A bipartisan board signed off the City and County of Denvers Primary election results Friday morning, officially finalizing all results and bringing the election to a formal close with certification from the Denver Clerk and Recorder.

We have the party chairs from the Republican and Democratic parties come in, and they go over the results of every ballot that was cast, and we look at all of them to make sure there are no discrepancies, Sabrina Allie, City and County of Denver deputy clerk and recorder, told Denver7. It's a really great system that we have here in Colorado where we can audit everything that comes into us and ensure that every ballot that is cast is properly vetted, and we check all of that with a bipartisan team from each party.

Watch this story in the video player below:

The certification of Denver's Primary Election came just a day after President Donald Trump gave an address to the nation where he made claims about vulnerabilities within U.S. election systems. Trump also claimed China interfered in the 2020 election, though he did not provide specific evidence for such claims.

Our elections in Denver are incredibly secure. They're incredibly accurate, and we audit them so that we can prove that," Allie said.

She added Denver is the national gold standard in the country because of the way we do elections in Colorado.

"We have paper ballots. We are auditing them to make sure that they are correctly counted by our machines, and we do that with bipartisan teams to reassure the public, Allie said, as she encouraged people to go to the denvervotes.org website to check out all of the information about how Denver's voting process works.

"We also encourage people to come down and take a tour of the facility and learn all about the process," she said." You can see every single part of it.

Registered Denver voters will begin receiving their ballots for the November election 22 days before Election Day.

Shontel Lewis has filed the paperwork to run for Denver mayor in a crowded field of candidates for the 2027 election, according to the Denver Clerk and Recorder's Office.

There are currently eight other candidates, none of which are current Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. In the pool of candidates is Denver native Lisa Caldern who is once again running after losing to Johnston in 2023.

Lewis was elected to represent District 8 on Denver City Council in 2023, making her one of the first two openly black LGBTQ+ members on the council. Denver City Council members can serve up to three consecutive terms of four years each, and Lewis is only in her first term.

She previously served as a vice president at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and as an elected director on the Regional Transportation District (RTD) board.

Lewis was born and raised in the Five Points neighborhood, according to her Denver City Council bio. She graduated Manual High School and the University of Colorado Denver. She went from being a student in Denver Public Schools (DPS) to becoming a director at DPS. Lewis now has two sons one college-aged student and one toddler.

The Municipal Election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, 2027.

DENVER  Colorado's 8th Congressional District race between Democrat Manny Rutinel and Republican incumbent Gabe Evans is drawing national attention as one of the most competitive and closely watched races in the country.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has selected Rutinel as one of 44 candidates it is backing through its "Red to Blue" campaign, a program designed to flip Republican-held seats to Democratic control.

But Republicans say the endorsement will not change the outcome of the race, expressing confidence that voters will reject Rutinel's platform.

"Meatless Manny Rutinel wants to end animal agriculture, eradicate fossil fuels, and let criminals roam free," said GOP spokesperson Zach Bannon in a statement. "While DC Democrats may endorse Rutinel's radical agenda, hardworking Coloradans will resoundingly reject far-left liberal Manny Rutinel this fall."

Lindsay Reilly of the DCCC said Rutinel's background helps him understand the challenges facing Colorado families.

"Manny Rutinel is the son of a single working mom, a single immigrant woman. He knows the challenges that Colorado families are facing, and I think he has a story that really resonates, and he already has a record in the state legislature of working to lower costs," Reilly said.

Political experts, including the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, list the 8th Congressional District race as a toss-up.

Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in Congress, 218-to-212 with four vacancies. The DCCC says it is confident it will flip the House to Democratic control in November.

HUDSON, Colo. A defunct correctional facility in Weld County is set to become the second U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in the state of Colorado, after GEO Group officials announced Monday they had signed a multiyear contract with the Trump administration to expand their foothold in the Centennial State.

The long-awaited agreement, which Denver7 first reported on last year, will add about 1,200 beds to the more than 1,500 beds already in operation at the ICE detention facility in Aurora.

Denver7 reporter Maggie Bryan went to Hudson to get community reaction. Watch her report in the video below:

Located about 30 miles northeast of Denver, the former Big Horn Correctional Facility in Hudson operated for about five years before shutting down in 2014.

The facility is owned by Chicago-based Highlands Real Estate Investment Trust and is expected to generate about $85 million in annual revenue in the first full year of operations, according to a news release from GEO Group.

We expect that our company-leased Big Horn Facility in Colorado will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace, said GEO Group CEO and founder George C. Zoley in a prepared statement. We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to assist the federal government in meeting its immigration enforcement priorities.

The Town of Hudson responded to the agreement in a two-page community update on Monday, stressing the town does not have authority to approve or block federal immigration detention operations at the site because it is privately owned by Highlands REIT.

Town leaders said they have not received several key details from federal agencies, including when operations could begin, how many detainees or staff may be involved, potential traffic impacts, utility demands, or emergency service needs. Town officials acknowledged residents have strong opinions about the proposed detention operations and said their focus will remain on transparency, public safety, and protecting local resources.

Hudson Town Councilmember Zachary Reyes told Denver7 in an emailed statement he believes the town is prepared for the amount of water and wastewater the facility will use, and said he expects transparency from facility operators.

"I would greatly appreciate the operators of the facility to have transparency with the residents of Hudson as well as an off hands approach when it comes to federal law enforcement with the residents of Hudson," said Reyes.

Speaking to Denver7 last year about plans to expand immigration detention capacity in Colorado, both the towns mayor and manager said they were apolitical about ICEs presence in their jurisdiction.

"We are a small population of 1,650 people, so to think we would be able to move the needle one way or the other with an ICE facility coming here, it's just not realistic," said Hudson Town Manager Bryce Lange.

Tim Macdonald, the legal director of American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, said the nonprofit was disappointed about the signed contract between the GEO Group and ICE.

"Everyone across our state ought to be troubled that our federal tax money are going to this for-profit company that has an incentive to push a mass deportation agenda," said Macdonald.

He said the nonprofit has spent the past 18 months requesting records from ICE to learn more about plans to convert the Hudson Correctional Facility into an ICE detention center.

"We had to sue them to get documents about their plans at at the Hudson facility and to expand immigration detention here in Colorado, and they fought us every step of the way," he said.

Last year, the ACLU obtained documents showing several companies had submitted pitches to convert five other facilities to detention sites: Two in Colorado Springs, two in Walsenburg, and one in La Junta. Its not yet clear if other facilities in Colorado will also become new immigration detention centers.

Hudson residents and some members of Colorados Democratic Congressional delegation have been outspoken about bringing an ICE facility to Hudson since plans were announced last year.

Back in February, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with Rep. Brittany Petersen, sent a joint letter to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, asking her to abandon those plans, citing concerns with lack of oversight and reduced access to legal representation for detained individuals.

In a statement sent to Denver7 a day after this story was first published, a DHS spokesperson said the contract with the Hudson correctional facility will strengthen "ICE's ability to implement the Administrations immigration enforcement priorities, restore integrity to the nations immigration system, and protect public safety," and added the Trump administration encourages immigrants to come to the U.S. legally. "If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."

In separate social media posts Monday, Bennet and Hickenlooper expressed their concerns about the new facility, and said they would fight to stop the Hudson ICE detention center from opening.

Colorado has more than 20 million acres of public lands, which are largely considered a cornerstone of the state.

A recent analysis found Colorado lost more public lands employees in 2025 than any other state in the country.

While those in favor of the cuts argue it made the federal agencies more efficient, others are worried by the loss within that workforce.

Dorian McDaniel frequents Green Mountain Trail and Denver7 joined her there on a sunny July morning. She has lived in Colorado since 2016, but said that from a young age she knew she wanted to move from California to the Centennial State.

As soon as I got out here, just got immersed into all the outdoor activity," McDaniel said.

As she climbed the trail, she looked over the skyline of Denver which was thick with haze.

"This is one of the first clearer days," McDaniel remarked, noting that earlier in the week the haze was worse. Everyone was on edge about this fire season, and so to see it happening is just so sad for me and for the future of our forests.

She fears the layoffs from last year are coming at a dangerous time, saying it is only the start of the summer and fires are already burning tens of thousands of acres across the state.

It's just not okay for Coloradans and our forests to have all these job cuts," said McDaniel.

McDaniel is a member of an advocacy group called Mountain Mamas, which has three central initiatives: clean air for children, a clean climate, and protecting access to public lands for future generations.

Denver7 wanted to know what is happening behind the scenes with public lands employees, and sat down with an anonymous national park ranger to better understand the on the ground impacts.

We're running on a skeleton crew, even less than a skeleton crew," they said. There are not enough rangers to properly manage these national parks, and there's not enough rangers to properly keep people safe in their national parks.

According to an analysis of federal workforce data, almost 6,000 federal public lands jobs were lost in 2025 throughout six western states. Among those states Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Nevada the Centennial State lost the most jobs in the nation at 1,753.

The report was conducted by Prospect Partners and Hawk Eye Strategies, which are consulting firms composed of former government officials.

The overview for Colorado from the analysis shows that the loss of 1,753 public lands jobs accounts for 26% of that workforce in the state. It continues to claim that 36% of the reductions were aimed at "junior and probationary employees, the newly hired federal employees who are the foundation of visitor services, field operations, and emergency operations."

Roughly a third of the jobs lost in Colorado were due to moving personnel from the field to Washington, D.C. as staff were reassigned from regional offices to the Department of the Interior (DOI) Headquarters, the report says.

Denver7 asked the White House about the findings from this analysis, and a spokesperson replied with a statement which said, in part, "President Trump has been committed to eliminating bureaucratic overhead so that taxpayer dollars go towards what actually benefits the American people."

The statement continued to describe the people behind the reports as "washed-out former Biden administration staffers," adding that the Trump administration's "commitment to streamlining operations has not come at the cost of retaining first responders, parks services, or energy production employees."

A White House official tells Denver7 that fewer employees have not led to "fewer results" for the American people at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). According to that official, the BLM has approved over 6,106 Applications for Permits to Drill, which is more than were approved in the last 15 fiscal years.

Denver7 shared the response to the analysis from the White House with the anonymous national park ranger.

They have only added more bureaucracy, more red tape, more hoops to jump through. So, this has not been efficiency at all, not even a little bit," the ranger said. "Everything that they have done was possibly the complete opposite to what people on the ground level would have suggested to make the government more efficient.

The ranger conducted the interview anonymously, since their job is at risk for speaking with the press in such a raw manner. Denver7 verified the employee through two different sources.

They only spoke from their perspective, and not on behalf of all park rangers.

Many other people probably are afraid to come forward, because they fear the loss of their job and therefore their livelihood," the ranger said. A lot of our jobs are tied to our health insurance in our agency. A lot of the jobs are also tied to our housing. So, if you lose your job, you lose your health insurance, you lose your housing, and if you don't have any support systems, you are basically homeless without any help.

Still, the ranger felt they had to come forward and share what they have seen inside of a national park.

"What I'm seeing is just so egregious and so concerning, it would be wrong for me to not say something," they said. If you are not in federal civilian service, then you typically do not have any idea what is actually happening behind the scenes, what your taxpayer dollars are going to.

The ranger said this work, for many, is done by people who are passionate about their job.

"Unfortunately, you know, for some people it is just a job. For a lot of people however, this is their life, this is their career, this is their calling, this is their passion. And unfortunately, oftentimes we are stuck paying the passion tax," they said. In the past there's always been a passion tax, just like for teachers, doctors, you know, volunteers, but now the passion tax has just gotten astronomically high.

According to the ranger, the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) helped bring jobs back to public lands agencies following the first Trump administration. They said that ended with the start of the second Trump administration.

"Unfortunately, there's what is notoriously known as the Valentine's Day massacre, and that was when a number of Forest Service and National Park Service, and other agencies as well, but thousands of people got fired indiscriminately," the ranger said.

The general public is not feeling a lot of the effects of the layoffs, the ranger said, because of how hard staff is working. Still, they said there are obvious impacts to those who see the inner workings of daily operations.

There's no money for overtime in a lot of national parks," the ranger said. "There's less people to save people when they get in trouble in national parks. So, less people to come for search and rescues, less law enforcement rangers to respond, less normal rangers to clean bathrooms. It is causing rangers to also have to go outside of their job description, which again is not what we signed up for, but we are public service, and a lot of us will do it because it's for the greater good of the public.

In addition, the ranger said the National Park Service (NPS) is lacking when it comes to supervisor roles.

"I am doing the job of about three different people at my level, and some of the work of someone from above my level, because those positions are just vacant. And we have not been able to fill any of these vacancies, barely, if at all," the ranger said. There are just not enough hands to do all the work that is necessary, and now the conversation in many places is, how do we shrink operations? How do we reduce operations? How do we pull back? And that is the opposite of what the public wants.

When asked what the ranger fears about the future, they said the potential privatization and increased extraction of public lands. They plan to hang on to this job for as long as they can.

"My line is when they come to my park and start to try to cut down trees or drill or privatize it," the ranger said. "I can't say exactly how much longer, timewise, I can survive. I already survived one Trump administration, and a lot of us are now determined to make it through the second Trump administration, because we know that it is not forever.

Denver7 asked the ranger what they think about the impact of layoffs during a time of high fire danger.

"I do think that this summer, if we are lucky to not have very many fires, will maybe be all right. But, if the fires keep happening, if more fires crop up, eventually we're going to get strung so thin that we're not going to be able to fight them all effectively or in a timely manner to reduce damage and reduce harm," the ranger said.

Scott Fitzwilliams retired from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in 2025 after almost 35 years. Most recently, he served as the forest supervisor on the White River National Forest, but Fitzwilliams tells Denver7 he worked in seven different states over the course of his career.

"It's a great experiment in democracy, where we've said we're going to set these hundreds of millions of acres aside, owned by the public for the long term and managed for the public good," Fitzwilliams said. It's such a wonderful mission, it's such a uniquely American ideal, and so I just have a real passion around public lands, and was really fortunate to work all that time with the Forest Service all over the West.

Fitzwilliams left because of what he called a "deliberate dismantling" of the agency he loves.

"I understand we've got to be efficient, but that's not what I'm seeing," Fitzwilliams said. We know the fire situation, we know the drought situation, and we have a public land system across the board, whether it's Forest Service, BLM, Park Service, that's never been more in demand by the American public."

Some impacts of the layoffs will be subtle, according to Fitzwilliams, who said it may take some time to see the true extent of the jobs lost.

Especially over the long term, what we're going to see is a gradual lack of maintenance and management, attention to the things people care about: a trail that's cleared and safe, a bathroom that's clean and doesn't stink, an office that has people that can answer questions or provide guidance," said Fitzwilliams.

He continued to speak about how he believes the layoffs have impacted the firefighting ability of the agency.

The fire staffing stayed about the same. The people whose full-time job, that's what they do, that's that's their job, you know, Congress would never let them cut the fire staffing. The problem is those 6,000 people [laid off] support the fire. They serve on national incident management teams as finance people, or planning people, or meteorologists," said Fitzwilliams.

Fitzwilliams said many of the employees who either left or were let go in 2025 had institutional knowledge that takes years to learn.

"It takes decades to rebuild some of that," Fitzwilliams said.

In the idyllic community of Grand Lake sits Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge & Retreat Center, where Alexander Thompson is the executive director.

So many people come up because they want to experience the wonder and beauty of Colorado's gorgeous mountains and natural lands," Thompson said.

The lodge hosts retreat groups in addition to hikers passing through while on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT). Shadowcliff was founded by Thompson's grandparents, and was constructed with the help of 650 volunteers from 42 countries over the course of 25 years.

Thompson believes his grandparents would have spoken out about the public lands layoffs, as he decided to do.

"I think they would be proud. They cared about this place deeply, and I think they would have fought for it," Thompson said while walking around the property.

Shadowcliff bears a daily reminder of the 2020 East Troublesome Fire, with the burn scar visible from almost all sides of the lodge.

There were firefighters on our land fighting that fire, that protected Shadowcliff and protected the town of Grand Lake from burning," Thompson said. "Grand Lake exists still it did not burn because of the work of federal workforce people who fought that fire, and who have continued to do work in collaboration with local municipalities and the county.

Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse is behind the Public Lands Workforce Stability Act," which would not allow future layoffs within DOI or the USFS until 2030.

It's reasonable to say, let's put a freeze on layoffs until we understand the impacts of these things," Thompson said about the concept of the bill. "People will get tired. You'll lose senior seasoned park service workers, forest service workers, BLM workers, people who have experience and expertise and institutional knowledge that's really vital in keeping their initiatives and their work and their projects moving forward. So, I would support that as a policy.

For Thompson, he felt a personal responsibility to speak out on this subject.

"How do I as a person, how does Shadowcliff as an organization, how do we as a nation tend to our resources? Like we have this incredible place, why would we not take care of it? Thompson said. "I feel hopeful because I live in this community, and I see the way that people show up for each other. I see the way that people show up for the town. I see the way that people are engaged and active in these conversations... I learned things from these mountains, and one of the things that I learned is that after devastation comes regeneration. So again, when I think in terms of that scale, that's a reason I think to feel hopeful.

DENVER The too-close-to-call GOP primary for Colorado governor has been settled more than a week after the election.

The Associated Press has projected that Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx has won the Republican nomination, defeating his opponent, Barbara Kirkmeyer, by at least 2,142 votes.

The June 30 Republican primary for governor had been too close to call at the end of election night, with Marx having a slight lead.

However, most counties, including the largest ones, have now reported their final results.

Marx will face off against Democrat Phil Weiser in November.

After his win on Thursday, the Republican nominee for Colorado governor took to social media to thank volunteers and voters for helping secure the nomination.

"THANK YOU, COLORADO. Because of you, your time, your door knocking, your phone calls, and your belief in something bigger than politics, we just won the Republican nomination for Governor.This victory belongs to every volunteer and supporter who refused to give up on our state. I am grateful beyond words.Now the real work begins. Colorado families are facing real challenges. High costs. Unaffordable housing and healthcare. Fears about unsafe neighborhoods and schools. Lets face it, Colorado has changed, and not for the better.But there is hope. We can unite and build a better, stronger Colorado for all of us. This isnt about a single political party. Its about a single, unified Colorado!The general election starts now. Lets go win it together," Marx said in a social media post.

Marx is something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past. He made big claims about his life, including that his abusive stepfather forced Marx, at 7 years old, to kill a man.

His Democratic opponent released a statement of his own.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser criticized Marx, claiming the Republican is out of step with Colorado values.

"From the little we know about Victor Marx, his views and style are far out of step with Coloradans, and his nomination for governor is a threat to our states values and our future. Governing is serious business, and Coloradans have a clear choice in this race: a politics of showing up, listening, and fighting for the rights and freedoms of all or a politics of deception, demonization, and distraction. As governor, Ill meet this moment by fighting against lawlessness and corruption and for a brighter future for all Coloradans," Weiser said in a statement.

A third candidate, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, trailed both Marx and Kirkmeyer.

Marx led the GOP field in fundraising, with about $2.8 million in contributions and about $200,000 in the bank heading into the campaigns final 20-day stretch. Marx more than doubled Kirkmeyers and Bottoms combined totals in each category.

Colorado hasnt elected a Republican as governor in more than two decades, and the state backed Democrat Kamala Harris for president by more than 10 points over Donald Trump in 2024.

Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, is term-limited.

Victor Marx has held a narrow, roughly 2,000-vote lead over state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer for several days, but the race is still too close to call as the window for voters to fix deficient ballots remains open.

Marx, a religious nonprofit leader, has led Kirkmeyer for nearly a week after overtaking the veteran lawmaker the day after polls closed in the June 30 primary. With more than 518,000 ballots counted, Marx led Kirkmeyer 39.8% to 39.5%, according to the Associated Press. The AP projected that 98% of votes had been counted.

State Rep. Scott Bottoms, a conservative pastor, was in third place, with 20.7% of the vote.

As it stood Tuesday afternoon, the 1,950-vote margin between Marx and Kirkmeyer was still outside the threshold required to trigger an automatic recount. Though Marx has held a steady lead over Kirkmeyer for several days, the AP has not yet called the race and likely wont until the end of the week.

Thats because voters have until Wednesday evening to cure any deficient ballots, meaning those with signature or voter verification issues. Voters whose ballots have been set aside are notified by their county election officials, and campaigns often work to cure ballots in close races.

Read the full story on The Denver Post

DENVER For survivors of child abuse and neglect, the trauma can last long after childhood. But for many, moving forward can be difficult when they can't access the records documenting what they went through.

Colorado lawmakers hope to change that.

A new bipartisan law, HB26-1234, is designed to make it easier for survivors to obtain records related to their child welfare cases, helping create a more consistent and streamlined process across the state.

For 20-year-old Stormi Husted of Lafayette, those records represent much more than paperwork.

"I came to Colorado when I was three years old... Lafayette specifically is my hometown," Husted said.

Like many young adults, Husted enjoys experimenting with makeup. She also has a tattoo that carries a deeply personal meaning.

"Getting that tattoo was something to remind myself constantly that I'm enough," she said.

Behind that reminder is a difficult childhood.

"Going into my teen years, it ended up getting a little harder with my parents using drugs in the home," Husted said. "Me and my brother were then sent into foster care together."

As she got older, Husted said she wanted documentation of what happened to her.

"People didn't believe me, and I wanted proof," she said. "I wanted it in writing that it did happen."

When she was 16, Husted tried to obtain her child welfare records. She needed them for medical care and to qualify for scholarships available to former foster youth.

"I needed a scholarship or a grant, and there was a Foster Ed one that you have to prove that you were in foster care," she said.

Watch Peter Choi's report in the player below:

Instead, she says she encountered a confusing and expensive process.

"They told me it was going to be $4,000," Husted said. "I was like, 'I am a foster kid. I don't have that kind of money.' It's my story on paper."

She eventually contacted her county commissioner's office for help.

Rep. Gretchen Rydin, one of the lawmakers behind HB26-1234, said the legislation is intended to eliminate those barriers.

"Let's provide some clarity on what the process actually is," Rydin said. "Let's streamline it a bit, and let's make the process more in line with how records are requested for school or medical records."

Rydin said survivors have already endured significant trauma and shouldn't have to relive it through complicated bureaucratic processes.

"So many folks who experience abuse and neglect have already experienced trauma," she said. "For them to have to re-experience that through bureaucratic red tape is unfair."

For Husted, access to those records means more than preserving her past.

The documents can help open doors to scholarships, medical care and other resources that support former foster youth as they build their futures.

For Husted and her brother, she says they're another step toward moving forward.

The law officially will go into effect on August 12, 2026.

Two lawyers said after recommending Colorado Governor Jared Polis deny Tina Peters clemency, their choice to speak publicly about him ignoring the guidance got them terminated from the clemency advisory board on Wednesday.

According to the termination letter obtained by Denver7, the two members of Polis' Executive Clemency Advisory Board were removed due to a breach of confidentiality.

After Polis commuted Peters nine-year sentence, board members Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi revealed the board had unanimously voted twice to reject Peters application for a shorter sentence.

"I think we decided ultimately to speak out on this particular application because of the inconsistencies within how it was handled," Taslimi said.

In mid-June, after Peters release from prison, the two attorneys penned an opinion piece in the Denver Post, saying Polis' decision reflected a troubling problem.

A statement from a spokesperson with Polis' office said, in part, "publicly disclosing board recommendations and how members vote on any case threatens the credibility of the board."

However, Proff and Taslimi believe the public had a right to know what happened behind closed doors in this case.

"Miss Peters got to cut the line," Taslimi said. She was granted favor in a way that no one else does, and that is unequal justice, and that's why we spoke out.

The governors decision to commute Peters sentence comes after a Colorado Court of Appeals judge ruled in April her original sentence should be thrown out because her conviction was based, in part, on improper consideration for Peters right to free speech.

"Once the court decision came down, I sort of breathed a sigh of relief. I thought, 'This is taken off the clemency board's docket,'" Proff said. Many of us who were following the issue closely thought that once the Court of Appeals acted, that he [Polis] would stand down and let the judicial department go through and see what happened there.

Peters was convicted in August 2024 of first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, failure to comply with requirements of the Secretary of State, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and three counts of attempt to influence a public servant. In all, she was found guilty on seven state charges, four of which are felonies. Prosecutors said she was motivated by false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Polis had repeatedly dropped hints that he was moving toward commuting Peters sentence. He faced a bipartisan push to keep Peters imprisoned amid ongoing pressure by the Trump administration to move Peters into federal custody.

Following his State of the State address, the governor told Denver7 he was considering clemency for Peters, as he does with countless other cases every year. Two months later, Polis again signaled he was considering clemency for the disgraced former county clerk after extending a deadline for clemency applications.

As part of her clemency, Peters was released on parole as of June 1, spending less than two years behind bars out of her nine year sentence.

Then Proff and Taslimi began their work on the clemency advisory board, reviewing Peters' application among many others.

Proff is a criminal defense attorney who served on the clemency board for more than seven years.

"It was an extreme pleasure and an honor to serve on Governor Polis' clemency board," Proff said. "We had a backlog of applications from the Hickenlooper administration, so we started, we hit the ground running, and had plenty of applications to review, and met at least every other month for the entire seven and a half years to review applications and have extremely tough conversations with a diverse group of individuals.

Taslimi is a civil rights attorney who was on the board for roughly three years. Taslimi described the position as "heavy work."

"We are engaging and reviewing applications of individuals who this is their last resort," Taslimi said. "This is sort of the last door that they have left to knock on, and so it's an immense responsibility, and that's how we approach the work.

The two said they treated Peters' application for clemency with the same amount of care and consideration as all of the other applications they received.

Everyone gets the same look, the same evaluation. It's the same process. There's no favor given to any one individual. And so, her application was just like everyone else. It was reviewed, we had a very similar discussion that we would on any other application, and we came to a unanimous decision," Taslimi said. We are a very diverse group with lots of different backgrounds, and there is robust advocacy and conversation that happens on these applications, and so coming to a consensus is no small deed. And so, the fact that we reviewed this application and came to a consensus, not once but twice, I think speaks volumes as to how everyone felt about it.

According to Taslimi and Proff, the board voted against approving Peters' application for clemency twice, with a second review being one of the inconsistencies the two noted.

No one gets a review twice by the board. Generally, we look at applications once, and once we deny it, it's never that someone gets to come back, submit additional information, have us look at it again. That was extended to Miss Peters, and then there was a denial twice," Taslimi said.

Taslimi said typically, eligibility for clemency comes after a defendant has exhausted all of their other options for judicial remedies.

"That hadn't happened in this case," Taslimi said about Peters.

In addition, board members questioned the authenticity of Peters' remorse.

We see so many applications written by hand in a jail cell, and then to see sort of legal letterhead, we just didn't think that the real remorse was there," Proff added. The reason we decided to speak out, and put our future on this board at risk to tell the public about what happened behind the scenes here, is because as soon as she [Peters] got out of prison, she started waving this false flag again and telling this story and spreading this misinformation. So, it was more of the same.

According to Taslimi and Proff, their positions have already been replaced.

"I think the problem with that certainly is there is a learning curve to being on the board. It takes time to figure out what's what," Taslimi said. "I think Governor Polis could have let us finish out the term, given that there are only one or two meetings left, but sometimes political egos get in the way.

One of the statements provided to Denver7 by Polis' office said it is "clearly agreed" that all members of the Executive Clemency Advisory Board keep all clemency applications, discussions and recommendations confidential. The statement ended by saying that "applicants going forward can expect the full confidentiality promised."

Essentially, what the governor is saying, is that what I do with clemency doesn't need to be shown to the public. How I, you know, make these decisions and whether there's undue political influence, no one gets to review that and look at that, and you don't get to talk about it. And I think that's problematic," Taslimi said. There has to be accountability. If we allow for this process to occur in the shadows, then we allow for corruption to take place.

Proff and Taslimi said their biggest concern now is the status of the applications that still must be considered.

"We want their applications to be reviewed by a competent board. A board that comes with the experience that's needed and necessary, and to make good decisions, and we want Governor Polis to show the same mercy and empathy that he showed to Tina Peters," Taslimi said.

Read the full, most recent statement, from Polis' office below:

The Supreme Court struck down limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and president.

The limits had been in place to prevent large donors from circumventing caps on contributions to a candidate by directing money to a party with the understanding the money would be spent for that candidate.

WATCH: Denver7's Shannon Ogden discusses the decision with the chair of the Colorado Republican Party

The ruling means national parties will now be able to make direct contributions to candidate campaigns. The decision is also expected to give Republicans a short-term boost because they have a large cash advantage over Democrats.

Craig Steiner, chair of the Colorado Republican Party, said he supports the ruling.

"I think it's a good thing. I think that's free speech and I'm glad the Supreme Court did that," he said. "It's very frustrating the sort of web of campaign finance laws that we've created supposedly to be transparent and to make things I guess more even, less big money. But at the end of the day, it becomes just a game that we're playing trying to figure out what we're allowed not to do. It's very frustrating for parties and candidates to work together because we should be able to work together."

At the end of May, the RNC reported having more than $125 million to spend, its highest-ever cash on hand total, according to its most recent Federal Election Commission filing in May. Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee had more than $48 million on hand in its most recent report and the National Republican Congressional Committee had more than $81 million.

In the same period, the Democratic National Committee had $14.4 million on hand, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had roughly $37 million and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, roughly $73 million.

Democratic socialists are claiming high-profile victories across the country, from New York City to Colorado, and it appears the movement is gaining renewed momentum heading into the 2028 presidential election cycle.

"I think that shows how much energy is with the Democratic Socialists right now," said Hillary Ping, a member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Northern Colorado chapter.

WATCH: Denver7's Claire Lavezzorio talks with a DSA member and the Chair of Political Science at MSU Denver about what democratic socialist wins could mean

DSA is not a political party, but rather a movement to replace capitalism with "a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society," according to its website.

"It looks like a very robust public sphere where everyone's needs are being met, Ping said.

Chair of Political Science at MSU Denver Robert Preuhs explained democratic socialism first gained popularity a decade ago with Sen. Bernie Sanders and his presidential run.

And recently, it is back in the spotlight with the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist.

Now, others are riding the momentum, from wins in congressional primaries in New York City to democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousting 15-term Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette.

"I think people just find the word socialism really scary," Ping said. "We are advocating for policies that will improve and increase the freedom of the vast majority of everyone.

While there are many DSA ideals, Ping said supporters fight for medicare for all, housing for all, and a free Palestine.

Despite these recent wins for the movement, Preuhs explained that all of them are in deep blue urban cores.

"The real trick, if there is going to be an expansion, is really to then start to be able to talk to rural voters, talk to suburban voters, make the case that some of your policy proposals are in the interest of those different geographic areas and their voters," Preuhs said.

But after Kiros' win, those like Ping believe there is proof of concept.

"Yes, I'm very excited. I think that this is just the beginning," Ping said.

Still, Preuhs says the democratic socialist surge could further expose the Democratic Party's divide, just ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis fired two members of his clemency advisory board Wednesday for publicly speaking against his decision to free Tina Peters after she was convicted of election-related crimes, his office confirmed to The Denver Post.

Polis removed Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi from the advisory board because they breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging board members votes, according to letters from Polis reported Wednesday afternoon by the New York Times, which was first to break the news.

Following the 2020 election, Peters, then the Mesa County clerk and recorder, gave a person associated with election-denier Mike Lindell access to Mesa Countys voting system. She was found guilty of four felonies and sentenced in October 2024 to nine years in prison for the crimes.

Polis commuted her sentence in May, arguing that her sentence was harsher than people who were also convicted of attempting to influence a public official had received in other circumstances. He also argued that she was being punished for her speech.

He faced swift, pointed criticism from a slew of other Democrats, along with an official censure by the state party. Peters was released June 1.

Read the full story from our media partners at the Denver Post here.

Colorados 8th Congressional District is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races in the nation, with both parties expected to pour major resources into the toss-up seat.

State Rep. Manny Rutinel won Tuesday's Democratic primary election and will now face Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in November.

The district was drawn in 2021 and stretches from Adams County to Weld County, spanning urban and rural parts of the state and encompassing a variety of political ideologies. There have been only two election cycles in the district's history.

Democrat Yadira Caraveo was the first to assume office when she was elected in 2022. Evans defeated Caraveo in 2024.

Sonny Subia, the Colorado state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, lives in Greeley and recalled the role Latino voter outreach played during the 2024 election cycle.

"[Evans] ran a great race against Yadira. Yadira didn't do very well. She really didn't reach out to the Latino community. She reached out to the Latino community with only two months left in the race, and it was like, 'Hey, where have you been? We've been waiting to hear from you,' and they didn't," Subia said.

WATCH Watch Adria Iraheta's report in the player below |

Latino voters make up around 40% of the district's electorate and could be the deciding factor. Subia said he already saw targeted outreach play out during the primary and predicts more strategic campaigning from both candidates going forward.

"It's about the Hispanic population. How are they going to reach out to them? What are those, those red button issues that they're concerned about?" he said.

Phillip Chen, an associate professor of political science at the University of Denver, said the path to victory runs through the middle.

"We're going to see how much sort of Democratic support consolidates around Rutinel, as well as whether he can win independents, moderates, people like that," Chen said.

Issues like immigration are expected to take center stage. Evans has addressed the complexity of the current system.

"It's a convoluted, complex system that hasn't been updated in four decades," Evans said.

Affordable housing is also expected to be a key issue. Rutinel framed his candidacy around economic concerns facing working families.

"We need someone who understands the struggles of working people and has a long track record of fighting for them to lower costs," Rutinel said.

Chen said the race could get negative, with both candidates potentially being tied to national political figures on the far right and left.

"You're going to see the Rutinel campaign trying to tie Evans as close to President Trump as they can, and you're going to see the Evans campaign trying to tie Rutinel as close as they can to people like AOC and Zohran Mamdani, because those are kind of the standard bearers of that progressive movement at this right now, Chen said.

DENVER Political experts across the country are weighing in on what democratic socialist Melat Kiross win in Colorados Democratic primary Tuesday night means for the future of the party.

Kiros, a former attorney, beat Rep. Diana DeGette with a more than 12,000-vote lead, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent.

That upset has prompted questions about what drove voters to embrace a political newcomer.

Experience only matters if you do something with it, and I can't expect anybody who was at the helm of this ship that got us into this mess to be the one to take us out, Kiros said in response to that criticism.

Meanwhile, DeGette used her concession speech to reflect on a nearly three-decade congressional career.

Frankly, this was not the way I would have wanted to end my career in politics, but I'm proud of my accomplishments from protecting the environment and cleaning up toxic waste to jumpstarting research that will cure previously deadly diseases to fighting for reproductive rights, DeGette said.

But Metropolitan State University of Denver Political Science Chair Dr. Robert Preuhs said Kiross lack of experience may have worked in her favor.

I think she was underestimated, certainly early on by the DeGette campaign, who really didn't earnestly campaign for this primary until maybe about a month ago, Preuhs said. Also, maybe overlooking the momentum that's really been generated during this second Trump term among the left within the Democratic Party, and that starts with things like protesting regarding the war in Gaza.

Preuhs said Kiross win rides the wave of recent democratic socialist wins and was likely helped by an endorsement from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

We saw it kind of start with the Mamdani endorsements out in New York. You know, I think in a lot of ways it combined with some dissatisfaction with the connection to the district forum for Diana DeGette, as well as this kind of age difference that we see in terms of the commentary over the last several years, Preuhs said.

WATCH What Melat Kiros's win could mean for the Democratic Party |

Preuhs said Kiross win has national implications.

She's certainly going to add to the ranks of democratic socialist affiliated voters, members of Congress within the Democratic caucus, Preuhs said. But also, to make affirmative cases for more progressive and a bit more left-leaning policy choices.

But one stance that has some Democrats concerned about Kiross win is her position on Israel.

Denver7 news partner The Denver Post reported that Kiros faced controversy before entering politics when she was fired from a law firm after writing an open letter arguing that questioning Israel's legitimacy as a state is not inherently antisemitic.

She also declined to say whether the Boulder firebomb attack targeting a group advocating for Jewish hostages was antisemitic.

Despite this, Kiros denies that she holds any antisemitic views.

My commitment has always been to protecting the sanctity and dignity of all life, that includes every single person of all faith, all different religions, and that especially includes the Jewish community, especially now as anti-Semitism is rising all across the state and all across this country, and I look forward to working with the community to figure out how we can combat that hate, Kiros said Tuesday night.

From Medicare for all to calls to abolish ICE, Preuhs said Kiross message resonated with voters and the Democratic establishment should take progressive challenges seriously.

As election workers count and verify all ballots from Tuesday's 2026 primary election, the Colorado Secretary of State's Office said so far, this has been the highest voter turnout since at least 2018 outside of the primary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 is the one exception, considering how the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented circumstances in all facets of life, including elections.

The voter turnout for state primary elections dating back to 2018 is as follows:

1,457,832 ballots have been returned statewide so far, as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. There are still more than 247,000 votes left to be processed.

The majority of the ballots that have been counted and verified were via mail as has been established practice in Colorado for years. 24,648 ballots were cast in person.

The voter turnout in Tuesday's primary was nearly an even split between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats took a slight edge with 98,163 more votes. While that seems like a high number, it's 6.7% of the total number of voters.

"The difference really is in this shift between Republicans taking the lead in 2022 and Democrats taking the lead this year, or at least folks that are turning in Democratic ballots... outnumbering Republican ballots," Robert Preuhs, chair of political science at MSU Denver, told Denver7 Tuesday afternoon to explain the trend.

While many of Colorado's races have been called, the one outstanding is a close call between the Republican candidates for the state's governor race. Both Barbara Kirkmeyer and Victor Marx hold 40% of the vote, as of 12:55 p.m. Wednesday.

DENVER In a concession speech following her Democratic primary upset, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette congratulated the winner, Melat Kiros, and thanked supporters, staff, and constituents.

DeGette reflected on her decades in office, highlighting accomplishments including environmental protections, medical research funding and reproductive rights advocacy.

Frankly, this was not the way I would have wanted to end my career in politics, but I'm proud of my accomplishments from protecting the environment and cleaning up toxic waste to jumpstarting research that will cure previously deadly diseases to fighting for reproductive rights, DeGette said.

WATCH Diana DeGette concession speech:

In her concession speech, she also pointed to her work holding government officials and corporations accountable, including her role in Donald Trumps impeachment proceedings.

As well as legislating, I've fought my entire career against injustice and overreach. I've led oversight investigations against government officials who serve their interests instead of the public interest and corporations who have fleeced Americans. I presided over Donald Trump's first impeachment trial in the House, and I was an impeachment manager for the second trial. I have held Robert Kennedy accountable for his dangerous anti-science positions, DeGette said.

Democratic socialist and former attorney Kiros beat DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, with a more than 12,000-vote lead.

It was a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for the Democratic Socialists of America.

In a March Democratic assembly, a process to decide which candidates get on the primary ballot, DeGette barely qualified as Kiros, a first-time candidate, blew past her with more than double the votes.

The assembly process was a jolt for the Democratic establishment and DeGette, who's been a progressive lawmaker herself.

DeGette said her top priority for the remainder of her term is to oppose what she described as Trumps unlawful actions and to defend democratic institutions.

I intend to fight against Donald Trump's illegal actions until the last minute of my service. In future days, I will have more to say about the state of our democracy and politics. The challenges Trump and his cronies pose are only the start. Just yesterday, the Supreme Court made the threat even more immediate in their campaign finance ruling, she said.

Kiros win marked a broader wave of progressive candidates beating establishment-backed Democrats across the country. She will face Republican Christy Peterson in November.

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for the Democratic Socialists of America.

Kiros, a former corporate attorney, is the latest democratic socialist or progressive candidate to boot a Democratic incumbent this month. With the district covering the dark blue city of Denver, Kiros is expected to win in November and reach Congress in January.

Voters in Colorado's Democratic primaries wrestled with a question the party has increasingly faced nationally: Support a younger, more progressive generation of leaders or stick with established veterans?

The results were mixed. Kiros defeated DeGette, who has been in office for as long as the 29-year-old Kiros has been alive.

Elsewhere, however, Sen. John Hickenlooper successfully fended off a primary challenge from self-fashioned "insurgent progressive" state Sen. Julie Gonzales.

And while a smaller divide separated the two Democrats competing for U.S. House in the state's lone swing district, the candidate considered more progressive, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, won.

In the governor's race, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet struggled to meaningfully distinguish their agendas. Instead, the two Democrats accused each other of pulling punches against Trump. Weiser won Tuesday.

Democratic socialists have another shot in Denver

DeGette comfortably controlled her House seat in Denver for nearly 30 years, then came Kiros.

In a March Democratic assembly, a process to decide which candidates get on the primary ballot, DeGette barely qualified as Kiros, a first-time candidate, blew past her with more than double the votes.

The assembly process was a jolt for the Democratic establishment and DeGette, who's been a progressive lawmaker herself.

Then, in New York last week, two democratic socialists and a progressive beat out establishment-backed candidates two of whom were incumbents in Democratic primaries for U.S. House, energizing a movement that's just finding some political purchase.

Similar to the New York races, Kiros had the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, while DeGette was backed by Colorado's established Democratic House delegation.

Kiros's victory will work toward cementing the nascent but clear uprising of democratic socialist candidates, which has filled some Democratic leaders with anxiety.

DeGette argued that experience in Congress is needed right now to combat Trump, while Kiros, a former attorney, accused DeGette of ineffectiveness. Also running was University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, who may split the anti-DeGette vote.

Hickenlooper fends off 'insurgent progressive'

That didn't come as a surprise to the political world, though it dampened a broader wave of progressive candidates beating establish-backed Democrats across the country

Gonzales, the state senator who challenged the more centrist Hickenlooper, had attacked him for being an "incrementalist" and had said she previously joined the Democratic Socialists of America but that her membership had lapsed.

After his victory, Hickenlooper quickly turned his attention to Trump and said he'd never lost an election and didn't intend to in November.

"Coloradoans have once again made their voices clear. We are not going to accept Trump's broken promises and cost of living emergency, or his constant corruption," he said in a video posted to YouTube.

Rutinel to face GOP Rep. Gabe Evans in race key to House control

Colorado's 8th Congressional District is relatively new, stretching from the northern suburbs of Denver up through farming country, and has flipped party control in recent elections.

Evans now holds the seat, after beating the Democratic incumbent in 2024.

Party leaders thought the more moderate Shannon Bird, a former state representative, was best equipped to challenge Evans. But Rutinel, who had the more progressive record, beat Bird Tuesday night.

The district is heavily Hispanic and poorer than much of the rest of the state, and that's where Rutinel, who is Latino, planted a flag, arguing his personal story and more aggressive economic agenda would be more potent against Evans.

"This is the moment for all the kids out there who had the deck stacked against them," Rutinel said in his victory speech. "I'm going to work with everything I have so that those kids have the same opportunities to live out the American Dream that I did."

Progressives could find new ally in governor's mansion

Weiser, the state attorney general, won the Democratic primary Tuesday and is expecting to win come November. Term-limited Gov. Jared Polis will depart after two-terms governing with a more moderate touch, at times stymieing progressive state lawmakers.

Weiser, who formerly served in the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, is considered to be more sympathetic to his leftward flank. Bennet, the U.S. Senator who Weiser beat Tuesday, would likely have brought a similar change.

On the campaign trail, candidates struggled to show major differences in their political agendas, and instead often attacked each other over who could better stand up to Trump.

Weiser hammered his point home in a victory speech to ecstatic, sign-waving supporters who crowded around the candidate.

"In the face of a lawless bullying Trump administration trying to intimidate us, rip away our rights and freedoms," Weiser said, "you made it clear that we need a leader who will fight back and never bend the knee."

After his loss, Bennet spoke to supporters. "Sometimes the harder path is the right path, even when it doesn't lead where you'd hoped," he said.

The three main candidates seeking the Republican nomination included state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a further right state lawmaker. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was considered the more conventional Republican, while Victor Marx was something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past. ___ Associated Press reporter Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this report.

DENVER Democrats made a decisive choice Tuesday, selecting Attorney General Phill Weiser as their candidate for Colorado governor, but Republicans had no clear result.

The GOP primary for Colorado governor was too close to call, with Barb Kirkmeyer at 40.69% and Victor Marx at 39.16% as of Tuesday evening, with 80% of the vote reported.

Despite no clear winner being declared in the race, both candidates took to their respective stages later in the evening and addressed their supporters as if they had just clinched their party's nomination, staying mostly upbeat.

And I got to tell you, I look forward to debating the future of Colorado, of our state, with Phil Weiser. I'm looking forward to those debates, Kirkmeyer told her supporters. I just want to remind you, Phil, your budget has increased by about 40% since you took office.

Marx, however, struck a more combative tone, telling supporters he believes the political establishment is working against him.

I'm pretty sure the lawyers are going to get involved, because they don't want to give up what the establishment has done, but think about this: every aspect has come against us- both sides of the Republican Party, the legacy media, the conservative media, Marx said.

With such a narrow margin separating the two candidates, the race could head to a recount before a Republican nominee is officially declared.

DENVER Jena Griswold won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday for the 2026 Colorado attorney general race, the Associated Press declared.

As of Tuesday evening, Griswold had 47% of the vote, beating out Hetal Doshi, Michael Dougherty and David Seligman.

Griswold will face off against Republican Michael Allen.

Current attorney general, Democrat Phill Weiser, won his party's nomination in the 2026 Colorado gubernatorial race.

DENVER Michael Allen won the Republican nomination on Tuesday for the 2026 Colorado attorney general race, the Associated Press declared.

As of Tuesday evening, Allen had more than 61% of the vote, beating out David Willson.

Allen will face off against Democrat Jena Griswold, the state's current secretary of state.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the Democratic nomination for governor of the state Tuesday, beating out the U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in a race partly centered around which candidate was better at challenging President Donald Trump.

Weiser became attorney general in 2019, after serving in the Justice Department under the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Weiser will be favored to win in November in the blue state.

The question over who has hit President Donald Trump harder may have been a key decider Tuesday, after both Weiser and Bennett struggled to show major differences in their political agendas.

Weiser attacked Bennet for voting for Trump nominees and Bennet lambasted Weiser for not joining state lawsuits against first Trump administration.

The attorney general says hes really tough but was completely missing in action in Donald Trumps first term," Bennet said in a recent debate.

Weiser accused Bennet of a weak response to the president. But he also said Bennet should remain in the Senate instead of running for governor.

Youve made some mistakes; you didnt stand up the way you should. I know you can shape up, use your seniority," Weiser told Bennet during a debate. With all that experience, to throw it away, would be such a waste for Colorado.

RELATED STORY | Mamdani-backed candidates sweep Democratic primaries in New York

With Colorado a blue state, Tuesday's Democratic winner will be seen as the favorite to defeat the winner of the GOP primary and take over from term-limited Gov. Jared Polis.

The three main candidates seeking the Republican nomination included state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a farther right state lawmaker. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was considered the more conventional Republican, while Victor Marx was something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past.

DENVER Voters on Tuesday chose Attorney General Phil Weiser over Sen. Michael Bennet to lead the Democrats in the 2026 gubernatorial election, the Associated Press has declared.

As of Tuesday evening, Weiser had more than 54% of the vote with 77% reporting.

During the campaign, Weiser attacked Bennet for voting for Trump nominees and Bennet lambasted Weiser for not joining state lawsuits against first Trump administration.

The attorney general says hes really tough but was completely missing in action in Donald Trumps first term," Bennet said in a recent debate.

Weiser accused Bennet of a weak response to the president. But he also said Bennet should remain in the Senate instead of running for governor.

Youve made some mistakes; you didnt stand up the way you should. I know you can shape up, use your seniority," Weiser told Bennet during a debate. With all that experience, to throw it away, would be such a waste for Colorado.

With Colorado a blue state, Tuesday's Democratic winner will be seen as the favorite to defeat the winner of the GOP primary and take over from term-limited Gov. Jared Polis.

The three main candidates seeking the Republican nomination included state Rep. Scott Bottoms, a farther right state lawmaker. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer was considered the more conventional Republican, while Victor Marx was something of a wild card candidate with an eclectic past.

DENVER Manny Rutinel beat out two other candidates and won the nomination on Tuesday for the 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. House District 8 in Colorado, the Associated Press has declared.

As of Tuesday evening, Rutinel had more than 60% of the vote with 81% reporting, beating out Shannon Bird and Evan Munsing.

Rutinel will face off against the incumbent Republican Gabe Evans, who won Colorado's newest district in 2024.

Polls are now closed in Colorado's 2026 primary election.

Colorado voters are deciding on several big ticket races this year, including the gubernatorial primary race.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser beat out U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet to be the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2026 general election, and State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, State Rep. Scott Bottoms and Victor Marx are competing to be the Republican Party's candidate.

Voters are also deciding on who their party will send to the 2026 general election in the races for a U.S. Senate seat, eight seats in the U.S. House, Colorado attorney general, Colorado secretary of state, and dozens of seats in the state legislature.

There hasn't been a Republican governor in Colorado since 2007, and the winner of the Democratic primary is expected to be the state's next governor as current Gov. Jared Polis terms out. That's the case in other races too.

"This primary election is going to be the one that may select a lot of candidates that will eventually win in the general election," Robert Preuhs, chair of political science at MSU Denver, told Denver7. "A lot of state legislative districts are drawn such that whoever wins the Democratic primary or the Republican primary are going to go on to win that office."

Below are the latest updates on races happening across the state. Be sure to refresh this story throughout the night. You can also view live primary election results here.

5:42 p.m. Wednesday | Marx takes narrow lead over Kirkmeyer

Victor Marx has taken a narrow lead over Barbara Kirkmeyer in the Republican gubernatorial race, with Marx at 39.9% and Kirkmeyer at 39.5%, according to the AP. An estimated 90% of votes have been counted.

10:43 p.m. Tuesday | GOP primary for Colo. governor race too close to call

The GOP primary for Colorado governor was too close to call, with Barbara Kirkmeyer at 40.69% and Victor Marx at 39.16% as of Tuesday evening, with 80% of the vote reported. More: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/victory-on-one-side-uncertainty-on-the-other-gop-primary-for-colo-governor-race-too-close-to-call

10:12 p.m. Tuesday | Melat Kiros beats Rep. Diana DeGette, a 30-year-incumbent

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado House primary Tuesday, a stunning victory for the first-time candidate against a nearly 30-year incumbent and another win for the Democratic Socialists of America, the AP declared. More: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/melat-kiros-beats-colorado-congresswoman-in-primary-in-another-win-for-democratic-socialists

8:42 p.m. Tuesday | Michael Allen wins Republican nomination for attorney general in Colorado

Michael Allen wins Republican nomination for attorney general in Colorado, AP has declared.

8:41 p.m. Tuesday | Kelley Dennison wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District

Kelley Dennison wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, AP has declared.

8:40 p.m. Tuesday | Dwayne Romero wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District

Dwayne Romero wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, AP has declared.

8:02 p.m. Tuesday | Kirkmeyer leads

State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer is narrowly leading the race for the Republican nomination for governor, early results show.

7:56 p.m. Tuesday | Weiser wins

Current Colorado AG Phil Weiser has won the Democratic nomination for governor, the AP has declared. More: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/phill-weiser-wins-democratic-primary-for-colorado-governor

7:49 p.m. Tuesday| Hickenlooper wins

John Hickenlooper has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Colorado, the AP has declared.

7:48 p.m. Tuesday | Jeff Hurd wins

Jeff Hurd has won the Republican nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, the AP has declared.

7:46 p.m. Tuesday | Gonzales wins Democratic nom. for Secretary of State

Amanda Gonzalez has won the Democratic nomination for secretary of state in Colorado, the AP has declared.

7:45 p.m. Tuesday | Rutinel wins

Manny Rutinel has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, the AP has declared. More: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/manny-rutinel-wins-democratic-primary-for-u-s-house-colorado-district-8

7:38 p.m. Tuesday | Kiros takes early lead

With 65% of votes counted, Melat Kiros is leading 47% to 45% over Diana DeGette in the Democratic race for U.S. House District 1. Wanda James currently has 7% of the votes.

7:27 p.m. Tuesday | Griswold wins Democratic AG race

Current Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has won the Democratic primary for attorney general, the Associated Press has declared.

7:15 p.m. Tuesday | Weiser leading

With 26% of the votes counted, Weiser is leading in the Democratic gubernatorial primary 120,160 to 94,202. View live results as the votes roll in here.

7 p.m. Tuesday | Polls close

Polls are now closed. View live, early primary election results as the votes roll in here.

6:45 p.m. Tuesday | Live updates from watch parties

6 p.m. Tuesday | Denver7's Colette Bordelon and Veronica Acosta live from Weiser, Bennet watch parties

Polls close in just an hour, and Denver7's Colette Bordelon and Veronica Acosta provide live updates from watch parties for Democratic gubernatorial primary candidates Bennet and Weiser. Watch in the video player below.

5:30 p.m. Tuesday | Denver7's Colette Bordelon and Veronica Acosta live from Weiser, Bennet watch parties

Denver7's Colette Bordelon and Veronica Acosta provide live updates from watch parties for Democratic gubernatorial primary candidates Bennet and Weiser. Watch in the video player below.

5 p.m. Tuesday| Two hours until polls close

Coloradans have until 7 p.m. to get to the polls and make their voices heard.

Those who have not yet mailed their completed ballots must now place them in a drop box, drop them off at a voter center, or vote in person. Votes will be counted for anyone in line by 7 p.m., according to the secretary of state's website.

Here's who's on the ballot.

Denver7 has team coverage of the election and will bring you the latest information once the polls close.

More than a million ballots have been returned statewide in Colorado's primary election, according to the latest numbers from the Secretary of State's Office and turnout is trending higher than past years.

Democratic ballots make up a greatest share of those returns, outpacing Republican ballots, according to the secretary of state's office.

Denver7's Allie Jennerjahn talks with MSU Denver's chair of political science about what those numbers mean

Robert Preuhs, chair of political science at MSU Denver, said the raw numbers are actually trending a bit higher than previous years and offered an explanation.

"We also have more registered voters," Preuhs said. "The difference really is in this shift between Republicans taking the lead in 2022 and Democrats taking the lead this year, or at least folks that are turning in Democratic ballots or outnumbering Republican ballots thus far."

He added that voters shouldn't dismiss primary elections as less important than general elections.

"This primary election is going to be the one that may select a lot of candidates that will eventually win in the general election, and that's a lot of state legislative districts are drawn such that whoever wins the Democratic primary or the Republican primary are going to go on to win that office," Preuhs said.

Mallory St. George, a voter, said she showed up to cast her ballot because the stakes are always high.

"It was important to me to come out and vote, because I feel like we forget that democracy is not promised," St. George said. "I've been voting since I was 18, and I plan to keep voting till the day that I die."

She said her years of following politics have reinforced the value of every election.

"I don't think I took primaries seriously enough in my 20s, right? I don't think that it was something I was paying enough attention to, but if there's anything I've learned in the last decade of politics, it's that there's no such thing as a small election," St. George said.

St. George said she believes the outcome of elections ultimately rests with ordinary citizens.

"The power truly does belong with the people," St. George said.

For St. George, voting is an important part of exercising civic duty.

"We are very lucky to have the right to vote," St. George said. "And your rights need to get used."

As wildfires across the state have prompted evacuation orders for many residents, the Colorado Secretary of State is offering guidance on how those impacted who wish to vote can still cast their ballots on this primary election day.

Registered voters who were forced to evacuate can visit any voter center across the state to request and receive a replacement ballot, the Colorado Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday morning. Or request an emergency ballot here. Those eligible voters who visit a voter center outside their home county will only be able to vote in statewide races.

Those who can get to another voter center within their home county will be able to cast their ballots in all local contests.

Any of the impacted evacuees who still have access to their mail-in ballots can return them to any drop box or voter center in the state by 7 p.m. Tuesday and it will make it back to the local county clerk to be counted, the Colorado Secretary of State's Office said.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Chaffee County Clerk and Recorder Lori Mitchell planned to dispatch her team to visit firefighters at the Willow Fire who are staying in a gymnasium in Buena Vista to help them vote.

"As emergency workers, they are qualified to an emergency ballot so they can vote their full ballot even if they're far from their their homes and their residences," Griswold said. "My office is working with other counties to set up similar programs in Grand Junction and elsewhere."

Her office is reaching out to other counties with wildfires to see if it's feasible to do the same.

Voter center and drop box locations across the state can be found here. Impacted people can also contact their county clerks with questions. Their specific information can be found here.

Colorado voters will not get a say this November on whether to replace the state's congressional districts with ones that could help Democrats win additional seats in future elections.

The state Supreme Court on Monday struck down a series of proposed ballot initiatives that would have sidestepped the state's independent redistricting commission and authorized new U.S. House districts for the 2028 and 2030 elections. The court said the measures addressed multiple subjects in violation of the state constitution.

The rulings marked another setback for Democrats in a nationwide redistricting battle that could affect control of Congress. Earlier this year, courts also invalidated Democratic redistricting efforts in Virginia and New York that were aimed at the midterm elections, though Democrats could try again in those states before the 2028 elections. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for people of color, opening a pathway for Republicans in several Southern states to redraw majority-Black districts that had elected Democrats.

Redistricting is typically done immediately after a census at the start of each decade.

President Donald Trump kick-started an unusual mid-decade redistricting fight last year when he called on Republicans in Texas to redraw congressional districts in a bid to win several additional seats in the midterms and hold on to control of the closely divided chamber. Other Republican-led states followed, and several Democratic-led states tried to counter. Republicans prevailed in more states with new districts that they hope could net as many as 10 additional seats in November.

Colorados U.S. House delegation is evenly split between four Democrats and four Republicans under a map drawn by the states independent redistricting commission after the 2020 census. A constitutional amendment would be needed to draw different districts before the next census.

A Democratic-backed amendment would have authorized mid-decade redistricting and created new districts that could have helped Democrats gain up to three seats. Supporters offered two options: a single amendment combining both proposals, and a pair of initiatives separating redistricting authorization from the new map that would take effect only if both passed. The Colorado Supreme Court said both versions violated the multi-subject prohibition.

The court cited the same grounds while also invalidating identical Republican-backed ballot initiatives submitted to counter the Democratic ones.

Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which backed the Democratic redistricting initiatives, said it was disappointed the court thwarted its efforts.

While Trump and his MAGA allies regularly sidestep the law and ignore voters, efforts to respond have once again been dealt a legal setback over a technicality, said Curtis Hubbard, a spokesperson for the group.

Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment creating an independent redistricting commission in 2018. A group that backed that ballot measure praised the Supreme Court on Monday for not gutting the commission.

While other states stumble into the partisan abyss via gerrymandering warfare, Colorado is defending its reputation as a beacon for fairness and good government," said Frank McNulty, chair of Fair Maps Colorado.

DENVER  With Colorado's primary just days away, experts say turnout among younger age groups has historically been lower than among older generations, but some college students say they hope to see that change.

For Metropolitan State University Denver student Kalise McCurry, voting is about having a say in the future shes helping build.

I think it's important because we're just starting our futures. I think it's very important that we have a say in what happens with our futures, MSU Denver student Kalise McCurry said.

This years primary election marks only the second time McCurry has voted. She says having a ballot drop box right on campus makes it easier.

Colorado has a gold standard of how we conduct elections, and that helps our youth turnout compared to other states, MSU Denver associate vice president for undergraduate studies Dr. Elizabeth Parmelee said.

Even with the convenience, though, turnout remains a challenge.

According to Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez, only 17% of young voters participate in elections.

I think part of it is inexperience unless they have very engaged families, Dr. Parmelee said.

McCurry said she gets most of her election information through campus resources and believes its important not to rely solely on social media.

Im kind of wary of what I see on social media. I think it's important to fact-check, McCurry said.

While its been low in the past, Professor Parmelee says she thinks youth turnout could be higher this year.

I think there are things going on in the national economy and the local economy, things impacting education, gas prices, which young people have to pay, just like everybody else. That may impact the youth voter turnout, Dr. Parmelee said.

McCurry hopes her fellow young voters understand how important their voice is in elections.

I think we really can make a big change if we all exercise our rights, McCurry said.

DENVER Colorado Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 30, and so far, more than 639,000 ballots have been returned by eligible voters, according to the latest statisitics from the Colorado Secretary of State's office.

Colorado has about 4.5 million registered voters, and the latest numbers reflect a 14% voter turn out 3 days before the election.

WATCH: Denver7 anchor Micah Smith breaks down what the current voting numbers show ahead of the June 30 primary

According to Axios, during the 2018 midterm election, the last midterm with state level and congressional races on the ballot, voter turnout reached 30% with 1.3 million voters casting their ballots.

As of Friday, of all the counties in the state, Jefferson County voters have returned the most ballots, with more than 76,000 voters submitting a ballot, representing a 16% voter turnout.

The states largest county, Denver County, has returned a little more than 67,000 ballots so far resulting, in 12% voter turnout.

The deadline to mail-in a ballot or receive a ballot via mail has passed.

Voters can return ballots to local drop boxes or vote in-person until 7:00pm on June 30.

The race to become Colorado's next Attorney General is filled with six candidates who all want to become the "people's lawyer." Denver7 sat down with each of them to hear their final pitches to voters, with the primary election in Colorado on June 30.

The current AG, Phil Weiser, is running in the gubernatorial Democratic primary.

Four Democrats hope they will take his spot, and two Republicans believe it is time for the state to change the direction of that office.

Unaffiliated voters can choose what primary they vote in, but cannot cast ballots in both.

The primary election in Colorado is June 30. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. that day.

The first name listed in the race for AG on the Democratic primary ballot is Jena Griswold, who is currently the Colorado Secretary of State.

Griswold moved to Colorado when she was in elementary school and went on to attend law school in Philadelphia. She practiced law for a few years before working for U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper in Washington, D.C.

Now, Griswold has held the title of SOS in Colorado for just over seven years.

"I've played a significant role on several high-profile democracy issues, like making sure Tina Peters was addressed and held accountable, or in 2020 working so that Postmaster General was restrained and stopped from sending bad information out to Colorado voters," Griswold said. "I've managed that office during one of the most difficult times during the greatest attack on our democracy in recent history. I'm also the candidate with the experience that is mattering most to voters: Standing up to Trump.

Griswold said that her experience as the SOS has prepared her for the role of AG.

"In my current job as Secretary of State, there's a lot that I do that never makes the television, right? Because it's not the hot topics. The hot topics are democracy, standing up to Trump, standing up to MAGA. The Attorney General is similar to an extent in that there's a lot that the Attorney General's office is doing on any given day that Coloradans may not be paying super close attention to, but at the end of the day, what the Attorney General is, is the lead lawyer for the state," Griswold said. "You're a manager of 700 lawyers and support staff, advising the statewide executive officials, advising every agency, and then making some of those big strategic decisions on how to protect our state.

If Griswold is picked as the Democratic candidate that advances to the Nov. general election ballot, she vowed to continue her fight against the Trump administration that has already been seen in her work as SOS. She also mentioned a number of other priorities, which include protecting reproductive rights, holding federal immigration enforcement accountable, working with the state legislature on gun violence prevention measures, and standing up to corporate organizations responsible for pollution.

Recently, Griswold has been criticized for missing certain campaign events by her fellow candidates. For her part, Griswold said she has attended 12 forums and a debate, along with hosting a dozen town halls across the state.

"I would say the attack is misguided, and I think a show of desperation from the other campaigns," Griswold said. "I'm overseeing the election that is ongoing right now. As Secretary of State, we're preparing for federal interference and all the things that Coloradans may be worrying about... I'm also a mom. I have a 22-month-old little toddler, and I honestly think the experience of having a toddler at home is important."

At the end of all of these interviews, Denver7 asked the candidates for a fun fact about themselves.

After college I was actually awarded a fellowship, it's called the Watson Fellowship, and I spent a year in different countries around the world studying cultural global organization through the dance of salsa," Griswold said. As Secretary of State, I do not go salsa dancing often, but I love salsa dancing. I actually met my husband at a joint birthday party, salsa dancing party."

Next on the Democratic primary ballot in the race for AG is David Seligman, the executive director of a legal nonprofit called Towards Justice.

"Towards Justice is a national legal organization that fights for working people in court, here in Colorado and across the country, taking on corporate abuse and corruption," said Seligman.

Born in Denver, Seligman said he now lives just a few miles from where he was raised.

Had the good fortune of taking out loans, you know, I went to Harvard Law School. I clerked for federal judges, but I saw really early on a legal system that was fundamentally tilted in favor of those with wealth and power and against ordinary people, and I saw a legal profession that too often sells out working people, frankly the same way that I see my party, the Democratic Party, too often selling out working people," Seligman said. "I moved back home to Colorado, have dedicated every single day of my legal career to standing up in court for working families, using the law in bold ways, in new ways, on behalf of working people, consumers, immigrants, and others taking on the forces of corruption and corporate abuse.

Denver7 asked Seligman what in his professional experience has prepared him for the job of AG.

"I've helped recover nearly $100 million stolen from working people. Forced the biggest corporations in the world to follow the law," Seligman said. "We sued the Trump administration and won. Sued the Polis administration and won. We stopped the governor from turning over Coloradans' personal information to ICE, using the law as a force of good in the world.

Seligman said his experience with recruiting and retaining lawyers would be beneficial in the AG's office.

"The next Attorney General is running an office of more than 700 people, and I have helped to turn my legal organization Towards Justice into a national powerhouse in the fight for economic justice and for civil rights. That's a unique kind of leadership experience in this race, the kind of entrepreneurial leadership experience, the kind of scrappy leadership experience that I think we need right now," said Seligman. The Attorney General is a lawyer for the people of Colorado, so all the ways in which you're getting screwed over and ripped off and undermined the Attorney General is there to fight for you, right?

When discussing what priorities Seligman would focus on as AG, he said there is not enough being done to hold the wealthy and powerful accountable.

There's a ton to do. And look, the house is on fire now. We need to be doing all the things seriously to take on the forces of corruption and corporate abuse that are dismantling this country, that are making life harder," said Seligman. "It means prosecuting ICE officers under Colorado law if they trample our rights. We can't be afraid to do that, but it's not just that. We also need to be holding accountable and protecting all the folks that are being taken into immigration detention right now. We know that they are living in horrific conditions, being denied safe food, being denied health care in violation of state law. If I'm Attorney General, I'm doing everything I can, subpoena in my hand, to get into GEO, to get into our immigration detention facilities, to make sure that those facilities are following the law.

Seligman said the affordability issues in the state are connected to accountability issues as well.

"The affordability crisis isn't just about money we're spending, it's also about stagnating wages in one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the history of the world," said Seligman. "We have a pervasive corporate union busting and wage theft and exploitation of market power to undermine working people.

In addition, Seligman said climate change would be a priority if he were AG.

We just cannot lose track of the existential threat of climate change. I am terrified for my daughter's future right now, and we've got corporate polluters here in Colorado that have been polluting our air and water for decades and getting away with it, and it doesn't need to be that way," said Seligman. "When I'm Attorney General, we're going to create an affirmative environmental justice and protection unit to go on offense to make polluters pay from Day 1. In particular, to protect those communities that are most harmed by the corporate pollution that is making thousands and thousands of people in Colorado sick right now.

Something Seligman is not often talking about on the campaign trail is his love of the Colorado Rockies.

"I'm a suffering Rockies fan, and my actual dream job, you know, for many, many years, right second to being the lawyer for the people of Colorado is to be the public address announcer at Coors Field," Seligman said with a smile.

Another Democratic contender for Colorado's next AG is Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.

"I'm the proud grandson of four Irish immigrants who came over on the boat with nothing but the shirts on their backs. They settled in Brooklyn, New York, and that's where I was born," Dougherty said. "I'm a leader and a prosecutor who's been fighting for justice my entire career, and I've always been honored to be in public service.

According to Dougherty, he came from a family filled with railroad workers, firefighters, police officers, and teachers.

"I was very geared towards public service from the beginning, and I went to community college coming out of high school, because we didn't have much money. And I loaded trucks at UPS on the night shift," Dougherty said. After graduating from community college and going on to complete my four-year degree, I went on to law school.

After law school, Dougherty served as a prosecutor within the Manhattan District Attorney's office for more than a decade. He was in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

"A day that's seared in our memories for all of us," Dougherty said. A couple days later, I got a case that will always stay with me. It was a guy who had falsely claimed to have found survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center during the rescue operation, and I was a fairly young prosecutor, and I was entrusted with the responsibility of fighting for justice in that case. His actions, and claiming that he found survivors he did that, by the way, because he was trying to cover his tracks. He was trying to get down into the shopping mall below the World Trade Center to steal stuff at a time of crisis, and it was the shopping mall that I used to go to for my last-minute shopping every Christmas. When he got caught, he claimed to have found survivors as a cover story. The firefighters he placed at risk, they were already traumatized... Took that case to trial, and the tenant was found guilty of endangering their lives.

Since working in Boulder, Dougherty has overseen a number of high-profile cases within his judicial district, including the case involving the Marshall Fire, the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting, and the Pearl Street firebombing terror attack.

"I'm not term-limited as District Attorney. I could serve six more years, and I have a job that I love, and I live 10 minutes from the courthouse, but I'm compelled to step up and run for Attorney General right now, because this moment calls for each one of us to do everything we can to protect Colorado and build a better future," Dougherty said. "I see this as the greatest threat to our democracy in my lifetime, and we have a lawless Trump administration where the Attorneys General are on the front lines of defending the rule of law and preserving the values and ideals of Colorado.

Dougherty explained what his priorities would be for the AG's office, if he were elected to the position.

First would be water and environment, and I say that because the Colorado River Compact is ending this year, and as you know, water is the precious lifeblood of Colorado," Dougherty said. "Our environment, particularly with the Trump administration rolling back the Environmental Protection Agency, it's key that I, as the next Attorney General, step up and do even more. I've overseen the Environmental Crimes Unit in the AG's office, I know what that unit's about, and I know the impact it can have on the state. I also want to see the state of Colorado do even more.

Beyond the environmental concerns, Dougherty said he would like to see Colorado ban private prisons and engage in meaningful criminal justice reform that addresses substance use and mental health, in addition to public safety.

The mission in my office is to do justice, not to rack up convictions like notches in a gunbelt, but to do our very best to serve the community, and we do that by making sure we reach the just outcome in every case, so whether it's a traffic misdemeanor or horrific mass murder case, we're always going to fight for the right outcome in my office," Dougherty said. "We're living through a time of crisis in this country right now, and we're more divided than I've ever seen us. So, the fact that I have strong bipartisan support, to me, speaks to my track record of fighting for justice and doing it with integrity.

When he is not working at the courthouse, Dougherty is passionate about ultrarunning.

"I've run the Leadville 100, twice. Completed it both times with a lot of help from an amazing crew, which is much like this campaign," said Dougherty. "It's a long journey, but I have an incredible crew around me, and I've done 50 milers all around the state, and I've been an ultrarunner for many, many years.

Rounding out the Democratic candidates for Colorado's next AG is Hetal Doshi, who has lived in Colorado for the last 14 years.

"Before that, I moved all across the country, largely in the Deep South. I am the proud product of a public education in Alabama, from sixth grade to 12th grade, where I grew up about 90 miles from Selma," Doshi said. "I actually have never planned to run for office, and yet, as I look back on this particular moment, and my expertise and experience my experience was made for this moment.

Doshi said she has been a federal prosecutor for more than a decade, and a lawyer for more than 20 years.

"As a federal prosecutor right here in Colorado, I have traveled across the four corners of the state prosecuting corporate misconduct, executives that lied and cheated, environmental crimes, public corruption offenses, investigating hate crimes, things like scams and frauds against vulnerable communities, securities frauds," Doshi said. "The sort of the success that I had in doing that work and approaching it in a really creative and relentless way drew the attention of the Biden-Harris administration, and so at the beginning of that administration they reached out to me and out of a pool of a lot of litigators and lawyers across the country, they said 'We want you to be the litigator and the lawyer that leads our teams into battle in the most consequential history making cases in the modern generation.'"

Her most recognized case, in Doshi's opinion, was the lawsuit against Ticketmaster, which she said speaks to power, corruption, and the ability to achieve the American Dream.

"That case is about art and music and the creative industry, and so it is fundamentally about our ability to, as part of the American Dream, do things with our families in a way that is affordable and accessible, right?" said Doshi. "But that case is much bigger than just music. It is about industries where one company or a small group of companies have a chokehold on every part of the industry, and so whether it's live music or health care or food or agriculture Americans and Coloradans are seeing that they feel like they have an illusion of choice, but don't really meaningfully have a choice, and so they can't get away from junk fees and other types of things like that, that make those types of opportunities inaccessible.

According to Doshi, she saw inequities while working within the criminal justice system which has guided her work to this day.

"I saw that our criminal justice system really had no problem holding the poorest in our society to account, often Black and brown communities, but we didn't do a very good job of holding those who had power, privilege, and resources and huge, powerful allies to account," Doshi said. "We have a two-tiered system of justice. And so I thought, I want to use my time, skills, and talents to make sure that we bring tenacity and relentlessness to that fight, to make sure no matter how rich or powerful you are, you have to abide by the same set of rules.

Doshi said she believes government should exist to serve the people, not the other way around, which is a philosophy she intends to carry into the AG's office.

"I will wake up every day as your next Attorney General with a fight unlike ever before, because this moment demands it," Doshi said. "This is a moment where, let's be plain, we have a president and his family who have made $4 billion off the grift that is occurring in Washington and the White House. $4 billion. And at that exact same time, we are debating and having to pass legislation to make sure that single moms can buy a rotisserie chicken with their SNAP benefits. That's the moment. We are seeing a decline in faith in public institutions, and trust in our government and our public officials, and it is time for government to step up and deliver to actually make people's lives better. That's the moment.

Doshi's fun fact is inherently connected to her case against Ticketmaster and her love of live music.

"I have a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of a lot of '80s, '90s, and 2000s hip-hop, and I can probably quote a Tupac lyric to match any circumstance or situation," Doshi said. Relatedly, this surprises people, I am a because you know, boring lawyer some days I am also a classically trained dancer, and that is another reason that I've come by my love of music.

On the Republican side of the race is El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen, who grew up in Colorado.

Allen has prosecuted a handful of cases with national significance, including the Return to Nature case where nearly 200 bodies were discovered rotting inside of a Penrose funeral home and the mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.

We clean up the messes that other people create and deal with the tragedy and hold people accountable," Allen said.

Denver7 asked Allen about his staunch support of the LGBTQ+ community following the mass shooting.

"There's never been a case that I've prosecuted where I'm asking either the defendant or the victim, what is their political alignment? I'm not asking that. I don't care about that," Allen said. "Has somebody been hurt? And if so, then I'll stand up with them and fight for justice for them. And it doesn't matter where they come from. Every person has inherent human dignity, and that's what I fight for as a prosecutor.

Allen said he has spent more than two decades as a prosecutor, and he believes that experience has prepared him for the role of AG.

"I've led a big office. I've served the people of this state, doesn't matter where they come from, and fought for justice for them, and that's what we need in the Attorney General's office," said Allen.

If voters choose Allen as the Republican who heads to the general election ballot, he promised to always fight for what is right for Coloradans.

"I'm always going to fight for justice for folks, whether they've been wronged in some consumer fraud scheme, or they've been victimized by crime, or the federal government, or some other act, or other states are hurting the interests of the people of this state. I'm going to fight for them," Allen said. "We need to do a better job for people; they count on the Attorney General's office to do that work, and luckily, I've done it.

Under current Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is one of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, the office has sued the Trump administration more than 60 times.

"There is a place for the Attorney General's office to stand up and defend the rights of the state against the federal government. The difference between myself and current Attorney General Weiser is that I'm not going to do it because a particular person is sitting in the Oval Office," Allen said. We need to be very conscious about how we're using our resources, make sure that we're fighting actually to help the people of this state, and not using lawsuits against the federal government or a particular administration just to advance a political career, which is what I think a lot of these lawsuits have actually done.

Something voters may not know about Allen is that he spent eight years in the Navy, where he met his wife, Heidi.

"She's a Colorado native as well. I was in the Persian Gulf when our oldest son was born, and that was a big deciding factor for us to come back to Colorado, actually to end my Navy career and come back to Colorado," Allen said.

Running against Allen in the Republican race for AG is David Willson. Willson told Denver7 he spent 20 years as an army attorney, or Judge Advocate General (JAG), moving roughly every two years and having to quickly learn various types of law.

Willson continued to explain the rest of his legal career to Denver7.

"I was a special assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting civilians committing crimes on installations. I did international operational law, cybersecurity law, intelligence law, space control. Since then, I filed a number of lawsuits helping people fighting COVID mandates, so unlawful termination of employment, religious exemptions, things like that," said Willson. For the last, almost 10 years, I've been court-appointed, representing parents having their kids taken away by DHS. At one point, having over 100 cases, so I have a very wide experience of legal issues that I've dealt with over almost 36 years of practicing law.

Willson also addressed the number of lawsuits filed by the current Colorado's AG against the Trump administration.

"I'm thinking, that's not management, that's not dealing with resources properly, that's just a knee-jerk reaction," said Willson. "Personally, I voted for Trump. I support what he's doing. Yeah, as a typical New Yorker, he can say things that people may not like, but hey, that's a typical New Yorker. And so, I would probably get rid of most of those lawsuits.

According to Willson, he is running for AG because he is looking to change the current system.

"I am tired of politicians who love you when they want to get elected, and then they disappear, and you never hear from them again, unless it's another election or something significant pops up, and suddenly they find themselves in front of a camera," said Willson. "I will have a town hall every single month online and in various locations around the state, so I can continue to talk to all the amazing people I've been talking to, and hear what their concerns are, and relay back to them what I'm doing to try and address those concerns."

A fun fact about Willson is that he has done Wing Chun Kung Fu for 40 years.

"I started that in New York, because it can be somewhat of a tough place, and you either know how to fight or you run, and I wasn't going to run. And I don't run from from fights," said Willson, who continued to list off one more fun fact. I can't sing or play an instrument, but I really wanted to learn how to play the banjo, so I have a banjo that, when I find time, which is rare, I try and practice, not for anybody to ever hear."