COLORADO DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY JUNE 30, 2026
The Colorado state primary election on June 30 is our time to vote for a new generation of progressive leaders who aren't afraid to fight for the future we deserve!
Julie Gonzales is a Colorado State Senator who led the fight to protect abortion rights, defend immigrants, pass Colorado’s Voting Rights Act, make housing more affordable, and repeal the death penalty.
Julie Gonzales is running for the U.S. Senate because Colorado deserves a fighter, not a status quo Democrat like John Hickenlooper, who voted to confirm Trump's cabinet.
-
Julie Gonzales is a Colorado State senator, community advocate, and the daughter of a rancher and teacher who has spent her life fighting for the people John Hickenlooper has left behind. First elected in 2018, she has been one of the most consequential progressive lawmakers in Colorado history, sponsoring the bill to repeal the death penalty, codifying abortion rights into state law after Dobbs, leading the fight for immigrant protections, and authoring the Colorado Voting Rights Act.
Now she’s running to make history as the first woman to represent Colorado in the United States Senate. Her opponent, John Hickenlooper, voted to confirm more of Trump's cabinet nominees than nearly any other Senate Democrat, including the agriculture secretary who is now gutting SNAP benefits for Colorado families. The choice in this race is clear: six more years of "go-along-to-get-along" politics, or a senator willing to be bold, unapologetic, and a champion for Coloradans.
More about Julie Gonzales:
Death Penalty Repeal:Julie was the prime sponsor of the bill that abolished capital punishment in Colorado
Abortion Rights:Julie sponsored the bill that locked abortion access into state law after Roe was overturned
Immigrant Protections: Julie has been a consistent champion for immigrant communities
Voting Rights Act: Julie authored the Colorado Voting Rights Act, protecting our democracy and voters from intimidation and suppression
-
Tackling the affordability crisis: Taxing billionaires and corporations to bring down the cost of everyday life, like housing, groceries, prescription drugs, and childcare.
Universal healthcare: Fighting to pass Medicare for All so no family goes bankrupt because someone got sick, and no Coloradan skips getting the care they need because of cost.
Universal child and elder care: Creating public infrastructure so families can work, plan, raise the next generation, and care for the elders in their lives without going broke.
Taking on corporate power: Cracking down on price-gouging, hospital and pharma monopolies, Wall Street landlords, and the tech algorithms driving up rents; no corporate PAC money, full stop.
Housing and renter protections: Expanding housing supply, protecting renters from unjust evictions and algorithmic price-fixing, and fighting predatory towing and hidden fees.
Immigrant rights: Abolishing ICE and replacing it with a humane system; blocking federal agencies from accessing personal data to target immigrants at schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.
Environmental justice: Advancing clean energy and holding corporate polluters accountable, with a focus on the frontline communities most impacted.
Strengthening democracy: Fighting voter suppression, defending civil liberties, and holding members of Congress ( including her own party) to the highest ethical standards.
-
Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator
Indivisible
Rocky Mountain Equality
Working Families Party
Our Revolution
Colorado AFL-CIO
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
David Seligman, Executive Director of Towards Justice, Candidate for Attorney General
Yara Zokaie, State Representative, House District 52
Learn more about Julie Gonzales and see her full list of endorsements on her campaign website.
Endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Melat is running against a 30-year incumbent because she believes Denver’s working people and families deserve a representative who answers to them, not to corporate interests. Melat is a bold leader who will fight against the status quo and deliver real results for the people of Denver and beyond.
-
Melat Kiros is a Denver attorney, Democratic Socialist, and first-generation American running to bring real change to Colorado's First Congressional District. The daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, she was fired from her corporate law firm after writing a piece defending pro-Palestinian student protesters, a moment that crystallized exactly why she's in this race: she will always stand on the side of her constituents, not corporate power.
Melat made national news in March 2026 when she received 67% of the delegate vote at the congressional district assembly, handing 30-year incumbent Diana DeGette her worst defeat since 1996.
Diana DeGette has represented this district since 1997. It’s time to elect a leader who represents their voters, not their donors, and who will fight the establishment and the status quo to deliver real results for the people of Denver and beyond.
More about Melat Kiros:
No Corporate PAC money: Melat is committed to getting big money and corruption out of politics and is running a people-funded campaign
Medicare for All: Melat believes the government has an obligation to meet people's basic needs, starting with healthcare
Universal Child and Elder Care: Melat is fighting for the care infrastructure that working families need to thrive
Housing First: Melat is committed to addressing the structural failures that have priced families out of Denver
-
Getting money out of politics: Passing term limits, a national small-donor matching program, a five-year lobbying ban for former members of Congress, and an outright ban on stock trading while in office.
Medicare for All: Every American deserves healthcare without the fear of bankruptcy; the U.S. spends nearly twice what other wealthy nations spend for worse outcomes, and that ends with single-payer coverage for all.
Housing as a human right: Investing in a bold housing-first strategy that treats housing as a human right and homelessness as a public health issue, not a criminal one. This means building more long-term housing for all and investing in wraparound services for mental illness and addiction.
Universal childcare: Treating caregiving as essential infrastructure so every child has a safe place to grow and every parent has the freedom to work and thrive, without needing to go into debt.
Peace, Not Wars: Ending funding for wars that cause harm to civilians.
Abolish ICE: Replacing the agency with an immigration system that treats people with dignity and reflects our identity as a nation of immigrants.
Climate and data center accountability: Requiring full disclosure of environmental impacts from data centers, including energy and water usage, with local government authority over approvals.
Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections: An unequivocal commitment to abortion access and full equality for LGBTQ+ people, backed by action not words.scription text goes here
-
Justice Democrats
Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption
Working Families Party
Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Coalition for Black Trade Unionists
United Food and Commercial Workers
Learn more about Melat Kiros and see her full list of endorsements on her campaign website.
A mom raising her kids in the Barnum neighborhood, nonprofit leader, community builder with roots across Denver, and endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Chela Garcia Irlando is running to carry Julie Gonzales' torch and keep Senate District 34 a beacon for working families.
-
Chela Garcia Irlando is an environmental nonprofit leader, lifelong West Denver community advocate, and mother running to represent Colorado Senate District 34. This seat is currently held by Julie Gonzales, who has endorsed Chela to replace her, as Julie’s seat is term-limited.
She currently serves as Executive Director of the Next 100 Coalition, a national environmental nonprofit, and has previously held leadership roles at the Hispanic Access Foundation, the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, and Latino Outdoors. She founded the Colorado chapter of Latino Outdoors and was a founding leader of Brown Girls Climb, a national nonprofit expanding the outdoors to women of color. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Chicano/a Studies and a Master's in Environmental Studies from CU Boulder and CU.
More about Chela Garcia Irlando:
Working-class roots: Chela worked in restaurants, supported youth programs in Westwood and North Denver, and has been knocking doors in this district since 2006
Affordable housing and anti-displacement: Chela is fighting to keep families in the neighborhoods they built and love
Environmental Justice: Chela is bringing a decade of environmental policy expertise to the legislature
Healthcare Access: Chela believes a dignified life must include healthcare for every family
-
Universal healthcare: Fighting for a publicly funded healthcare system that removes profit from care and covers all people regardless of income, employment, or immigration status; opposing privatization of Medicaid and other safety nets.
Homeownership for working families: Prohibiting private equity and corporations from buying up single-family homes; establishing tenant right of first refusal when landlords sell; rebates and incentives for first-time buyers.
Lowering healthcare costs and ending medical debt: Banning wage garnishment for unpaid medical bills, capping interest rates on medical debt, and expanding financial assistance for low-income patients.
Climate and water protection: Bringing a decade of environmental policy expertise to the legislature to protect Colorado's water, reduce carbon emissions, and advance clean energy that creates good union jobs.
Renter protections and anti-displacement: Supporting rent stabilization, just-cause eviction protections, legal representation for low-income tenants, and a ban on algorithmic rent price-fixing by corporate landlords.
Education and equitable career pathways: Expanding access to colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeships; eliminating the burden of lifelong debt for people investing in their futures.
Labor rights and union strength: Supporting the Worker Protection Act to make it easier to organize; requiring Project Labor Agreements on state-funded projects; fighting for a just transition to union renewable energy jobs.
Reproductive freedom: Protecting and expanding abortion access at every level, including requiring hospitals undergoing mergers to maintain reproductive care
Housing people can afford: Eliminating exclusionary zoning rooted in racial segregation; supporting lot splitting, transit-oriented development, and middle-density housing like triplexes and townhomes.
-
Bernie Sanders, United States Senator
Sierra Club
Working Families Party
Conservation Colorado
Jane Fonda Climate PAC
Learn more about Chela Garcia Irlando and see her full list of endorsements on her campaign website.
A first-generation American and a decade-long policy advocate for working families, immigrants, and healthcare access, Neal Walia is running to bring people-first leadership to House District 9.
-
Neal Walia is a community leader, policy advocate, and organizer running for the open seat in Colorado House District 9 in southeast Denver and parts of Arapahoe County. The son of Indian immigrants, Walia's commitment to public service is personal: he has spent his career navigating and improving the very systems that so many families in his district depend on.
Most recently, Neal served as Director of Policy and Government Relations at the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, where he helped pass legislation that ended non-compete agreements in healthcare and advanced mental health protections for physicians. Before that, he was Deputy Director of the Asian Pacific Development Center, where he supported immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through mental health services, adult education, and pathways to citizenship.
House District 9 is a diverse, working-class district that deserves a representative who has spent his career fighting for families like theirs, not just talking about it. Neal Walia has done the work. Now he's ready to take it to the Capitol and deliver real results for the people he represents.
More about Neal Walia:
Primary Care for All: Neal is championing expanded healthcare access in a district that needs it
Affordable Housing: Neal is fighting to address the housing crisis squeezing families in southeast Denver
Immigrant Rights: Neal has a personal and professional commitment to immigrant rights rooted in his own family's story
Public education funding: Neal is dedicated to strong, equitable public schools where all students and teachers can thrive
Small, local businesses: Neal will protect local businesses from corporate consolidation and private equity roll-ups that threaten neighborhood economies.
-
Primary Care for All: Expanding access to primary and preventive healthcare as the foundation of a healthier, more economically secure district; building on his years of healthcare policy work at the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians.
Affordable housing: Increasing the supply of homes people can actually afford; supporting income-aligned housing development and strong renter protections to keep longtime residents from being pushed out.
Fully funding public schools: Ensuring every child has access to a high-quality public education, with equitable funding that doesn't depend on zip code.
Small and local businesses: Supporting the small businesses that anchor working-class communities
Immigrant rights: Protecting immigrant families from federal overreach and keeping Colorado a welcoming state.
Worker protections: Building on his record of passing legislation ending non-compete agreements in healthcare, ensuring workers across industries can organize, bargain, and earn a living wage.
Environmental sustainability: Advancing clean energy, protecting Colorado's natural environment, and ensuring growth in HD9 doesn't come at the expense of future generations.
Protecting Medicaid and education funding: Defending against federal efforts to gut Colorado's social safety net; using his expertise in healthcare and public policy to fight cuts that would devastate the district's most vulnerable families.text goes here
-
Progressive Vote Colorado
Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman
James Coleman, Colorado Senate President
Colorado Ceasefire PAC
New American Leaders Action Fund
Learn more about Neal Walia and see his full list of endorsements on his campaign website.
The first Vietnamese-American in Colorado history to serve in the state legislature, Rep. Kenny Nguyen hit the ground running and passed laws that prohibit the government and ICE from accessing your location data, increase worker protections, and expand access to reproductive care. Kenny understands the urgency of this moment and is ready to continue fighting for progress in his district.
-
Kenny Nguyen was born and raised in Colorado, is a former Broomfield City Council member, and is the sitting state representative for House District 33. The son of Vietnamese refugees who fled the Vietnam War, Kenny has spent his career turning his family's story into fuel for public service.
Before the legislature, Kenny served in the office of Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera for over five years and, prior to that, as an AmeriCorps member for the “I Have a Dream” Foundation. On the Broomfield City Council, Kenny has been a voice for affordable housing and healthcare access and a champion for his community’s working families.
Kenny’s record of service reflects what his district needs and what the moment demands. Now it’s time to re-elect him so he can keep delivering.
More about Kenny Nguyen:
First Vietnamese-American in Colorado History: Son of Vietnamese refugees, his parents' story shapes everything he fights for
Digital Privacy: Kenny sponsored legislation prohibiting government access to historical location data, a critical civil liberties protection in the age of ICE and federal surveillance.
Expanding Access to Reproductive Care: Kenny passed a bill expanding abortion access across Colorado colleges
Worker Protections: Kenny championed legislative leave protections so working people can serve in office without losing their jobs
Traffic safety near schools: Kenny delivers for families in his district on the ground-level issues that matter
-
Worker rights and fair wages: Supporting collective bargaining, fair wages, and workers' ability to organize; legislation ensuring working people can serve in the legislature without losing their jobs.
Digital privacy and civil liberties: Protecting residents from federal surveillance and immigration enforcement overreach.
Housing affordability: Increasing affordable housing options because housing and rent costs are becoming out of reach for too many families.
Holding ICE accountable: Standing up to Trump and fighting to keep ICE out of our communities.
Healthcare for all: Fighting for a universal healthcare plan in Colorado so that every person has access to care, no matter what. Leading the fight against federal efforts to cut Medicaid funding that Colorado's most vulnerable depend on.
Public transit and infrastructure: Advocating for the long-overdue passenger rail through the Northwest Corridor FastTracks, a project voters approved in 2004 that Broomfield, Thornton, and Northglenn residents are still waiting on more than 20 years later.
Environmental protection: Committed to reducing carbon emissions, expanding electric vehicle charging, and advancing wind and solar energy across Colorado to protect the Rocky Mountain environment for generations.
Early Education Programs: Protecting free preschool and kindergarten programs and schooling.
-
Sierra Club
Working Families Party
Colorado Education Association
OUR Revolution
Julie Gonzales, Colorado State Senator and candidate for U.S. Senate
To learn more about Kenny and see his full list of endorsements visit his campaign website here: https://nguyenforcolorado.com/
Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Chauncy Johnson is a community leader challenging the only Democrat in Colorado who voted against marriage equality. Colorado Springs deserves a representative who will fight for everyone in the district, without exception.
-
Chauncy Johnson is a Colorado Springs native and community organizer running to bring bold, uncompromising leadership to House District 17 in Southeast Colorado Springs. Chauncy came of age marching for justice in his own backyard, including pushing for the creation of the police oversight commission after his close friend was shot and killed by Colorado Springs police in 2019.
That experience inspired him to make the changes that he wanted to see. Chauncy was a leader on the “Stop Cop City” campaign, which successfully opposed a ballot measure that would have used taxpayer money to build an elaborate and expensive police training facility. He worked for former Senators Pete Lee and Tony Exum, and served as a full-time legislative aide for Senator Marc Snyder, learning how to craft and pass impactful legislation while never losing sight of the communities he came from.
Now Chauncy is running in the Democratic Primary against incumbent Rep. Regina English, and the contrast couldn’t be clearer. In 2024, Regina was the sole Democrat in the Colorado Legislature to vote against the “Protecting the Freedom to Marry” measure, which asked voters to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage in Colorado’s state constitution. She also voted against expanding protections for transgender people, joining republicans on both votes. In a district where working families, LGBTQ+ residents, and communities of color deserve a champion, English has too often been on the wrong side when it mattered most.
More about Chauncy Johnson:
Economic Justice: Chauncy is fighting for fair wages, worker protections, and meaningful economic opportunity for working-class families
Affordable Housing: Chauncy is championing a public developer/social housing authority to build permanently affordable housing
Police Accountability: Chauncy has a personal stake in building systems that protect and respect all members of the community
Building Power: Chauncy prioritizes young people, working families, and communities that are often ignored by status quo representatives.
-
Permanently affordable housing: Creating a state-level public or nonprofit housing authority to develop mixed-income, permanently affordable housing; the goal is to reduce displacement and ensure every resident has a safe, dignified place to call home.
Economic justice and fair wages: Fighting for worker protections, fair wages, and policies that give working-class families in southeast Colorado Springs a genuine shot at economic mobility; centering the communities that have been locked out of prosperity for too long.
Transit expansion and connectivity: Expanding public transportation access in Colorado Springs so residents aren't trapped by a lack of options; connecting working families to jobs, schools, and services.
Environmental protection: Fighting for clean air, clean water, and climate action in Colorado Springs, where working-class and communities of color bear a disproportionate share of environmental harm.
Police accountability and community safety: Building systems of public safety rooted in accountability and dignity and pushing for oversight, transparency, and justice.
Expanding opportunity for the next generation: Centering young voters, first-generation Coloradans, and families the political system has consistently overlooked; the belief that representation means nothing if it doesn't deliver real, material change.
-
Moms Demand Action
Planned Parenthood
Rocky Mountain Equality Action Fund
Colorado Education Association
Colorado Ceasefire PAC
Kimberly Gold, Colorado Springs City Council
Lorena Garcia, Colorado House District 35
To learn more about Chauncy and see his full list of endorsements visit his campaign website here: https://nguyenforcolorado.com/
Ballots were mailed out to all registered voters on June 8, so check your mailbox and confirm you got yours!
Three Ways to Vote
Drop off your completed ballot at a ballot drop box by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30.
Drop boxes are open 24/7 through 7 p.m. on Election Day. Find a location near you here!
If you choose to mail your ballot to your county clerk, don’t forget to add stamps (we always recommend two, just in case) and put it in the mail by Monday, June 22, to ensure it arrives at the County Clerk’s Office by Election Day.
If you didn’t receive your ballot in the mail, need a new ballot, or need to register to vote, you can vote in person at a Voter Service Center in your county. Find a location near you here!
If you’re going to vote in person, remember to bring an accepted form of ID, which you can find here.
Good news! Both registered Democrats AND unaffiliated voters can vote in the Democratic primary.
If you’re unaffiliated, you'll get two ballots in the mail, one for each party. You just have to pick one, so fill out the Democratic ballot to support progressive leaders and you're good to go!
To be eligible to vote in Colorado, you must:
Be a U.S. citizen
Be 18 years old or older by Election Day (Tuesday, June 30)
Live in Colorado at least 22 days before Election Day (Monday, June 8)
If you are serving a sentence of parole, you may register to vote and vote in Colorado. For more information about voting with convictions, please visit VotingWithConviction.org.
Key Dates
JUNE 8
Students can vote in the Colorado primary elections—as long as they’ve lived in Colorado for at least 22 days (June 8) before Election Day.
Check your mailbox! Ballots start being mailed to voters on June 8!
JUNE 22
Moved since the last election? June 22 is the last day to register to vote or update your voter registration online to receive a ballot in the mail. (Check your voter registration status at GoVoteColorado.gov.)
June 22 is the last day we recommend mailing your ballot back to ensure it’s received by 7 p.m. on June 30. After June 22, just drop off your ballot at a nearby drop box or Vote Center.
In-person voting starts at Voter Service Centers (VSC) open across the state!
JUNE 30
Be in line at a Voter Service Center in your county by 7 p.m. to cast your ballot!
REMEMBER: In Colorado, you can register to vote and vote on same day, even on Election Day!