Colorado Dems focus on Trump in their closing message
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Democratic nominee for state treasurer Jeff Bridges talks to voters at a Democratic rally Sunday in Colorado Springs. Photo: John Frank/Axios
In the final stretch of the 2026 campaign, Colorado Democrats are returning to a familiar foe: President Trump.
Why it matters: Democrats are betting that frustration with Trump and Washington will energize their base and undecided voters.
State of play: Democratic candidates hammered Trump during a six-day, 25-stop statewide bus tour set to finish Tuesday.
- The speeches mixed warnings about threats to democracy with accusations that Trump is making everyday life more expensive.
What they're saying: At a Colorado Springs stop on Sunday, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper blamed Trump's tariffs, the Iran war and health care cuts for a "cost of living catastrophe."
- Hickenlooper contrasted families' financial struggles with what he described as Trump enriching himself and his allies.
Attorney general nominee Jena Griswold vowed to confront the administration rather than bow to federal pressure.
- "We will file those lawsuits and protect this state," she said, promising to protect voting rights, immigrant communities and the rule of law.
Other Democrats highlighted Trump's decisions to move U.S. Space Command headquarters out of Colorado, deny disaster aid and veto legislation for a southeastern Colorado drinking water project.
The big picture: Democrats see Trump as a political liability for Colorado Republicans.
- They're defending five statewide offices, working to tilt the congressional delegation blue and eyeing veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers.
The other side: Republicans are trying to counter the message.
- But party infighting and controversial top-of-the-ticket candidates have complicated efforts to organize a robust campaign.
In a rare interview Saturday, Republican candidate for governor Victor Marx told Denver 7 he thinks Democrats are responsible for Colorado's high cost of living.
- "I don't care if you're a Republican, unaffiliated or Democrat — they want change," he said. "They're not going to get it with Phil Weiser or the party that's in place."
Between the lines: Democrats are casting individual races as part of a broader fight against Trump.
- In Colorado Springs, secretary of state nominee Amanda Gonzalez framed election administration as resistance to an administration she accused of trying to normalize corruption and cruelty.
- U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Lafayette) urged El Paso County voters to send Jessica Killin to Congress, linking the 5th District race to U.S. House control.
The bottom line: Neguse called this the "most consequential midterm election since 1862" — during the throes of the Civil War — as a measure of just how high Democrats are setting the stakes.