In response to a number of requests for guidance on how to vote, I am listing below how I personally voted in Colorado’s primary election. As a registered independent, I chose to vote the Democratic ballot (pdf) for the 2026 primary. Independent voters also have the option to vote the Republican ballot. If you vote the Republican ballot, without a doubt vote for Bobbie Gross for County Clerk. She is the incumbent, has proven herself highly qualified for the job, and you will not find a more qualified candidate. The Republican candidate running against Bobbie Gross, Abigail Silzell, is a Tina Peters-light style candidate who stands ready to break state and federal laws if her radical extremist supporters urge her to do so.
Following are my choices of candidates on the Dem primary ballot, and some of my rationale:
Click here to see the 2026 Primary Democratic Sample Ballot D54:
For U.S. Senator, I voted for Julie Gonzalez. Gonzalez is currently a Colorado State Senator, so she has senatorial experience. Her opponent, incumbent Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper, voted for 10 of Trump’s cabinet nominees. I was disgusted by this and vowed to remember it at election time, so here we are.
For House Representative for Congressional District 3, I voted for Alex Kelloff. Alex has been campaigning for CD3 House Representative for over a year. He’s been on the road constantly all that time, traveling across the district, attending events and talking to people all across District 3. His opponent, Dwayne Romero, is a fine candidate and seems to be on the right side of the issues, but he jumped into the race very late and so has not had the time to establish the relationships, generate the name recognition and credibility that Alex has across the District.
For governor, I voted for Phil Weiser, who is currently Colorado’s Attorney General. Weiser is an excellent candidate who has executed his office well and has good knowledge of what is required to hold the office of Governor. Weiser also sent an investigator to western Colorado to look into Red Rock Auto’s forgery problems and other frauds they were committing against local citizens (pdf, lawsuit).
Weiser’s opponent, Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, is currently Colorado’s senior U.S. Senator, so if Bennet won the race for Governor, his Senate seat would become vacant and Gov. Polis would likely* appoint Bennet’s replacement. We’ve recently seen that Gov. Polis can make decisions that are horrible for the state. Against all advice to the contrary, Polis caved to Trump’s threats and commuted the prison sentence of criminal county clerk Tina Peters to let her out far before her original sentence was up. Gov. Polis cannot be trusted to fill the empty Senate seat Bennet would leave behind if he became Governor.** [**Update 6/24/26: If Bennet wins, once he is sworn in as Governor, Colorado law allows him to appoint his own successor in the Senate. Bennet has said he plans to wait until he is sworn in as Governor to resign from his Senate seat so he can appoint his own successor, although there are no iron clad guarantees it will play out this way.]
It would be of far greater benefit to Colorado if Bennet finished his current term in the Senate before running for another office. Bennet was re-elected to his Senate seat in 2022, so his current term ends in January of 2029. Bennet became Colorado’s senior senator in 2015, and seniority in the Senate is very important. Length of service in the Senate can determine a senator’s ability to attain preferred committee seats, and increases proximity to the chairmanship on Senate committees. When states lose their senior senator and the power they’ve accumulated through their longer tenure, they risk losing benefits like the funding directed to the states, influential committee seats, etc. Increased tenure can significantly increase the amount of federal spending that flows to a state. Our state will be far better off if Bennet stays in the Senate until the end of his current term.
For Secretary of State, Amanda Gonzalez. She is an attorney and has actually run elections in Colorado, so she not only has actual hands-on elections experience, but she also knows the law. We’ve seen how inexperience, a lack of knowledge of the law and an absence of knowledge about how elections actually operate led us into disaster with Tina Peters. Amanda Gonzalez will protect Colorado’s elections from federal interference.
For Attorney General, Michael Dougherty. Dougherty is currently District Attorney for the 20th Judicial District (Boulder County). He has held that seat since 2018. He has lots of experience actually prosecuting criminals. He understands the intricacies of criminal law, courtroom trials, etc. Dougherty has more experience in these areas than the other candidates for this office. Also very important to me is consumer protection — prosecuting scammers and fraudsters. It is a much-overlooked and poorly-addressed area of law in Colorado because the consumer protection laws in Colorado are weak and it isn’t as lucrative as personal injury law. Throughout the Red Rock Auto debacle I found that consumers, particularly people on the western slope, are largely without recourse when they get scammed and defrauded by untrustworthy businesses. But consumer protection is high on Dougherty’s list of issues. He was also endorsed by Grand Junction City Councilman Scott Beilfuss, whose judgment I trust, and Bernie Buescher of Grand Junction, a former Secretary of State.
Everyone else on the ballot is running unopposed.
As always, discussion about other choices are welcome in the comments.
Nice analysis. While I, as others, don’t agree on each of your recommendations/picks, I really appreciate the depth and the thoughtfulness of the analysis. I hope you’ll continue the work, especially into the election itself. I tend to vote Blue, but that can be blind — Polis is kind of an example, but one can go back to Dick Lamm as well. You seem to provide a critical but fair assessment of the candidates — at least your choices — and given the level of noise in elections, that is a valuable contribution.
Once again, thank you for sharing your choices for the upcoming election. I also agree that Scott Beilfuss is trustworthy!
just curious about the lack of support for Griswold given that she is the primary reason Tina Peters was actually investigated and prosecuted ??????
Griswold made a great Secretary of State, but she has minimal to no courtroom experience. She also has said that she argued ballot eligibility lawsuits before the U.S. Supreme Court, but those claims were false because, while she was a named party in the suit that reached the Supreme Court, she didn’t litigate it. Colorado’s Solicitor General actually argued the case. We need someone with deep experience as a litigator to serve as AG, someone who can hit the ground running.
Boy, I strongly disagree with you about Dwayne Romero – he is the only candidate with a chance to beat Hurd, and he has had a lifetime of public service – not the Hurd kind, but the unglamorous years of school boards, city council, water district, as well as Colorado economic development director. He is passionate about fighting for what’s right – against stupid wars, against taking health care from millions of Americans, for helping everyday Americans. And he has the character to appeal to many more voters than the other two candidates – not just his military service, but his down-to-earth personality. A big mistake not to endorse him
Thank you Anne, I like Dwayne Romero better than Alex fr CD3 and Hetal Doshi for AG, agree with on all the others.
Thank you very much Anne. I passed this invaluable knowledge to my family and friends. DQ
Hatel Doshi for AG is my pick. Got to meet her here in Grand Junction.
Hatel is a very intelligent person, has worked for the DOJ and wants to stay in Colorado and raise her family.
Please do Vote your Primary Ballot.
I am still struggling with the choice between the Republican and Democrat ballots. Certainly don’t want Bobbie to loose, but also have some strong feeling about who I want of the Democratic side. Going to have to decide soon…….
I usually follow your advice, si thanks so much for this.
Thank you Anne!