By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
Attorney General Phil Weiser didn’t waste any time in 2025 making his future intentions known.
He was the first to declare a run in the Democratic field for governor. He announced the decision Thursday, Jan. 2, in a Twitter/X post on his personal account.
Gov. Jared Polis’ second term in office expires at the end of 2026. The governor’s office has a two-term limit.
“Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for governor of Colorado,” Weiser’s post began on X. “There are many reasons why I’m running to lead this state I love, but the biggest reason is simple: I’m committed to fighting for the people of Colorado.”
Weiser was elected as attorney general in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. The announcement came as no surprise, as he will be term-limited from the office of attorney general at the conclusion of this term.
The Democrat field is largely believed it will include U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Colorado Attorney General and current ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar.
Weiser is a dean emeritus at the University of Colorado’s law school. Additionally, Weiser served in two of the past three Democratic presidential administrations for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
In pairing with his announcement, Weiser launched a campaign website where he pledged that as governor he would:
- Make Colorado more affordable and bringing down the cost of living — from housing costs and childcare to grocery bills and prescription drugs.
- Stand up for our rights and reproductive freedoms.
- Create safer communities and protect land, air, and water for “our kids and grandchildren”.
- Empower Coloradans by expanding access to education and career-training, addressing youth mental health crisis, and establishing a voluntary service program for young people.
The website also boasts several of his office’s more well-known actions, including the attempt to block a merger between King Soopers and Safeway, the Reproductive Health Equity Act, suing pharmaceutical companies and the prosecution of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.
“As your Attorney General, I have taken on big fights for the people of Colorado,” a press release on his website reads. “And there is more work to do to make Colorado a more affordable, safer place to live, to defend our freedoms, and to protect our land, air, and water.”