Colorado Election Results 2026: Primary Winners
Amanda Gonzalez wins Colorado's Democratic secretary of state primary with roughly 63% of votes on June 30, as Phil Weiser, John Hickenlooper lead other key 2026 races.
Last updated: July 1, 2026. All election figures are preliminary and unofficial. Colorado counties continue counting, curing ballots, and uploading results after election night. County canvassing boards have until approximately the 22nd day after the election to certify results.
Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez won the Democratic nomination for Colorado secretary of state on June 30, 2026, defeating State Sen. Jessie Danielson with roughly 63% of the preliminary vote as the Associated Press called the race at 7:25 p.m. MDT.
Gonzalez, 41, was ahead of Danielson by approximately 25.8 percentage points when the AP made its call, according to the Colorado Sun. On the Republican side, James Wiley, the former head of the Colorado Libertarian Party, advanced as the uncontested nominee, the only Republican candidate on the official state candidate roster.
The Secretary of State Race
Gonzalez and Danielson had campaigned on nearly identical platforms, both vowed to defend Colorado's mail-in voting system against federal pressure and challenge any Trump administration moves to restrict ballot access. Gonzalez drew a sharper contrast by arguing her experience running elections for more than 450,000 registered voters in Jefferson County gave her a clearer operational mandate than her opponent's legislative record.
"I've been working to Trump-proof Colorado's elections for years," Danielson said during the campaign, as reported by The Colorado Sun. Gonzalez countered that her track record administering actual elections, rather than legislating about them, prepared her better for the executive demands of the role.
Both women are from Jefferson County, Danielson represents Wheat Ridge in the state Senate, while Gonzalez has served as the county clerk since 2023. The winner of the November general election will replace term-limited Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who held the office for eight years.
The Democratic nominee enters the general race with a structural advantage: Republicans have not won a statewide race in Colorado since 2016, according to Colorado Newsline. Wiley, who calls himself the "red flame of liberty," per The Colorado Sun, ran unopposed through his primary and will face Gonzalez in November.
Colorado's official candidate list also included a Libertarian Party primary between Sean Vadney and Alex Astley for the same office. The state's ballot rules barred unaffiliated voters from participating in the Libertarian primary. Results for that contest are available through the Colorado Secretary of State's official results portal.
County-Level Snapshot: Where the Vote Stood
County-level data provided by the Colorado Secretary of State's office and visualized by the Associated Press showed Gonzalez running ahead in every reported jurisdiction as returns came in on election night. The figures below are AP vote estimates from approximately 10:33 p.m. MDT on June 30, 2026, they are unofficial snapshots, not certified reporting totals, and are subject to change as counties complete their count.
County | Est. Vote In | Gonzalez | Danielson |
|---|---|---|---|
Adams | 83.4% | 65.7% | 34.3% |
Alamosa | 90% | 75.3% | 24.7% |
Arapahoe | 73.8% | 60.4% | 39.6% |
Archuleta | 90% | 58.7% | 41.3% |
"Est. Vote In" reflects AP estimated vote counted, not an official county precinct-reporting or certification figure.
Source: Associated Press via Colorado Secretary of State data. Figures are preliminary and unofficial.
Among the four counties displayed, Archuleta showed the tightest margin, Gonzalez 58.7%, Danielson 41.3%, a gap of 17.4 points. In Alamosa, that spread stretched past 50 points.
For the full county-level breakdown across all races, the Colorado Secretary of State's county-level results directory is the authoritative source.
The Governor's Race
Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary for governor. The AP called the race just before 8 p.m. MDT, with Weiser leading Bennet approximately 54.7% to 45.3%, according to CPR News.
The most recent pre-election poll, conducted June 25 by Public Policy Polling for Fighting for Colorado, a super PAC backing Weiser, put Weiser at 45% and Bennet at 36% among decided likely voters, a nine-point margin, with 19% still undecided, as reported by The Colorado Sun. Weiser had closed a large polling gap over the previous year, turning a 31-point Bennet advantage in mid-2025 into a race that ultimately went Weiser's way.
On the Republican side, State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer led in early returns over state Rep. Scott Bottoms and political newcomer Victor Marx. The general election between the Democratic and Republican nominees is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Outgoing Gov. Jared Polis is constitutionally term-limited and cannot seek re-election. Bennet, if he had won and gone on to win in November, would have been able to appoint his own successor in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate and Congressional Races
Sen. John Hickenlooper defeated progressive challenger and State Sen. Julie Gonzales in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. The AP called that race at 7:36 p.m. MDT, according to the Colorado Sun. Preliminary figures put Hickenlooper at approximately 57.3% to Gonzales's 42.7%.
In what Colorado Politics described as the equivalent of a political earthquake, 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros led 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in early returns in Colorado's 1st Congressional District. As of 7:34 p.m. MDT, Kiros had 47.5% of the vote, while DeGette trailed with 45.2%, with Wanda James at 7.4%, based on 97,575 votes counted at that stage, per CPR News. The race had not been called as of the research cutoff for this article.
The 1st District covers almost all of Denver, along with the Arapahoe County enclaves of Glendale and Holly Hills. The Republican candidate, Christy Peterson, was the only GOP nominee and would face the Democratic winner in November in a heavily blue seat.
In the 8th Congressional District, State Rep. Manny Rutinel won the Democratic nomination by a wide margin, leading former State Rep. Shannon Bird 61% to 35% in preliminary returns, per CPR News. Bird conceded within 30 minutes of polls closing. Rutinel will face Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in November. The district, created in 2021 as a competitive seat, has been decided by fewer than 2,500 votes in each of its two general elections. Evans won it in 2024 with 49% of the vote, according to Axios Denver.
Attorney General Primaries
Former Secretary of State Jena Griswold won a four-way Democratic primary for attorney general, with preliminary figures putting her at roughly 45.8%, according to Axios Denver. Griswold had served as secretary of state since 2019 and is term-limited in that office.
On the Republican side, Michael Allen defeated David Willson, with early returns showing Allen at approximately 61%, per Axios Denver.
When Results Become Official
Colorado's Election Night Reporting system aggregates data uploaded by individual counties, it does not tabulate votes itself. The state makes clear that figures available on election night are unofficial until each county's canvassing board certifies results, typically on or before the 22nd day after the election.
Counties also continue processing ballots after election night, resolving signature cures and completing required audits. The Secretary of State's office said in a June 29 press release that initial results would begin posting after polls closed at 7 p.m. on June 30, with that processing continuing in the following days.
The general election is set for November 3, 2026, according to the AP 2026 election calendar.
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