Colorado attorney general launches bid for governor
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) announced Thursday he’s running for governor in 2026 to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis (D).
“There are many reasons why I’m running to lead this state I love, but the biggest reason is simple: I’m committed to fighting for the people of Colorado,” Weiser wrote in a multipost thread on the social platform X.
“As your Attorney General, I’ve shown up in every county, listened to you, and gotten results,” he wrote in the thread. “That’s how we make life better for all Coloradans. And there is more work to do to make Colorado a more affordable place to live, defend our freedoms & protect our land, air, and water.”
Prior to his time as Colorado attorney general for two terms, Weiser was the dean at the University of Colorado Law School, served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and clerked for former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
A Magellan Strategies poll released last month, which surveyed 630 registered Democratic and unaffiliated voters for the Colorado gubernatorial Democratic primary, found Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) leading the pack of potential contenders at 20 percent, followed by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold at 16 percent, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and former Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar at 11 percent and Weiser at 8 percent.
Close to 40 percent said they were undecided, while 8 percent said they back another candidate. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
The last time a Republican was elected as governor in Colorado was in 2002, when Republican Bill Owens won reelection.