Weiser, Gonzales take top spots on Colorado’s 2026 Democratic primary ballot
Colorado’s 2026 Democratic primary ballot is nearly set after the party held its state assembly in Pueblo on Saturday.
Attorney General Phil Weiser and state Senator Julie Gonzales took the top spot on the ballot in their races by winning overwhelming majorities on the statewide delegate vote — setting up head-to-head contests for governor and U.S. Senate, respectively, with opponents who skipped the assembly process in favor of qualifying for the ballot through petition signatures.
Phil Weiser
Weiser, a two-term attorney general running for governor, won 90 percent of the delegate vote at the state assembly, and will face U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in the gubernatorial primary.
“I don’t have out-of-state billionaires, I have you,” Weiser told a cheering crowd from the stage in Pueblo. “I am running against Senator Michael Bennet, the candidate of Washington. I am Phil Weiser, the candidate of Colorado.”
Saturday’s assembly concluded a month-long process run by state and local Democratic Party officials, beginning with precinct caucuses on March 3. Candidates must receive at least 30 percent of the assembly delegate vote to qualify for the ballot. Colorado’s 2026 primary election will be held on June 30.
Gonzales, who has launched a primary challenge against incumbent U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, won 74 percent of the more than 1,400 delegates who cast a vote in the Senate race on Saturday. She will face Hickenlooper in a two-way race after another progressive challenger, attorney Karen Breslin, failed to clear the 30 percent delegate threshold.
Colorado Senator and former Governor John Hickenlooper
“Colorado Democrats made clear today that they’re ready for a senator who will actually fight for lower costs, for working families, and against the corporate interests rigging the system,” Gonzales said in a statement. “I’m incredibly grateful to the supporters who showed up to caucus, organized their neighbors, and helped make this milestone possible.”
Bennet and Hickenlooper both submitted nearly 15,000 petition signatures to the secretary of state’s office last month, and their submissions were certified on March 24.
The winners of the Democratic primaries for governor and Senate will be heavily favored to win election in November. Republicans haven’t won a statewide race in Colorado since 2016, and Democrats are widely expected to gain ground at the polls in a favorable midterm election year.
“Colorado Democrats showed up in a big way,” Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said of Saturday’s assembly. “We’re seeing more energy, more participation and a new generation stepping up to lead. From Pueblo to every corner of the state, Democrats are united and ready to win in November.”
Other statewide races
Colorado’s most crowded 2026 primary is the race for attorney general, where two candidates qualified for the ballot through the assembly vote and two others are aiming to qualify by petition.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold - public domain
Secretary of State Jena Griswold narrowly took the top spot on the ballot by winning the assembly vote with 41.8 percent of total delegates on Saturday, edging past progressive legal advocate David Seligman, who received 40.6 percent of the vote.
Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, placed third with 17.6 percent of the vote. But both Dougherty and Hetal Doshi, a former federal prosecutor, have submitted petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. Their submissions have not yet been certified.
In the race to succeed Griswold as secretary of state, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez won nearly two-thirds of delegates in the assembly vote, while state Senator Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge won just under 37 percent of the vote, setting up a head-to-head primary race between Gonzalez and Danielson in June.
In a three-way Democratic race for state treasurer, state Senator Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village was the only candidate to qualify for the primary ballot with over 43 percent of the delegate vote. State Representative Brianna Titone of Arvada fell just short of the qualification threshold with 29.1 percent of delegates, while financial consultant John Mikos received 27 percent support.
Congressional races
Democrats also held district-level assemblies to nominate candidates for Congress on Friday.
In Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, 15-term incumbent U.S. Representative Diana DeGette of Denver narrowly avoided a failure to qualify for the primary ballot, winning 32.8 percent of the delegate vote. Her challenger, attorney and Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros, took the top spot on the ballot with 67 percent of the vote.
“This victory happened because of the nurses, teachers, baristas, renters, and organizers who built this campaign from the ground up,” Kiros said in a press release. “The fight for a Denver where healthcare is a right, housing is affordable, and your representative answers to you, continues. And tonight, we are closer than we have ever been.”
A third Democratic candidate in the 1st District, University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, has said she aims to petition onto the ballot.
Joe Neguse
Colorado’s three other incumbent Democratic House members — Representatives Joe Neguse of Lafayette, Jason Crow of Highlands Ranch and Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood — are unopposed and qualified for the primary ballot Friday.
In the 3rd District, currently represented by GOP Representative Jeff Hurd of Grand Junction, Democrats Alex Kelloff and Dwayne Romero both qualified for the ballot through the assembly. Two other Democrats, Jessica Killin and Joe Reagan, qualified in the 5th District, currently held by GOP Representative Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs.
In Colorado’s battleground 8th District, where first-term Republican Representative Gabe Evans is considered one of the country’s most vulnerable House incumbents, Democratic state Representative Manny Rutinel qualified through the assembly process. He will face former state Representative Shannon Bird and private equity consultant Evan Munsing, who have both qualified for the ballot through petitions, in a three-way primary.
An assembly for Colorado’s 4th District — where Democrats Trisha Calvarese and Eileen Laubacher are vying for the chance to take on Representative Lauren Boebert, in a contest that led to an unsuccessful legal challenge against Laubacher’s eligibility — is scheduled for April 2.
