PUEBLO | 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 Sen. 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.
Weiser, a two-term attorney general running for governor, won 90% of the delegate vote at the state assembly, and will face U.S. Sen. 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 at Pueblo’s Memorial Hall. “I am running against Sen. 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% 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. Sen. John Hickenlooper, won 74% 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% delegate threshold.
“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.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold narrowly took the top spot on the ballot by winning the assembly vote with 41.8% of total delegates on Saturday, edging past progressive legal advocate David Seligman, who received 40.6% of the vote.
Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, placed third with 17.6% 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 Sen. Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge won just under 37% 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 Sen. Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village was the only candidate to qualify for the primary ballot with over 43% of the delegate vote. State Rep. Brianna Titone of Arvada fell just short of the qualification threshold with 29.1% of delegates, while financial consultant John Mikos received 27% 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. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver narrowly avoided a failure to qualify for the primary ballot, winning 32.8% of the delegate vote. Her challenger, attorney and Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros, took the top spot on the ballot with 67% 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.
Colorado’s three other incumbent Democratic House members — Reps. 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 Rep. 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 Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs.
In Colorado’s battleground 8th District, where first-term Republican Rep. Gabe Evans is considered one of the country’s most vulnerable House incumbents, Democratic state Rep. Manny Rutinel qualified through the assembly process. He will face former state Rep. 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 Rep. Lauren Boebert, in a contest that led to an unsuccessful legal challenge against Laubacher’s eligibility — is scheduled for April 2.