More than eighteen months out from Election Day, numerous political hopefuls are lined up to become Colorado's next head of state. Two dozen people have filed paperwork to run for governor as of April 21, according to records from the Secretary of State's Office, not including six other candidates who filed but have since dropped out.
The 2026 gubernatorial election will mark the first time in eight years that the seat is free for the taking. Governor Jared Polis is term-limited and cannot run again next year after initially winning his seat in 2018 and earning a landslide re-election victory in 2022.
The 24 competitors fighting to take Polis's place include three Democrats, eleven Republicans and ten unaffiliated or third-party members, ranging from career politicians to complete unknowns.
Here's a rundown of the current Colorado governor contenders as they begin the long journey to the ballot:
Democrats
Since Colorado is a blue state, the ultimate winner of the governor's race will most likely be determined by the results of the Democratic primary election. Only three Democrats have formally launched campaigns, though many more were rumored to be considering runs — such as Secretary Jena Griswold (who is instead running for attorney general) and Congressmen Joe Neguse and Jason Crow (who both recently endorsed the first candidate on this list).Michael Bennet
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is the newest Democrat in the race, announcing his campaign on April 11. He has served in the Senate since 2009, being appointed to a vacant seat by then-Governor Bill Ritter and then being elected in 2010, 2016 and 2022; his current term ends in 2028. Bennet unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 and was superintendent of Denver Public Schools before entering Congress.
Phil Weiser
The race's other prominent Democrat, Attorney General Phil Weiser, was the first big name to throw his hat into the ring in January. Weiser was elected AG in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, breaking a fourteen-year Republican streak when he took office as the state's chief legal officer. He will be term-limited in 2026. State AG is Weiser's first elected office, previously serving as dean of the University of Colorado Law School.
William Moses
William Moses is a Colorado Springs resident, Air Force veteran and former logistics management specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, according to his Ballotpedia candidate survey. This is his first time seeking elected office, based on state candidacy records. Moses told Ballotpedia he is running for governor to support law enforcement, farmers and teachers.
Republicans
A Republican candidate hasn't been elected governor of Colorado since 2002 (or elected to any statewide executive office since 2014), but that's not stopping them from trying. Eleven Republicans have jumped into the governor's race so far; the party has yet to rally behind a single challenger to the Democrats.Greg Lopez
The highest-profile Republican in the running, former U.S. Representative Greg Lopez, kicked off his campaign on April 14. This latest effort marks the third time Lopez has run for governor of Colorado, unsuccessfully pursuing the office in 2018 and 2022. The former mayor of Parker represented Colorado's 4th Congressional District for six months last year, being selected to finish Ken Buck's term after he resigned. Lopez did not run for the seat in the November election and it ultimately went to Lauren Boebert.
Scott Bottoms
State Representative Scott Bottoms was the first major Republican candidate to enter the governor's race in January. The Colorado Springs pastor is most widely known for his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the statehouse, including fighting against gay marriage and making disparaging remarks against transgender individuals. Bottoms was elected to the House in 2022 and re-elected in 2024.
Mark Baisley
State Senator Mark Baisley is the second Colorado legislator vying for the governor's office. The Woodland Park conservative is a contrarian within the Senate, voting against most proposed new laws. Baisley was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and 2020, before being elected to the Senate in 2022. He previously served as vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party.
Jason Mikesell
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell launched his campaign in March, one month after the conclusion of a seven-year legal battle between him and the ACLU of Colorado. ACLU sued Mikesell for letting his office assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that state law prohibits it. The state Court of Appeals ultimately ruled that some of Mikesell's actions were allowed while others were not, including holding inmates for longer than their sentences at ICE’s request.
Jason Clark
Jason Clark is running for governor for a third time after failed attempts in 2010 and 2014. An Army veteran and financial coach, Clark made national headlines during his previous gubernatorial campaign for posting a Craigslist ad to find a running mate, landing him TV appearances with Jay Leno and Rachel Maddow.
Joshua Griffin
Army combat veteran Joshua Griffin was celebrated by ESPN in 2019 as the oldest Division I player in college football, playing for Colorado State University as a walk-on at age 33. He hasn't held elected office before but unsuccessfully ran to represent Colorado's 5th Congressional District in 2024.
Alexander Mugatu
While this is Alexander Mugatu's first time seeking the governor's office, he is a long-time career candidate. Mugatu has unsuccessfully run for the statehouse six times since 2010, with his attempts spanning across three different House and Senate districts. He also fruitlessly ran for Pueblo City Council in 2024 and as vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party in 2023.
Other Republicans actively running in the gubernatorial race include Brighton Fire Chief Brycen Garrison, four-time governor candidate Jim Rundberg, 2022 governor candidate Jon Gray-Ginsberg and Army veteran Stevan Gess.
Other
The remaining candidates are not affiliated with either of the major political parties and largely lack the titles and political experience of some of their partisan opponents. The highlights include:Willow Jon Collamer, an unaffiliated yogi from Boulder who was featured on the premier episode of Tethered, a short-lived 2014 Discovery Channel show that challenged strangers to survive in the wilderness while tied to one another with a rope.
Marla Fatima Fernandez, an unaffiliated candidate who unsuccessfully ran for the state House as a Republican in 2022 and 2024, during which she was criticized by Republican leadership and Democratic legislators for racism after she called Black and Latina Democratic candidates “chimps” in a tweet.
Stephen Hamilton, a member of the American Constitution Party who unsuccessfully ran for the state Senate in 2024 and claims to be a "legacy heir" of founding father Alexander Hamilton.
Rounding out the remaining governor hopefuls are the following unaffiliated first-time candidates: Jarvis Ray of Denver, Chante Jones of Aurora, Rabin Mahanty of Denver, Justin Ganoe of Littleton, William "Will" McBride of Lone Tree, Marcus Marte of Fairplay and Bradley Wall of Clifton.
