Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general, won the race to succeed Gov. Jared Polis, defeating Republican Victor Marx.
Phil Weiser, 58, is a lawyer’s lawyer. He clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court, worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations, and then ran the University of Colorado’s law school as its dean. He was elected Colorado attorney general in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
As attorney general he sued over health-care mergers, worked on the state’s response to the Marshall Fire and joined multi-state fights over federal policy. He now moves from the state’s top law-enforcement job to its top job overall.
Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002, and Weiser’s win keeps the state firmly in Democratic hands. Watch his approach to water — a defining fight in the dry West — and to the state’s strained budget after years of growth.
Fast facts
- Age: 58
- Party: Democratic
- Office: Governor of Colorado
- State: Colorado
- Previous job: Colorado attorney general (since 2019)
- Called by AP: verified in the desk’s 10:30 p.m. ET check, Nov. 3
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
