Who's In the Race

Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser and Republican Victor Marx will face off in Colorado's Nov. 3 gubernatorial election after winning their respective party primaries. The seat is open because Democratic Gov. Jared Polis is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term. ​

Both nominees competed in the June 30 primaries, although Marx's narrow victory was not confirmed until July. Weiser won the Democratic nomination with 56.9% of the vote, defeating U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) by 122,321 votes. Marx won the Republican nomination with 39.9% of the vote, defeating state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer (R-CO) by 2,466 votes, a margin of approximately half a percentage point.

Endorsements

Weiser has drawn support from prominent Democrats and Republicans, including former Denver Mayor and U.S. Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Peña and former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer. He also received a cross-party endorsement from former Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, who represented Colorado's 4th Congressional District. Buck was among more than a dozen current and former Republican officials who endorsed Weiser in October, including former Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. The endorsements demonstrate support for Weiser beyond his own party.

Marx has received support from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who served in President Donald Trump's first administration. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has also endorsed Marx and has supported his campaign since its launch.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Polling

Three major election forecasters classify Colorado's governor's race as safely Democratic. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate the contest Solid Democratic, while Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it Safe Democratic. These ratings reflect the forecasters' assessments of the state's political environment and the race's competitiveness.

Previous Elections

Colorado's recent election results provide context for the ratings. In the 2024 presidential election, Democrat Kamala Harris received approximately 54% of the vote, compared with 43% for Republican Donald Trump, an 11-percentage-point margin.

In the 2022 governor's race, Polis won reelection with 58.5% of the vote, defeating Republican Heidi Ganahl, who received 39.2%. Polis won by 485,441 votes, a margin of approximately 19.3 percentage points. His margin exceeded Harris' presidential margin two years later.

Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002, when Bill Owens won reelection. Democrat Bill Ritter succeeded Owens after winning in 2006, and Democrats have held the governorship since.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article