The assemblies aren’t the end of the nomination process — indeed, some high-profile names in Democratic politics are foregoing it. But assembly vote winners will land on the ballot’s top line.
Democratic candidate for Governor Cary Kennedy speaks during the Democratic State Assembly at the 1stBank Center on April 14, 2018, in Broomfield, Colorado. She won the assembly that year, but then-U.S.
Rep. Jared Polis went on to win the Democratic primary and the governorship. On Saturday, at least, you call them Democrats. Then, in two weeks, you call them Republicans. The Democratic Party faithful are gathering this weekend in the southern Colorado city for their first in-person statewide assembly since 2018 — and the party’s most consequential assembly since then, to boot. A slew of candidates are vying for the party’s nominations to the state’s top offices, nearly all of which are open because of term-limited incumbents. The Colorado Democratic Party’s state assembly on Saturday at Memorial Hall marks the first major winnowing of those candidates. It’s also a chance for the victors to rally the base — and, they hope, ride a wave of victory headlines to the June primary election, where voters will have the final say on nominations. In two weeks, on April 11, the Colorado Republican Party will follow suit with their state assembly, at Massari Arena on the Colorado State University Pueblo campus. The stakes are similar in each case. Party members, picked among neighbors at precinct and county caucuses across the state in the weeks before, will name their preferences for a slew of elected offices, from U.S. senator and governor to members of the state House of Representatives. The assemblies aren’t the end of the nomination process — indeed, some of the highest-profile names in Democratic politics are foregoing it. But the event will exclude from June 30 primary ballots those candidates who rely on the assembly and fail to clear its 30% threshold of support. The assembly vote winners will land on the ballot’s top line. “The most exciting thing about is how it levels the playing field for grassroots competitors to have a shot at sharing a message that, in some cases, resonates broadly,” Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said. The assembly puts candidates in front of swaths of some of the most dedicated Democrats in the state to make their case, one five-minute speech at a time. The candidates also get the chance to rub elbows in hallways and have one-on-one conversations with voters about why they should hold the office they’re seeking — making potentially invaluable inroads, particularly for lesser-known candidates looking to knock off longtime officeholders.U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette at the Denver County assembly in mid-March, winning nearly two votes for every one the 15-term congresswoman pulled in. On Friday night, they were set to seek final support at the party’s 1st Congressional District assembly, conducted online. Former Gov. Roy Romer, a Democrat who led the state from 1987 to 1999, praised the caucus and assembly process as a way for regular people to steer the party, rather than letting someone just throw tens of millions of dollars into an election. He’ll be introducing Attorney General Phil Weiser, a “This way is a movement,” Romer said in an interview. “When you’re petitioning, you’re a little more distant from people. This is working with people, community by community. This is a way to come together and say this is our nominee.” Alternatively, candidates can qualify for the ballot by collecting petition signatures. U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper both pursued that option. Bennet is running for governor against Weiser, while Hickenlooper is seeking reelection. Colorado gubernatorial candidate U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, right, answers a question as fellow candidate Attorney General Phil Weiser looks into the audience during a forum hosted by the Colorado Young Democrats on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68 in Denver. , or some 10 times the number of people who will be at the assembly, and were the first candidates to qualify for the June primary. On the Republican side, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and pastor Victor Marx have both submitted more than 20,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office to qualify for their party’s gubernatorial primary. More thanGOP candidates have also filed for the office. The GOP assembly next month is expected to pare down that field substantially. Seth Masket, a University of Denver political science professor, cautioned against making assumptions about the routes the candidates take to the ballot. Further-left and further-right candidates tend to benefit from the caucus and assembly process because they tend to attract a more passionate followings, he said. That doesn’t mean they necessarily do or don’t have a broad base of support, but they do have supporters who care enough to spend a weeknight at a caucus or a spring Saturday in a convention hall. Candidates who are more mainstream in their party — and especially those with money — generally find it easier to petition onto the ballot. They can also avoid the risk of being kept off the ballot by an organized, enthusiastic base of opposition that only needs a few hundred people to potentially keep them below the 30% threshold necessary for ballot qualification. “ not necessarily the candidate that’s going to win the primary, but it is a candidate that has a passionate following,” Masket said. “Not every candidate has that and, to be honest, more mainstream candidates don’t tend to have that kind of following. What they do have is more general name recognition and support from party members.” Recent electoral history in Colorado has shown that assembly victories rarely translate into overall victory in the primary. All three went on to win the party nomination in the primary, and then they won the general election.Gov. Jared Polis signs HOME Act, aimed at making it easier for nonprofits to build housingRenaming of César Chávez Day, 3D-printed gun ban, data center regs in the Colorado legislature this week Buying a ‘loot box’ in an online game? Some of the swag could help public schools under a Colorado bill.“Both methods require any candidate to earn the backing of voters from every single corner of this state,” Jordan Fuja, a spokesperson for Bennet’s campaign, said in a statement. “… Colorado voters are looking for a governor with the experience, vision, and commitment to delivering the results we need. Michael has held a commanding lead since he first entered this race because Coloradans know he is the right candidate to protect Colorado from Trump’s chaos and build an economy that works for working people.” Hickenlooper, meanwhile, had initially intended to go through the caucus and assembly process before putting his efforts into the petition process.“Our focus in participating in the caucus process at the beginning was to help energize the base, meet with voters, and support the work of our county parties,” spokesperson“The senator appreciates everyone who has participated in the process and really enjoyed having conversations with folks across the state.” Hickenlooper’s decision to pull back, meanwhile, left openings for his rivals — and a chance to rally a fired-up Democratic base that has shown it’s “It’s clear to me that the base of the Democratic Party is interested in evaluating who talks a good game and who walks the walk,” said state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver progressive who’s running against Hickenlooper. “Who’s actually done the work and put in the muscle to listen to people and to translate those frustrations, those hopes, those anxieties, into concrete and durable policy. That’s the work.”Besides state legislative races, here are the candidates seeking placement on the Democratic primary ballot at the state assembly in Pueblo. The party has been organizing multicounty assemblies separately for congressional candidates.Female-focused ski fest, famous for its naked lap, will go on despite no snow for skiingCherry Creek Schools investigation targets $3 million in contracts with education firm, international travelDaily Horoscope for March 27, 2026‘There’s a snake in my bag!’ CU Boulder student returns from Costa Rica, finds venomous stowaway
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