Cathy’s 2026 Democratic Primary Election Ballot Guide

Welcome to Cathy’s 2026 Democratic Primary Ballot Guide. Below are my thoughts and recommendations for contested races that appear on the Democratic primary ballot in Fort Collins this year. I encourage you to vote in all the contested races on your ballot, as it is my hope that all levels of government will be well represented in Colorado and in our community.

As always, I’ve included links in my ballot guide to web pages, articles, and debates (forums) for ALL of the candidates on the ballot, so you can easily find information and make the decisions you feel best reflect you and your values.

Primary ballots must be received by the County Clerk by 7 pm on June 30th. Democrats receive Democratic ballots, Republicans receive Republican ballots, and Unaffiliated voters receive both Democratic and Republican ballots, but may only vote ONE of these ballots, or their vote will not be counted.

Thank you to all of our candidates who have stepped up to run for local, state, and federal offices. Democrats are fortunate to have a lot of great candidates to choose from.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. Thanks for participating in it by voting in the primary.

US Senate

Julie Gonzales  https://www.julieforcolorado.com/

John Hickenlooper https://hickenlooper.com/

Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales has served in the Colorado Senate for 8 years. Julie has never been afraid to take on big fights, and she always fights for what she believes is right. Julie is exactly the kind of person we need to send to represent us in the US Senate at this pivotal moment in time. Julie joined the US Senate race in December after growing increasingly frustrated that her opponent, current US Senator John Hickenlooper, voted for more of Trump’s unqualified cabinet nominees than nearly any other Democrat. With all the federal overreach right now, we need someone who will fight the authoritarian tendencies of the current administration and fight against billionaires and for hard-working Colorado families. Julie is part of a rising new generation of Democrats who are ready to meet this moment in history.

Some have raised concerns about backing a challenger over an incumbent. I disagree. The enthusiasm gap here is real, and it favors Julie. She is a vibrant Latina woman who brings exactly the energy and fight this moment demands. And the Republican nominee has called being gay “a rebellion against the nature of God,” believes all K-12 education should be private, and holds that rights come from the Creator rather than the government. He will be a non-starter with Colorado voters. Julie wins in November.

News and Debates

Governor

Phil Weiser https://philforcolorado.com/

Michael Bennet https://www.michaelbennet.com/

Phil began his tenure as our Colorado Attorney General in 2019, the same year I joined the House. I have had the opportunity to work with Phil and his office on many pieces of legislation in the area of consumer protection. From this, I know he hires excellent people and he chooses his battles carefully. He is fighting the good fight as Colorado has been targeted by the federal government. His office has a great record of success in the 65 lawsuits filed against the current administration to help Coloradans keep our rights and our congressionally appropriated funding. I look forward to him bringing his talents to the Colorado Governor’s office.

News and Debates

Attorney General

David Seligman https://www.seligmanforag.com/

Jena Griswold https://www.jenaforcolorado.com/

Michael Dougherty https://www.michaelforag.com/

Hetal Doshi https://www.hetaldoshiforag.com/

The race for Colorado Attorney General is complicated this year. With four Democratic candidates on the ballot, whoever gets the most votes will be the Democratic nominee. There is no runoff, even if the top vote getter gets less than 50% of the votes.

We have a lot of really well-qualified individuals vying for this seat. My views on this race have changed as we’ve gone through the primary process, but ultimately, I will be casting my vote for David Seligman. David has worked hard to fight and win in court for people without a voice. That’s what we need our Attorney General to do.

News and Debates

Secretary of State

Jessie Danielson https://www.jessiedanielson.com/

Amanda Gonzalez https://www.amandaforcolorado.com/

We also have two well-qualified individuals running for Colorado Secretary of State.

Jessie Danielson has served in the Colorado legislature with me for the past 8 years.  She has passed multiple pieces of legislation that have helped to make Colorado elections the gold standard for secure and accessible elections. Jessie is the former Colorado State Director for America Votes – an organization that works to create a fairer, more representative democracy by increasing voter participation.

Amanda Gonzalez is currently serving as the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder. In this capacity, she administers elections and performs many other functions that help to keep one of the largest counties in the state running smoothly. She formerly served as the Executive Director of Common Cause, where she worked on voting rights legislation and trained attorneys to help voters if they were experiencing voter suppression.

News and Debates

Regent of the University of Colorado – 2nd Congressional District

Kubs Lalchandani https://kubs.vote/

Edie Hooton https://www.edieforcu.com/

Murray Smith https://www.murrayforregent.com/

While there are several good candidates in this race, Kubs came and met with me early in the race to talk about why he is interested in stepping into this role. What spoke to me was his commitment to work on the issue of students who invest time and money to get a degree through the University of Colorado, and then are unable – for a variety of reasons – to finish that degree. This often leaves students saddled with debt, sunk time, and no degree. Kubs wants to take on the challenge of figuring out how to help these students cross the finish line, get their degree, and be successful.

Relevant Links

Larimer County Treasurer

Conor M. Duffy https://www.conorfortreasurer.com/

Joann Ginal https://joannginal.org/

I have known Conor Duffy since I first ran for school board 15 years ago. Conor has continued to engage in our community throughout all this time and he currently serves on our local Poudre School Board. He is committed to our community and to treating everyone in our community with dignity and respect.

Conor has 25 years of experience as a finance professional. This experience is an incredibly important background to take on the critical role of managing county funds as well as the dedicated employees in the Larimer County Treasurer’s Office, many whom have served in the office for years. Conor understands this role and brings the background necessary to do this job well.