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Right-wing podcaster Joe Oltmann waited until the day after Christmas, “late at night so there wouldn’t be a lot of people on here,” to go live on Facebook and announce he’s running for Colorado governor as a Republican, joining a crowded 2026 field ahead of the June 30 GOP primary.
The center of his campaign: a pledge to free former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, whose conviction for state felony election interference charges and imprisonment is feeding a volatile face-off between the Trump administration and the State of Colorado.
“Tina Peters sits in jail,” Oltmann said during the livestream. “So my first commitment would be to pardon Tina Peters.” He dismissed her conviction as “absolutely nonsense” and described her sentencing as a warning to anyone who challenges Colorado’s election system.
Peters was convicted in October 2024 on state charges tied to her role in allowing unauthorized access to Mesa County’s election systems; in October 2024, she was sentenced to nine years in prison. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced he had granted Peters a pardon, although it is well-established that presidential clemency does not apply to state convictions, only federal crimes. Colorado officials dismissed the illegitimate pardon, and Peters remains incarcerated.
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In recent days, Peters’ attorneys have asked the Colorado Court of Appeals to determine whether it has authority to proceed with her appeal in light of Trump’s pardon. The appeals court is expected to hear arguments in January, but state prosecutors have maintained that Trump’s action has no legal effect on a state-imposed sentence.
Oltmann’s campaign announcement wrapped itself tightly around that dispute. While outlining a broad critique of Colorado government, elections and media, he repeatedly returned to Peters, framing her prosecution as proof that the justice system is corrupt and that elections have become illegitimate.
“I have no desire to be your governor,” Oltmann said. “And that is why I must.”
The livestream, which ran for more than an hour, followed a familiar arc for Oltmann, whose prominence in Colorado politics stems from his role in promoting false claims about election fraud after the 2020 presidential race. Oltmann again asserted that Dominion Voting Systems could manipulate elections and claimed Colorado’s leadership is “selected” rather than elected.
He also repeated a claim that Secretary of State Jena Griswold “obviously put out 30,000 ballots to illegals,” a charge election officials have previously rejected.
Oltmann attacked the press repeatedly, predicting “fake news” would come for him at “[Zero] Dark Thirty in the morning.” He singled out 9News anchor Kyle Clark by name while describing what he called a “synagogue of Satan,” adding, “Kyle Clark… is a part of that.” In the same breath, he depicted Colorado’s justice system as so corrupted that “the process is the punishment.”
Oltmann has repeatedly been entangled in court over his election fraud claims; he was the star witness in former Dominion executive Eric Coomer’s defamation lawsuit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, which Lindell lost. Oltmann’s original claims about Coomer, including that he participated in an “antifa call” confirming the 2020 presidential election was fixed, helped fuel national election conspiracy theories and are now the subject of multiple lawsuits.
The gubernatorial announcement also revives concerns about Oltmann’s rhetoric. In recent weeks, he has described sitting Colorado officials as “traitors” and said they deserve execution or imprisonment.
2026 Candidates, Talking Points
Oltmann is entering a crowded Republican primary field ahead of the 2026 election. Other Republicans running include state Senator Mark Baisley, state Representative Scott Bottoms, state Representative Barbara Kirkmeyer, former congressman Greg Lopez, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, and more than a dozen other candidates. Oltmann acknowledged in the livestream that he has not yet completed required campaign filings, and said that he plans to do so after the new year.
Beyond freeing Peters, Oltmann’s policy proposals range widely. He called for abolishing property taxes, eliminating toll roads, shrinking state government, ending mail-in voting, and removing election machines. He framed voting as “a sacrifice” rather than a convenience, and said Colorado would “turn bright red” if mail-in ballots were eliminated.
Throughout his announcement, Oltmann positioned himself as an outsider compelled to act, describing himself as “an unwilling participant” in politics. He said he intends to campaign in cities that Republicans often avoid, including Denver, Aurora and Pueblo, and framed his candidacy as a rejection of both Democratic leadership and Republican establishment figures.
But his clearest commitment was to Peters. As her legal team presses the appeals court to recognize Trump’s pardon, Oltmann has staked his candidacy on the idea that the governor’s office should be used to undo her conviction outright.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said near the end of his broadcast. “Get ready.”
