by: Colorado Pols

In an announcement this morning, Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser gets the jump on what’s expected to be a strong slate of primary contenders for the 2026 gubernatorial nomination, with his January 2 announcement confirming his long-expected entry into the race:

As your Attorney General, I have taken on big fights for the people of Colorado. And there is more work to do to make Colorado a more affordable, safer place to live, to defend our freedoms, and to protect our land, air, and water.

That’s why, today, I’m announcing my campaign to be your next Governor.

I’m running for Governor because I will be a leader for all of Colorado, taking on big fights for the people of Colorado, and providing a vision for a better future.

I’ve dedicated my life to service. Why? Because I owe my life to others who served—starting with men and women in uniform, like the American Army soldiers in World War II who liberated my mom and grandmother from a Nazi concentration camp, and those who welcomed my family as refugees.

In our family, just one generation is the difference between that concentration camp and my opportunity as a first-generation American to work at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for President Barack Obama in the White House, and as your Attorney General. My story, like so many others’, is a uniquely American one.

In a very early poll from conservative-leaning Magellan Strategies last month, Weiser earned high marks for net favorability but suffered from less name recognition and less of a formed opinion in general among voters than the other contenders. During his two campaigns for attorney general in 2018 and 2022, Weiser earned a reputation as a hard-working candidate able to distinguish himself against his opponents without going excessively negative, strengths that will help him in a crowded Democratic primary. Weiser is expected to run on his record of fighting for consumer protections during his two successful terms as AG, with big wins like the opioid settlement and the recent prevention of the controversial Kroger/Albertsons merger under his belt.

And he’s the first. With today’s announcement, Colorado’s 2026 election season is officially on.