House District 26

Incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet joined the U.S. Senate in 2009 after Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter appointed him to succeed Sen. Ken Salazar after Salazar was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment, Bennet served as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, presiding over increased student enrollment and graduation rates.

Sen. Bennet won his first full term in office in the close 2010 election against Rep. Ken Buck. In 2013, Bennet played a key role as a member of the Gang of Eight in the passage of comprehensive immigration reform out of the U.S. Senate. In twelve years of service in the Senate, Sen. Bennet has been a consistent supporter of voting rights, abortion rights, nondiscrimination and LGBTQ+ rights, reducing gun violence, environmental protection and confronting human-caused climate change, and ending the failed War on Drugs.

Sen. Bennet's signature policy achievement in office came with the March 2021 passage of the Child Tax Credit expansion as part of the American Rescue Plan. The expanded Child Tax Credit resulted in an historic reduction in child poverty for the one-year period in which the program was fully funded. Sen. Bennet's top priority in 2023 is to make the Child Tax Credit expansion permanent. In 2019, Sen. Bennet joined with Republican Sen. Mitt Romney to call for a universal basic income standard for children.

Sen. Bennet can negotiate with Republicans across the aisle and influence policy with the Democratic Senate majority and the White House. Bennet was the driving force behind President Joe Biden's establishment of a new national monument at Camp Hale and drilling protections in the ecologically sensitive Thompson Divide.

Sen. Bennet's opponent, concrete executive Joe O'Dea, tried and failed to hide his far-right agenda from Colorado voters. During the Republican primary, O'Dea claimed to be "personally very pro-life," and proudly admitted after winning the nomination that he was a supporter of Proposition 115, an abortion restriction measure that failed overwhelmingly in 2020. Despite this, O'Dea has falsely claimed to be "pro choice" in deceptive campaign ads. O'Dea was proud to claim the support of members of the Trump administration during the primary, then tried to back away from Trump after winning the nomination.

The contrast between Michael Bennet's record of service and policy wins in the U.S. Senate and Joe O'Dea's empty promises concealing a right-wing agenda could not be greater. Bennet is the clear progressive choice.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse is running for reelection in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. Neguse, a lawyer and the son of Eritrean refugees, is the first and so far only Black American to serve Colorado in Congress. Prior to his election to Congress, Neguse served as a University of Colorado Regent representing the 2nd District and a legislative aide under Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff.

As a vice-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Neguse advocates for bold progressive policies to address the most pressing issues facing our nation, such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. His priorities to date in Congress have included lowering prescription drug prices, raising workers’ wages, ensuring greater accountability in government, and protecting public lands, which make up over 50% of his district.

In Rep. Neguse's first two-year term in office, he introduced more legislation than any freshman lawmaker in the country and has had more legislation signed into law than any member of Colorado’s congressional delegation. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Neguse played a key role in holding former President Donald Trump accountable in Trump's second impeachment trial. Before Congress, Neguse fought to expand opportunities for families across Colorado in a variety of roles: as a co-founder of New Era Colorado, the state’s largest youth voter registration and mobilization nonprofit; as a six-term member of CU’s Board of Regents; and as leader of the state’s consumer protection agency for two years.

Neguse is a self-described eternal optimist who will continue to provide Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District with enthusiastic, diligent, and bold representation if reelected. 

Rep. Neguse's Republican opponent, Marshall Dawson, is the vice-chairman of the Boulder County Republicans with no elected experience, and is considered a placeholder candidate in a race where Republicans have no realistic chance at winning.

Progressive voters should vote for Joe Neguse.

Adam Frisch is running for Congress in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, a seat currently held by one of the most controversial members of Congress, freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert. Before running for Congress, Frisch served the residents of Aspen and Pitkin County as an Aspen city councillor and the chairman of the Pitkin County financial review committee. Frisch is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in economics.

Frisch is running as a moderate Democrat with a large coalition of bipartisan support holding the common goal of removing Rep. Boebert from office. Frisch has been endorsed by Rep. Boebert's Republican opponent in this year's primary elections, state Sen. Don Coram. If elected, Frisch has promised to lead with the priorities of the Third District first and partisan considerations second, and has vowed to represent stakeholders on all sides of the economic and environmental issues affecting Western and Southern Colorado. 

Rep. Lauren Boebert is one of the most polarizing and least effective members of Congress ever elected by Colorado voters. Rep. Boebert's first term in office was totally devoid of accomplishments for the Third District, with Boebert repeatedly claiming credit for funding she voted against. Rep. Boebert spends all of her time in office engaging in social media battles to please her fans in other states while ignoring the needs of her constituents. Rep. Boebert has aligned herself with the most controversial and discredited far-right members of Congress like Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Rep. Boebert has also been repeatedly cited by campaign finance regulators for use of campaign funds for personal interests.

The Third Congressional District is drawn with a significant but not insurmountable Republican advantage. Adam Frisch is without question the better candidate to represent the Third Congressional District.

Incumbent Gov. Jared Polis' record of public service to the state of Colorado goes back over two decades to his election in 2000 to serve as at-large member of the Colorado State Board of Education. After helping found the New America Schools to serve recent immigrant students focused on English language instruction, Polis was elected in 2008 to represent Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, succeeding Mark Udall who was elected to the U.S. Senate that year.

In the U.S. House, Polis was a strong advocate for health care and immigration reform, serving on the House Education, Natural Resources, and Rules Committees. Polis received an 89% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters after leading the fight for a variety of important environmental reform initiatives including reducing methane pollution, protecting clean water resources, and addressing the threat of human-caused global climate change.

Elected to his first term as Governor of Colorado in 2018, Polis quickly went to work with the progressive majority in the Colorado General Assembly to successfully enact a comprehensive agenda of health care reform, inclusive economic development, education funding, anti-discrimination and equal wage protections, and environmental justice legislation. Senate Bill 19-181, a fossil fuel extraction reform measure, fundamentally changed the purpose of Colorado's oil and gas oversight authorities to prioritize public health and environmental protection over industry profits.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Polis' leadership and deliberate work to minimize partisan conflict with the Trump administration helped the state reduce economic harm while keeping the state's overall death rate from the pandemic well below the national average. Once the threat of the pandemic's spread without vaccines and effective treatments was past, Polis was at the head of the curve nationally in working to re-open Colorado's economy.

Polis' opponent, University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, is the only remaining statewide Republican elected official after years of losses in recent elections. Ganahl described herself as "The MAGA candidate Colorado has been waiting for," and is by for the most openly pro-Trump candidate on the statewide ballot in Colorado. As CU Regent, Ganahl enthusiastically supported Trump coup plotter John Eastman's paid appointment as the school's "Visiting Conservative Scholar." Ganahl's campaign has employed key members of Trump's former legal team. Ganahl's platform of slashing state revenue while promising to pay for crucial state services has been widely denounced as unrealistic. As governor, Ganahl has pledged to roll back recently-passed legislation protecting abortion rights in Colorado.

Jared Polis has served the state of Colorado with distinction during one of the greatest period of crisis in the entire nation's history. The choice between Polis and Ganahl's Trump-style bad faith could not be easier. Polis deserves your vote.

Incumbent Secretary of State Jena Griswold is an attorney with experience in voting rights and accessibility. Before winning office in 2018, Griswold served as the director of Gov. John Hickenlooper's federal liaison in Washington, D.C. and as an attorney for President Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

As Secretary of State, Griswold has overseen elections featuring some of the highest rates of voter participation in America, while defending Colorado's gold standard mail ballot election system from repeated baseless attacks from President Donald Trump and election conspiracy theorists. Griswold conducted the initial investigation into a breach of election security by Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters that resulted in numerous felony charges against Peters.

Griswold's opponent, former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson, severely damaged her once-commendable reputation for standing up to right-wing misinformation by campaigning with Republicans who dispute the results of the 2020 elections. Anderson has refused to condemn election deniers who support her campaign, claiming that would “divide or ostracize people.” Less than two years after Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections, Coloradans cannot responsibly entrust Pam Anderson and the Party of Trump with control over our elections.

Secretary Griswold is the clear progressive choice in this important statewide race.

Incumbent Treasurer Dave Young is running for his second term as Colorado Treasurer after winning office in 2018. Prior to Young's election as Treasurer, he served as a state legislature representing House District 50 in Weld County. In the legislature, Young served on the powerful Joint Budget Committee and chaired the House Appropriations Committee, some of the most important fiscal posts in the General Assembly. On the JBC, Young worked across the aisle each year to hammer out the state's most important annual piece of legislation, the "Long Bill" general fund budget. In 2013, Young helped communities he represents recover from that year's devastating floods.

As Treasurer, Young worked closely with Gov. Jared Polis to successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on keeping Colorado's small business afloat during the worst of the crisis and swiftly reopening Colorado's economy once it was safe to do so. Young has also worked to streamline and expedite payments to Colorado property owners under the Great Colorado Payback program.

Young's opponent is Lang Sias, a perennial candidate for a variety of elected offices in Colorado who most recently lost the election to serve as lieutenant governor under Walker Stapleton in 2018. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Lang Sias attended a pilot's convention known as "Tailhook" in 1991 that resulted in nationwide scandal, with allegations of sexual assault committed against 83 women and seven men. Currently a FedEx pilot, Sias' run for this office is due to its availability, not Sias' fiscal policy experience.

Re-electing Treasurer Dave Young should be one of the easiest choices on this year's ballot.

Incumbent Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is seeking his second term after winning office in 2018. Prior to serving as Colorado Attorney General, Weiser served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Justice Department during the Obama administration. Weiser also served as a senior counsel at the Justice Department Antitrust Division during the Clinton Administration. Early in his career, Weiser served as a law clerk for Justices Byron White and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

As Colorado's Attorney General, Weiser has fought to defend Colorado's historic recent progress on health care reform, protecting consumers from exploitation, anti-discrimination laws and Colorado's gold standard election system. Weiser was a nationwide leader in holding drug manufacturers accountable for their role in the opioid addiction crisis, as well as legal action to forgive the student loans of thousands of victims of predatory lenders and scam for-profit colleges.

Weiser's opponent is District Attorney John Kellner, who succeeded George Brauchler as Arapahoe County DA after Brauchler lost his race for Attorney General in 2018. Kellner's dishonest attacks on Weiser over Colorado's crime rate ignore the stark increase that has occurred in Kellner's own district during the same period. Kellner has expressed his support for the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, and has promised to "support Colorado law" despite his fellow Republicans' determination to repeal Colorado laws protecting abortion rights.

Phil Weiser has done an examplary job as the state's chief attorney, and has earned a second term in office.

Kathy Plomar has been heavily invested in public education as former President of the Adams 12 Board of Education and former President of the Parent Teacher Organization. Plomar believes in bringing people together with different life experiences to ensure all kids receive an excellent education. Plomar lists three key priorities that will define her work as an at-large State Board of Education member: academic excellence, respecting teachers, and transparency and accountability. Plomar is a solid progressive choice for the State Board of Education.

The Republican candidate for this seat is Dan Maloit, a parent of three and a medical device sales manager. Maloit recently became involved in politics when he organized for the reopening of schools for full-time, in-person learning in August of 2020, before the development of any COVID-19 vaccines or effective treatments. We recommend voting for Plomar.

Meghan Lukens is running to represent Colorado House District 26. Lukens grew up in Routt County and is a high school social studies teacher at Steamboat High School. She is also the former captain of the CU Boulder Women’s Ice Hockey team. Lukens is running to represent Colorado working families by promoting access to affordable housing, strengthening our education system, and defending Colorado’s economy and way of life. Lukens understands the need to protect public lands and the environment, stand up for reproductive freedom, and work to strengthen Colorado’s economy.

Lukens is the progressive choice for Colorado House District 26.