Phil Weiser Wins Colorado Governor Race, Succeeding Jared Polis

Colorado elected Democrat Phil Weiser as its next governor on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Associated Press called the race at 7:01 p.m. MT, one minute after polls closed in the state, Colorado Public Radio reported. Weiser, the Colorado attorney general, defeated Republican Victor Marx and will replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited after eight years in office. NBC News also projected a Weiser win in Colorado.

The count

The AP results feed marked the Colorado governor race Called for Weiser with 929,803 votes. The feed put precincts reporting at 59.43 percent, 2,514 of 4,230, with an estimated 59.44 percent of the vote counted at that snapshot. Marx was the runner-up among seven candidates listed in the feed. Colorado Public Radio reported that the field also included unaffiliated candidate Greg Lopez and the nominees of the Libertarian Party, the American Constitution Party, the Unity Party and the Approval Voting Party. CPR noted that, given Colorado's blue leanings, Weiser was heavily favored to win the office.

A race with no debates

CPR reported that the contest between Weiser and Marx was unusual in many respects, with no in-person debates and little meaningful interaction between the candidates. Weiser pitched himself as a fighter and a collaborator who had learned to help solve the problems facing Colorado during his nearly eight years in office as attorney general, CPR reported, and he leaned into his lawsuits against the Trump administration to block federal funding cuts. Affordability was a centerpiece of his campaign. "If you're a teacher anywhere in Colorado, you should be able to afford a starter home in the community where you work," Weiser said, in remarks reported by CPR.

The outsider challenge

Marx ran as a political newcomer and leaned into his role as a political outsider, CPR reported. He presented himself as a check on years of Democratic control of state government, refused to take part in media hosted debates, and criticized establishment Republicans for failing to unite behind his candidacy. CPR reported that Marx built a large social media following with an unconventional campaign as a self-styled Christian ministry leader and humanitarian. On election night the call came almost at once, and the result matched the shape of the race CPR had described through the fall.

What waits for the new governor

Weiser takes the helm with Democrats in control of the state legislature by wide margins, CPR reported. Lawmakers this year closed a 1.5 billion dollar budget shortfall, and CPR reported that budget challenges are expected to run into the next governor's term. The state continues to deal with a high cost of living. CPR cited a bipartisan poll from the Colorado Polling Institute in which voters across the political spectrum named affordability as the top issue they want state government to address, along with housing, taxes and immigration.