most to Coloradans. We will continue to create more opportunities for Coloradans by growing good jobs and ensuring people hold onto more of their hard earned money. We will bring housing costs down by reducing regulations and barriers to new housing. We will continue to strengthen our response to wildfires, preserve our clean air and water, and protect our future from climate change. We will protect our families from violence and crime, and continue expanding our freedoms so Coloradans can choose to lead the life each person wants to live. There are more challenges headed our way, but I am committed to making sure Colorado’s brightest days are ahead.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

One of my administration’s top priorities is cutting costs and helping Coloradans keep more of the money they earn. We’ve proven that this administration can deliver cuts on major costs for Coloradans by capping the cost of insulin, saving families money with free kindergarten, and cutting taxes for thousands of small businesses and completely eliminating state tax on social security income for seniors. We will continue to take immediate action to save people money, while reducing the cost of major expenses like education, healthcare, and housing.

Crime is unacceptable and I have a plan to improve public safety across Colorado. We are helping local police and sheriff departments hire, train and retain law enforcement officers, while also increasing penalties for trafficking fentanyl and other serious crimes.

We must also do more to prevent crime from happening in the first place by improving Colorado’s behavioral health response, early intervention and diversion, addiction recovery, and programs to reduce recidivism.

Thirdly, we remain committed to our aggressive climate goals, including putting Colorado on a path towards lower cost, reliable clean energy with a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040. We are working to improve our air quality for Coloradans by spurring the transition to lower cost renewable energy, while improving Colorado’s response to wildfires and other climate threats.

REPUBLICAN

Heidi Ganahl

• Phone number: 720-805-8683
• Email: Heidi@heidiforgov.com
• Website: www.heidiforgov.com
• Mailing address: Heidi for Governor, P.O. BOX 754, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
• Twitter handle: @heidiganahl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heidiganahl
• Instagram: @heidiganahl
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing, University of Colorado Boulder; Master’s degree in healthcare administration, University of Denver

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

The first thing I will do is replace as many people on the various boards and commissions throughout our state as possible. We have bureaucrats who hate farmers and ranchers sitting on the very boards that oversee those industries. We have parole board members who refuse to enforce truth in sentencing and are contributing to our horrible recidivism rate. We cannot continue to use these powerful positions as an avenue of political activism. I will also undo as many executive orders as possible. I will start by ending our health executive order, which was used to lockdown and mandate Coloradans.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

Crime, cost of living, and kids.

Colorado’s crime wave was brought on by soft on crime policies that prioritize criminals. I will return to law and order by appointing judges who respect truth in sentencing and replacing parole board members who do not. I will end our sanctuary state status, which will help stop the flow of fentanyl. I will make possession of any amount of this deadly poison a felony. And, I will give law enforcement the resources they need.

I will lower our inflation rate and cost of living by reigning in our government bloat and record high spending. I will get our energy workers back to work and embrace an all-of-the above approach.

Finally, our kids are in crisis. We need to give power back to parents in a powerful partnership with teachers. We need to ensure transparency in curriculum. And, we need to provide real school choice.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Democrat Phil Weiser is seeking a second term. His Republican challenger is John Kellner, a first-term district attorney in the 18th Judicial District, covering Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.

Statewide voter registration numbers: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999 

DEMOCRAT

Attorney General Phil Weiser

• 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: https://www.instagram.com/philforcolorado/
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, Swarthmore College (PA); Law degree, New York University School of Law

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

I will work to protect victims, advance public safety, and combat fentanyl. My office has held accountable those who harm victims – including drug cartels, human traffickers, and clergy who prey on children – and enforced the Victims Rights Act. I also secured over $520 million for Colorado from big pharmaceutical companies to address the opioid crisis and am working around the state to ensure these funds are invested effectively. I will continue to support improving police recruitment and retention, providing better mental health services for law enforcement, and improving officer training, investing effectively the millions I fought for at the legislature. And I will continue to advocate for and advance responsible gun safety laws – implementing Colorado’s red flag law, encouraging safe gun storage, and ensuring domestic abusers cannot access firearms.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

My top priorities are defending the rights of all Coloradans; improving public safety; and protecting our land, air, and water. First, I will continue to protect consumers and defend our civil rights, including access to affordable, safe abortion care. On protecting consumers, I have recovered over $230 million for Coloradans defrauded by irresponsible actors, including an $8.4 million action against CenturyLink for misleading fees. On public safety, I will continue to bring complex, organized crime cases, including prosecuting drug cartels, and push for sound legislation, such as laws passed recently to combat catalytic converter theft and provide resources to fight fentanyl. Lastly, I will continue to defend our air quality, protect our water, and take on polluters.

REPUBLICAN

18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner

• Phone: 703-474-8259
• Email: info@johnkellner.com
• Website: https://www.johnkellner.com/
• Mailing address: PO Box 461798, Aurora 80046
• Twitter: @KellnerforCO
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellnerForColorado/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnkellnerco/
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business administration, finance, Spanish, University of Florida Warrington College of Business; Law degree, University of Colorado?

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

My first program when elected will be Building A Safer Colorado For All. Through this, we will fight Colorado’s crime wave, which has hit a 25-year high and will work to implement tougher penalties for repeat offenders. We will also stand up for Colorado’s citizens by taking the fight against the deadly poison Fentanyl to the federal government, if necessary, regardless of which political party is in power.

We will support our law enforcement officers in giving them access to the best possible training available and we will help Colorado recover from the one hundred million dollars in fraudulent unemployment claims. Now, hard working Coloradans are forced to foot the bill of replenishing the unemployment fund. We will fight to hold the scammers and fraudsters accountable. Together, we will Build a Safer Colorado For All.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

I will fight to turn the Colorado Crimewave around through these three priorities: Supporting Common Sense Public Safety Laws. It is not common sense to support any legislation that would decriminalize Fentanyl and through these types of failed policies, the fentanyl overdose rate in Colorado has spiked to the second highest in the nation. We need to put tougher penalties in effect for any amount of fentanyl.

This brings us to the second priority, which is tackling trafficking of fentanyl and addressing the issue of it flowing through our southern borders.

Lastly, I will do all I can to protect our states water and our rights to it. Agriculture and Ranching are important parts of Colorado’s economic infrastructure and without water, they can no longer produce their crops and livestock. We are facing some big discussions when it comes to the Colorado Water Compact in the coming years and it is a priority of mine to continue to learn all I can about it and preserving Colorado’s water sources.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Democrat Jena Griswold of Louisville is seeking a second term. Republican Pam Anderson of Wheat Ridge, a former Jefferson County clerk, is challenging her.

Statewide voter registration numbers: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999

DEMOCRAT

Secretary of State Jena Griswold

• Phone: 720-739-1274
• Email: jena@jenaforcolorado.com
• Website: www.jenaforcolorado.com
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 270218, Louisville, CO 80027
• Twitter: @JenaGriswold
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jenaforcolorado
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenagriswold/
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in politics and Spanish literature, Whitman College; Law School, University of Pennsylvania

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

Colorado’s elections are the nation’s gold standard for security and access. As Secretary of State, I have made voting more accessible for all Coloradans, but we must always continue to innovate. In a second term, I will continue to protect the right to vote of every eligible person and increase election access. We hope to further expand Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), which has already registered over 350,000 eligible Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated voters and increased our election security.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

First, ensuring that Colorado’s elections continue to be safe and secure, and that our security evolves with new emerging threats.

Second, expanding voting access. As Secretary of State, I will always prioritize ensuring that eligible Coloradans have access to voting.

And finally modernization. Keeping Colorado’s elections and business services up-to-date is essential to ensuring they’re both secure and accessible.

REPUBLICAN

Pam Anderson

• Email: andersonforsos@gmail.com
• Website: www.andersonforsos.com
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 1916, Wheat Ridge, CO 80034
• Twitter: @andersoncosos
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AndersonCOSoS
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andersoncosos
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in History, California Lutheran University and University of Colorado-Denver; Master’s degree in Public Administration, University of Colorado-Denver

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

Restore confidence and trust for all Coloradans.

We need to restore trust in the Secretary of State’s office. If elected, my first step I will take will be to establish a Professional Code of Ethics to eliminate the hyper-partisanship and politics that have eroded trust. I will insulate the professional staff from political influence and restore focus on the mission of the agency to serve Coloradans as a fair referee without bias. I will increase transparency and eliminate the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements for departing personnel. I will also work in a bipartisan way with the legislature, on behalf of all voters, to pass legislation that will prohibit elected officials from using public funds for ads with any candidate’s image, couched as voter outreach. Finally, I will institute a Citizen Election Academy that will provide Coloradans an opportunity to take some of the same courses that election officials do and incentivize and encourage citizens to learn about and participate in democracy as a trained election official.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

Increase the reimbursement for federal and state elections to the counties that currently are severely underfunded. The funding amount the Secretary of State is supposed to reimburse to counties following each statewide election have not changed since 2012. It is critical to support voters’ choices, access, and integrity by supporting public funding of elections. My opponent promised to address this in 2019. Not only has she broken her commitment to support county and local government for years, but she has also initiated several under-funded mandates in the General Assembly that have increased the cost of our elections, while taking full credit for the work. 

My opponent has siphoned over $4 million in federal funds (over 50% of the COVID relief funds) for television ads that should be used to directly support secure and accessible elections administered by the county clerks. This has either taken the place or delayed critical projects for years. I will audit that spending and realign the priorities away from investment in politics and restoring the mission of accessible and safe elections. I will require and advocate that no less than 75% of any federal funding are applied directly to support the operations and mandated programs.

I will restore stability in leadership for the agency. Over the last four years, there has been three Deputy Secretaries of State, four Chiefs of Staff, at least four Communication Directors, and three Legislative liaisons. This lack of leadership is just one measure of the poor performance that impacts our voters, businesses, charities and nonprofits all over the state. As a former county clerk and business owner, I will use my Masters in Public Administration to bring my proven record of professionalism to prioritize the focus on the service and mission of the agency, and lead with that in mind and not prioritize my political career. I believe the Secretary of State’s office is a serious job, and is a destination, not a stepping stone.

STATE TREASURER

Democrat Dave Young, a former state lawmaker from Greeley, is seeking a second term. Republican Lang Sias, a state lawmaker from Arvada, is challenging him.

Statewide voter registration numbers: Democrats: 1,045,459 Republicans: 935,045 Unaffiliated: 1,710,800 Total active voters: 3,759,999

DEMOCRAT

State Treasurer Dave Young

• Phone: 970-573-6302
• Email: dave@daveyoungforcolorado.com
• Website: https://www.daveyoungforcolorado.com/
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 58, Greeley80632-0058
• Twitter: @DaveYoungCO
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaveYoungForColorado
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daveyoungforco/
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Colorado State University; Master’s degree in information & learning technologies, University of Colorado-Denver

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

The first program I will work on will be the Colorado SecureSavings program. This program will help one million Coloradans working in the private sector save for a sustainable and dignified retirement, while saving taxpayers nearly $18 billion over the next 15 years. We are launching the pilot program this October and will roll out officially in January.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

My top priority if reelected is to protect tax-payer dollars and ensure we are making smart, safe, and transparent investments that help all Coloradans.

Second, is to return over $1 billion in unclaimed property to the people of Colorado. So far in my term, we have returned over $143 million in unclaimed property to almost 90,000 Coloradans. We accomplished this by clearing the backlog of claims, simplifying the claims process, and launching a program that proactively returns funds.

And third, is to continue to build on the Colorado SecureSavings Program as well as the CLIMBER program, which helps local businesses recover from the pandemic and fight inflation. The program invests nearly $250 million in small business loans to ensure companies can keep staff, raise wages, and keep their doors open.

REPUBLICAN

Former state Rep. Lang Sias, R-Arvada

• Phone: 720-727-1575
• Email: siasforcoloradotreasurer@gmail.com
• Website: https://siasforcolorado.com/
• Mailing address: PO Box 2646, Denver 80205
• Twitter: @LangSias
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siascotreasurer
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siascotreasurer/
• Education: Bachelor’s degree, Vassar College; Master’s degree, London School of Economics; Law degree, University of Michigan Law School

What’s the first program you’ll work on if elected?

Single-party rule has driven Colorado’s cost of living far too high. Compared to the beginning of 2021, our average family is paying over $950 more each month, just to maintain their standard of living. That leads the nation. We need checks and balances. I will restore balance to our statewide economic leadership. This isn’t about one program, it’s about leadership and an efficient mindset that prioritizes taxpayers.

What are your top three priorities for the office?

1. Work with anyone, from either party, committed to lowering costs for families and small businesses. I’ll advocate for rigorous cost-benefit analysis of major economic regulations, and transparency and accountability for the actual results of spending. I will also defend our right to vote on tax increases and tax refunds. My opponent used the Treasurer’s office to try and abolish our TABOR tax refunds, including the $750 you just received, forever. I believe TABOR helps hold our politicians accountable.

2. As a PERA Board member, work to improve PERA’s financial position, while balancing the interests of PERA members and taxpayers. I was a leader in passing 2018 bipartisan reforms that averted disaster for PERA members, taxpayers and the state – reforms my opponent voted against. The reforms put PERA on a better trajectory, but it will take responsible leadership to achieve 100% funding.

3. Efficiently oversee Treasury department programs, focusing on saving taxpayer dollars. My opponent has been exaggerating the success and prospects of programs he manages, and has inflated the size of his department by nearly 50% since 2019.