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Colorado gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 30 Democratic primary)
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← 2022
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| Governor of Colorado |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 18, 2026 |
| Primary: June 30, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Colorado executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A Democratic Party primary takes place on June 30, 2026, in Colorado to determine which candidate will earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026.
In Colorado, the gubernatorial nominee is selected in the primary. The gubernatorial nominee then chooses a lieutenant gubernatorial running mate, and they run together on a single ticket in the general election.
This page focuses on Colorado's Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Colorado's Republican gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Colorado gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 30 Republican primary)
- Colorado gubernatorial election, 2026
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado on June 30, 2026.
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Resistance. In hindsight I see, that it as among the central characteristics of my very being. Now, seeing the reasons of having fought a lifetime against injustice, inequality, and why I've stood so firmly in compassion and love as the guiding force of my purpose. My past, as rocky as the mtn's that lay guard upon our state, I've learned endurance, resilience, and patience. The epitome of integrity. Knowing first-hand, the challenges facing the most desperate and needy within our communities. Those left-out, unheard, and unrepresented. Left-out, of plans and gains of the billionaire society and corporations now gradually developing a total dependence upon their industries while simultaneously dismantling our independence. Establishment candidates, division candidates , and corporate pawns. Those are who I'm running against. Those that would allow surveillance industries into Colorado at the cost of gradual encroachments against our constitutionally guaranteed protections. Govt overreach having turned the eye of transparency upon the citizens, as tyrannical oligarchs make capital gains by encroaching upon our sovereignty and liberty. The orchestrated illusion of political spectrums has divided us far long enough! We must unite and awaken to the real threat and counter advancements of financially driven technocrats . Foundations first! Family, education, small business, and individual resources! Equal access distribution and bridges."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I am an Honorably Discharged and retired Lt Colonel from the U.S. Air Force. I have served the American people throughout my adult life which allowed me to become one of a few that possessed the launch keys to our nuclear deterrence missile force. Additionally, I have served as a Certified Logistics Management Specialist supporting our allies abroad. I find great pride in my community life to be an Honorary Member of the County Sheriffs of Colorado; raised as a Master Mason of the Free & Accepted Masons; a past Adjunct Professor in the Business Department of DeVry University; Ordained as a Baptist Deacon at the Eight Street Missionary Baptist Church in Pueblo, CO; and received my bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona with emphasis in Law Enforcement and my master's degree from Webster University with concentration in Public Administration. I am married to Dr. Vannessa E. Moses and the proud father of three--Keturah, Wiliam Fitzgerald and Antoinette Mechelle Moses. My decision to run for governor is not a whim, nor for self-aggrandizement or personal gain. I am the product of a family of Civil Rights activism and raised to be empathetic to those that struggle. I have tried to house those homeless, feed those that are hungry, but yet contribute to the betterment of all and contribute to the betterment of my home, community, and state."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Colorado
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado's 1st | Diana DeGette | D+29 |
| Colorado's 2nd | Joe Neguse | D+20 |
| Colorado's 3rd | Jeff Hurd | R+5 |
| Colorado's 4th | Lauren Boebert | R+9 |
| Colorado's 5th | Jeff Crank | R+5 |
| Colorado's 6th | Jason Crow | D+11 |
| Colorado's 7th | Brittany Pettersen | D+8 |
| Colorado's 8th | Gabe Evans | EVEN |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  |
Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado's 1st | 77.0% | 21.0% |
| Colorado's 2nd | 69.0% | 29.0% |
| Colorado's 3rd | 44.0% | 54.0% |
| Colorado's 4th | 40.0% | 58.0% |
| Colorado's 5th | 44.0% | 53.0% |
| Colorado's 6th | 58.0% | 39.0% |
| Colorado's 7th | 56.0% | 41.0% |
| Colorado's 8th | 48.0% | 50.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 59.6% of Coloradans lived in one of the state's 21 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 35.8% lived in one of 39 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Colorado was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Colorado following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Colorado county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 21 | 59.6% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 39 | 35.8% | |||||
| Battleground Republican | 1 | 2.9% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 2 | 1.4% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 1 | 0.3% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 23 | 61.0% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 41 | 39.0% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Colorado presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 14 Democratic wins
- 18 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Colorado.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Colorado
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Colorado.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Colorado's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Republican | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 8 | 10 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Colorado's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Jared Polis |
| Lieutenant Governor | Dianne Primavera |
| Secretary of State | Jena Griswold |
| Attorney General | Phil Weiser |
State legislature
Colorado State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 23 | |
| Republican Party | 12 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Colorado House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 43 | |
| Republican Party | 22 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | |
Trifecta control
Colorado Party Control: 1992-2025
Thirteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
The table below details demographic data in Colorado and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Colorado | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | United States | |
| Population | 5,773,714 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 103,636 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 73.5% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 4% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 3.2% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 12.7% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 22.2% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.8% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 44.7% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $92,470 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 9.4% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for Colorado | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,448,819 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 103,642 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 84.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 21.1% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 38.1% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $60,629 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.5% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Colorado
Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Colorado, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[1]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Colorado had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Colorado
- United States congressional delegations from Colorado
- Public policy in Colorado
- Endorsers in Colorado
- Colorado fact checks
- More...
See also
| Colorado | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
