The date of the general election is closing in and candidates are making their final moves to secure a seat in public office. The Colorado primary election, which leads the candidates here, had the largest voter participation ever; Coloradans have a vested interest in the outcome of these elections. This is to be expected, as salient and controversial issues have arisen during the campaigns and future office holders will exert significant power over these issues. Below is a guide to all the candidates registered voters in Denver will decide on. If you live in another district, you can find more information about candidates on the Secretary of State’s website.
Governor
Since Colorado’s current governor, John Hickenlooper, is term limited, new candidates will vie for his seat in the state capitol. The gubernatorial primary produced two candidates for Governor: Jared Polis (D) and Walker Stapleton (R).
Jared Polis currently represents the Second District of Colorado in the House of Representatives as a Democrat and has done so since 2009. He has made a name for himself as an entrepreneur, starting from his college dorm room and continuing beyond. He is a passionately progressive candidate, campaigning for universal healthcare, full day kindergarten and preschool and a full, statewide transition to renewable sources of energy by 2040, just to name a few. If he were to win, he would be the first openly gay governor in the country’s history.
Walker Stapleton is the current Colorado State Treasurer and has been since 2010. Prior to his work in public office, he was an executive in a variety of capacities in the private sector. Stapleton is a Republican who shares many of President Donald Trump’s ideals and aspirations for the future. He has campaigned on protecting Coloradans’ Second Amendment rights, protecting citizens from sanctuary cities and protecting energy jobs and the energy industry from detrimental regulation, to name a few. He is a “proven conservative fighter” who aims to improve the state.
Third party candidates include Bill Hammons (Unity Party of Colorado) and Scott Helker (Libertarian).
Attorney General
George Brauchler and Phil Wieser will be competing for Attorney General, a seat previously held by Cynthia Coffman. Brauchler is a Republican who currently represents Colorado’s 18th Judicial District as District Attorney and is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Wieser is Democrat; he was the Dean of the University of Colorado Law School and served under Barack Obama as his Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
Secretary of State
Wayne Williams in the current Secretary of State and is running against Jena Griswold. Williams, a Republican, has a pristine track record when it comes to keeping Colorado elections safe. He previously was the El Paso County Clerk and Reporter. Griswold, a Democrat, has worked as an attorney and worked in Governor Hickenlooper’s Washington, D.C. office as Director.
Treasurer
The open Treasurer’s seat is in contention from Republican Brain Watson and Democrat Dave Young. Brain Watson is from the private sector. He is the CEO and founder of the company Northstar Commercial Partners. He promises to offer the wisdom of an outsider and says he will not take a salary as a government employee. Dave Young is a former math teacher and currently serves on the Joint Budget Committee in the state legislature. He has been a state legislator for seven years.
Colorado House of Representatives District 2
Incumbent and Democrat Alec Garnett is running unopposed.
Colorado Senate District 32
Robert Rodriguez (D), Mark Calonder (R) and Peter Smith (Independent) will run against one another for Colorado Senate District 32. Rodriguez is campaigning on economic justice, healthcare as a right, affordable and impressive public schooling and clean energy. Calonder champions low taxes and wants to help our environment and our infrastructure without demanding revenue from Coloradans. Smith is campaigning to raise teacher pay, reduce pollution in our neighborhoods and make living in Denver affordable.
U.S. House of Representatives District 1
Incumbent and 11 term Congresswoman Dianne DeGette, a Democrat, will face challenger Charles Casper Stockham, a Republican. DeGette beat Stockham in 2016 when he ran against her. DeGette prioritizes accessible health care, protecting natural resources and fighting for women to have agency of health care decisions, to name a few. Stockman priorities reducing homelessness, better care for veterans and facilitating better energy options, to name a few.
U.S. Senate
There are no U.S. Senate seats open for election in 2018 in Colorado.
To find out more about candidates on the ballot, visit their respective websites and independently search their voting record. The mail-in ballots will be delivered starting the week of Oct. 15 and must be received by Election Day on Nov. 6.
