Morning Digest: Can Colorado Republicans put up a fight in the race for governor?

Democrats are on a two-decade win streak in this onetime GOP bastion

Secretary of State Jena Griswold is one of the many Colorado Democrats who could run for governor (credit: Jena Griswold Facebook)

Leading Off

CO-Gov

As Colorado prepares to host its next race for governor, one question looms over the contest: Will Republicans be able to put up a fight, or will Democrats extend their two decades of dominance without breaking a sweat?

Two years ago, the current inhabitant of the governor's mansion, Jared Polis, dispatched his Republican opponent in a 59-39 rout—the most dominant Democratic performance since 1990. That blowout came about despite the fact that Republicans nominated a candidate who had previously won statewide, University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl.

And while Democrats in many swing states performed astonishingly well in the last midterms despite such elections historically favoring the party out of power, it's been quite some time since Colorado made that short list.

The state began its transformation from reliably red to solidly blue in the aughts, most famously when, in 2008, Barack Obama became just the second Democrat to carry the state's electoral votes since 1964. But two years earlier, Democrats had begun what would be a long streak of gubernatorial success when Bill Ritter trounced Bob Beauprez 57-40 during the 2006 wave.

Only one race since then has remained in the single digits, Democrat John Hickenlooper's 2014 reelection effort. But even with the benefit of a wave that swept in the opposite direction, a second try from Beauprez fell short as Hickenlooper prevailed by a 49-46 margin.

Over the past 20 years, Democrats have consolidated their hold on the state. They now have near-supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature and hold every state-level office. Ganahl's 51-49 victory in 2016 was the last time a Republican won a statewide election in Colorado. (Her seat has since been abolished.)

A measure of how lopsided power has grown in the state is the caliber of candidates under discussion to succeed Polis, who is barred from running a third time due to term limits.

At least half a dozen major Democrats could make the race, including several statewide office-holders. The roster includes Attorney General Phil Weiser, Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, former state House Speaker Crisanta Duran, and former Sen. Ken Salazar, who is currently Joe Biden's ambassador to Mexico and previously served in Barack Obama's cabinet as secretary of the interior.

Only Duran has openly said she's considering, telling 9News this week that she has "not made any final decisions." But Griswold, Crow, and Weiser all declined to rule out bids in comments to the station while Neguse did the same earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Crow, though, acknowledged the congressman "continues to receive encouragement" about a run, while the Colorado Sun's Jesse Paul reports that Weiser "is widely expected to launch his campaign in the coming weeks." Salazar, meanwhile, hasn't commented, but the site Colorado Pols said last month that he's "contemplating one last run."

The Republican list is considerably smaller, both in length and in stature. Rep. Greg Lopez, who lost the 2022 primary to Ganahl and has fared even worse in multiple previous campaigns, told 9News he's "leaving all my options open." He'll soon have plenty of time on his hands to consider them: Though Lopez won a special election to fill the vacant 4th District earlier this year, he declined to run for a full term.

Then there's state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who lost a close race for the 8th Congressional District in 2022 and said that she's "giving it serious thought." And that's pretty much it. 9News also tried to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, but he did not comment. (Teller County is home to about 25,000 people, making it the 24th-largest in the state.)

It's possible a stronger contender could emerge for the GOP, but at the moment, it appears that Colorado's most critical battle in 2026 will take place in the Democratic primary—a remarkable trajectory for a state that, in recent memory, was a stalwart Republican bastion.

Live Chats

David Nir & Aaron Rupar

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Governors

NM-Gov

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who's long been mentioned as a likely candidate for governor of New Mexico in 2026, is "quietly preparing" a bid, reports Axios' Hans Nichols. Haaland, a former congresswoman who is a member of the federally recognized Laguna Pueblo tribe, would be the first Native American woman elected governor of any state.

Next month, Haaland will relinquish her post when Joe Biden leaves office, at which point she'd be able to launch a campaign. That could set her up on a collision course in the Democratic primary with Sen. Martin Heinrich, who has repeatedly declined to rule out the race.

Other Democrats could also join the contest. Longtime political writer Joe Monahan mentions Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who is the top prosecutor for the state's largest county, as a potential candidate, though Bregman doesn't appear to have said anything about his 2026 plans. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales is another possibility.

There's been little chatter, meanwhile, about possible Republican candidates who might try to succeed term-limited Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat.