- State
- Colorado
- Office / race
- Governor
- Party
- Democratic
- Reviewed
- October 24, 2026
Career timeline
- Served as dean of the University of Colorado Law School.Source ↗
The Democratic nominee
Phil Weiser is the Democratic candidate for Colorado governor on November 3, 2026, running with Lesley Dahlkemper. Republican Victor Marx is the other major-party nominee. The ballot also includes candidates outside the major parties, so the choice extends beyond the two campaigns that receive the most attention. Weiser’s case rests heavily on an existing statewide legal and administrative record.
Law, academia and federal service
Before becoming attorney general, Weiser was dean of the University of Colorado Law School. The National Association of Attorneys General records clerkships with Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and senior Justice Department work in the Clinton and Obama administrations. Those positions connect his career to constitutional law, competition policy and the operation of major legal institutions.
Sources: National Association of Attorneys General biography ↗
Consumer protection as a public identity
His attorney-general biography emphasizes action against scams, deceptive business practices, opioid companies and youth vaping. It also describes litigation involving social-media companies and work on natural-resource damages. That record supplies the foundation for a campaign centered on affordability and public protection. It is more specific than a general claim to legal experience, although individual settlements and enforcement actions must be assessed on their own terms.
Sources: National Association of Attorneys General biography ↗
The campaign’s housing and healthcare argument
Weiser’s campaign says he would work with local leaders to increase available housing, protect renters and preserve affordable healthcare. It connects those proposals to his office’s work involving corporate landlords, medical debt and consumer markets. The message is one of transferring tools learned in legal enforcement to executive leadership, while recognizing that the governor’s housing and budget responsibilities differ from those of the attorney general.
Sources: Campaign biography and proposals ↗
Education, technology and economic development
His campaign biography also describes university work in law, technology and entrepreneurship, including institution building intended to support startup businesses. It places workforce development and rural opportunity alongside those activities. That background gives the profile an economic-development chapter beyond litigation: the campaign is asking voters to consider both his willingness to challenge businesses and his experience helping new enterprises take shape.
Sources: Campaign biography and proposals ↗
The transition from prosecutor to governor
Colorado Public Radio’s general-election guide describes Weiser’s victory over Senator Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary and his emphasis on a more responsive state government. Earlier reporting noted federal antitrust and National Economic Council experience. The central question for voters is how those legal and policy credentials would translate into managing the full range of state agencies and negotiating a state budget.
Sources: Colorado Public Radio general-election guide ↗ · Colorado Public Radio candidate profile ↗
Prepared with AI assistance. Source-based reporting checked on October 24, 2026. This article does not update automatically. Read our editorial standards.
