By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics
Colorado’s political world is in as close to a lull as it’s likely to get this cycle — six months past the 2024 general election, days after the end of this year’s regular legislative session, and with just over a year to go until voters begin casting primary ballots.
Major candidates for the state’s most prominent and competitive 2026 contests have already emerged, but many are about to get more company.
Like at the beginning of a fundraising quarter, the immediate aftermath of the General Assembly’s 120 day session is prime calendar real estate to launch campaigns for higher offices, for a couple of reasons: State lawmakers finally again have some control over their schedule and can turn their attention to campaigning, while other hopefuls can count on the attention of the political press, which typically remains on alert for any vetoes by the governor, and for signs of a rumored special session.
Get ready for an election year—or year and a half—like no other, with jam-packed primaries in nearly every statewide race and most congressional contests.
For the first time in at least a century, every one of Colorado’s state-level constitutional offices — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer — will be open in next year’s election, since the five term-limited Democratic incumbents each took office for the first time following wins in 2018, President Donald Trump’s first midterm.
Of the five lame-duck Democrats, however, two of them — and possibly a third — don’t plan to hang up their campaign cleats and are launching runs for another office.
The exceptions are Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, who don’t appear to be potential candidates for anything else next year, though Polis could still have his eye on the White House in 2028.