Denver Post Backs Dougherty Over Griswold In Colorado AG Primary

By Mike Krause | Complete Colorado

(Editor’s note: The Denver Post endorsements linked are paywalled. Complete Colorado is offering this synopsis as a service to non-subscribing primary voters.)

DENVER–The Denver Post editorial board on Monday endorsed Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty in the Democratic primary for Colorado Attorney General, passing over the race’s best-known candidate, current Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

The Post considered all four Democrat candidates but focused its praise on Dougherty (as well as Hetal Doshi, a former federal prosecutor). While the board acknowledged Griswold as “the only candidate to have actually run a statewide agency,” that credential wasn’t enough. The endorsement makes clear that Dougherty “checked far more experience boxes” than does Griswold, and is the more impressive candidate overall.

The Post’s case for Dougherty rests heavily on his track record steering Boulder County through a series of tragedies. He prosecuted the 2021 King Soopers mass shooting, led the criminal investigation into the deadly Marshall Fire, which ultimately produced civil settlements with Xcel Energy, and secured a life sentence for the terrorist who last year firebombed Jewish demonstrators showing support for Israeli hostages held by Hamas, killing an 82-year-old woman. The Post wrote that Boulder County “has been in good hands through strife and trauma” under his leadership.

The board acknowledged Dougherty’s thin civil law background, but said they trust he can adapt, pointing to past collaboration with sitting Attorney General Phil Weiser on a consumer protection settlement involving a landlord allegedly  charging junk fees.

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