Colorado Politics

 Progressive Democrats, traditional Republicans secure state House victories in Colorado

With ballots still being counted, results from Tuesday’s primary election remained up in the air for several candidates for the Colorado General Assembly. Still, the preliminary results as of Wednesday morning showed progressive Democrats had a good night, as did...

 5 takeaways from Colorado’s shocker of a 2026 primary election

Voters in Colorado’s Democratic primary on Tuesday night mostly let their elected officials know that they’re fed up with the party’s Washington politicians and ready to back the most aggressive fighters they can find. At the same time, the voters...

 Melat Kiros shocks 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette, winning Colorado’s 1st CD Democratic primary

In the equivalent of a political earthquake, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated 15-term U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Denver-based 1st Congressional District primary, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night. The Associated Press called the race at 10:03...

 Dwayne Romero wins Democratic primary, will face Republican Jeff Hurd in Colorado’s 3rd CD

Democrat Dwayne Romero has defeated challenger Alex Kelloff in the primary in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd fended off a challenge from a former state lawmaker, according to The Associated Press. In returns posted at...

 Democrat Jessica Killin claims victory in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District primary

Jessica Killin walked out to the song American Girl in a bright red dress to claim victory in the democratic primary race for Congressional District 5 at a hotel in downtown Colorado Springs on Election Day. She beat her fellow...

 Incumbents lead in Arapahoe County commissioner race

Both incumbents on the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners appear to be winning the Democratic primary election, according to the early and unofficial tally on Tuesday night. In District 2, incumbent Jessica Campbell is leading Angela Garland by 34 points,...

 Colorado voters pick state Senate primary winners

Colorado voters on Tuesday night picked winners in the Republican and Democratic primaries in an election that will shape the contests in the general election later this year. The eventual winners will join the Colorado General Assembly in January 2026....

 John Hickenlooper fends off challenge from Julie Gonzales in Colorado’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper defeated progressive challenger state Sen. Julie Gonzales Tuesday in Colorado’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, notching a win for one of the state’s most enduring politicians on a night when voters appeared to be fed up with...

 Allen wins Republican primary for attorney general

Michael Allen has defeated David Willson in the Republican primary for attorney general, according to The Associated Press. Allen received just over 60% of the vote, according to the secretary of state’s website. Allen will face Democrat Jena Griswold in...

 Manny Rutinel defeats Shannon Bird in Colorado’s 8th CD Democratic primary, will face Gabe Evans

State Rep. Manny Rutinel ran away with the Democratic nomination in Colorado’s most competitive congressional district on Tuesday, defeating former state Rep. Shannon Bird in the primary in Colorado’s 8th CD, where he will face Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans...

 Amanda Gonzalez ahead in Democratic primary for Secretary of State

Amanda Gonzalez is leading Sen. Jessie Danielson in the Democratic primary for Secretary of State, according to the Secretary of State’s website.  As of 8:15 p.m., Gonzalez had 62.72% of the vote, while Danielson had 37.28%. Gonzalez, an election attorney,...

 Barb Kirkmeyer takes lead over Marx, Bottoms in Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial primary

State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer jumped out to an early lead over ministry leader Victor Marx and state lawmaker Scott Bottoms in Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial primary as initial returns posted Tuesday night. In returns posted shortly after polls closed, Kirkmeyer secured...

 Democrat Irene Bonham wins to face Republican nominee for Douglas County commissioner

Democratic voters in Douglas County picked Irene Bonham as their nominee for Douglas County commissioner representing District 1 after she faced no opposition in her party’s primary election. Bonham received 35,653 votes cast in the Democratic primary, according to an...

 Key state House races in Colorado: Sean Camacho, Iris Halpern neck-and-neck; Rep. Mandy Lindsay trails

• In House District 6, Rep. Sean Camacho and civil rights attorney Iris Halpern are neck-and-neck • In House District 9, Monica Van Buskirk leads by a wide margin against Neal Walia • In House District 33, Rep. Kenny Van...

 Jake Bockenfeld wins Republican primary for DougCo commissioner

Douglas County voters elected Jake Bockenfeld as the Republican nominee for Douglas County commissioner representing District 1 over Republican challenger John Diak, based on early and unofficial returns posted after polls closed Tuesday night. Bockenfeld led Diak by 11 points,...

 Jena Griswold beats 3 rivals to win Colorado’s Democratic attorney general primary

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold won the Democratic nomination for attorney general Tuesday night, leading a field of three primary opponents by a wide margin. Four Democrats were on the ballot for the office held by term-limited Democratic Attorney...

 Phil Weiser defeats Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary

Attorney General Phil Weiser took an early lead over three-term U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary and held onto it, defeating the state’s longest-serving senator in more than 50 years to win a nomination that’s likely to...

 Colorado primary election results: Melat Kiros leads Dianne DeGette in congressional race; Phil Weiser leads Michael Bennet for governor

Here are the early, unofficial results as of 7 p.m. • In the governor’s race, Phil Weiser, the current attorney general, is leading U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary, while Barbara Kirkmeyer, a state senator, is ahead of...

 Supreme Court rules states can count late-arriving mailed ballots, rejecting Trump-led challenge

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day, a persistent target of President Donald Trump. The 5-4 decision rejected a Republican-led attack on laws in more than half the...

 Colorado Supreme Court: Redistricting plans for 2028 election cannot proceed under state constitution

The Colorado Supreme Court blocked all attempts at redrawing congressional district boundaries for the 2028 election from reaching the ballot on Monday, concluding each of the proposed ballot measures violated the constitutional single-subject requirement. The court considered five distinct but...

 Understanding Trump’s remarkable political comeback in 2024 | Cronin and Loevy

President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. He inspired a riot at the U.S. Capitol to try to overthrow the results of that election. He was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives and later was indicted for several...

 Crank challenger Jessica Killin signs on to new centrist Democratic group’s ‘Promise to America’

Jessica Killin, one of the Democrats running in Tuesday’s primary for the chance to challenge U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, joined with more than a dozen incumbent Democratic lawmakers and candidates this week signing on to...

 Who’s spending in Colorado to get your vote?

Groups that raise unlimited amounts of money have spent about $20 million in May and June to try and influence Colorado voters’ choices in the upcoming June 30 primaries. By law, these groups cannot coordinate with the candidates they support....

 Phil Weiser leading Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, internal poll finds

Attorney General Phil Weiser holds a lead over U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet among likely voters less than a week before ballots are due in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to a new poll released Thursday by a group backing Weiser....

 Colorado’s ‘right to natural gas’ measure submits signatures to qualify for November ballot

A natural-gas rights initiative backed by Advance Colorado is likely headed to the November ballot, triggering a parallel campaign by environmental groups seeking to impose new liabilities on oil and gas operators. Petitions for Initiative No. 177 were turned in...

 Colorado’s primary turnout tops 10% as election officials warn it’s too late to mail ballots

Colorado election officials cautioned on Tuesday that it’s too late to mail ballots for the June 30 primary and urged voters to use drop boxes and their county’s voting centers instead. Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a release...

 Rural frustration, parental rights shape Scott Bottoms’ pitch ahead of Colorado’s gubernatorial primaries

With just weeks before Colorado’s June primary, Republican gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Scott Bottoms is spending nearly all his time on the road — literally crisscrossing the Western Slope and Eastern Plains — in a final push to connect with...

 Registered voters on the eve of the 2026 primaries | Cronin & Loevy

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has published the latest voter registration figures for the state and its counties as of June. Colorado ranks among the highest states for independent, or unaffiliated, voters. Only Alaska and Massachusetts have more. New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine  and Oregon also rank highly.  So here...

 Democratic candidates DeGette, Kiros and James clash in CD1 forum

The three Democratic candidates for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District clashed on Friday night over a host of issues, even as they expressed frustration with their party. The candidates — U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, doctoral student Melat Kiros and university regent...

 Rep. Jeff Crank thinks Democrats are too focused on Trump, not enough on Colorado Springs | Vince Bzdek

For U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, who’s unopposed in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District but the main target of both candidates in the lively Democratic primary, the big question in the midterms is not who will stand up...