Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty, seen here on Jan. 9, 2024, at the Colorado Bar Association office in Denver, is running for Colorado attorney general. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty announced Tuesday that he is running in 2026 for Colorado attorney general.
The Democrat has served as district attorney for the 20th Judicial District since 2018. He led the prosecution of the shooter who killed 10 people at the Boulder King Soopers in 2021.
Dougherty is the first candidate to enter the race for attorney general.
Democrat Phil Weiser, Colorado’s current attorney general, has joined multiple challenges to Trump administration policies. Dougherty said he would decide when to challenge the administration “based on principle and the rule of law, not politics.”
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“For generations, Americans have strived for a justice system removed from politics, where everyone is treated with fairness and justice,” Dougherty said in a campaign announcement video. “But with Donald Trump and Elon Musk in power, it’s easy to feel hopeless as they dismantle our institutions, subvert the rule of law, and target vulnerable communities.
The attorney general heads the Colorado Department of Law and oversees enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws, defends state laws in legal challenges, and advocates for law enforcement and community safety.
Weiser announced his run for governor in January. He is finishing his second term as attorney general.
Before Dougherty became district attorney, he led the criminal justice section of the attorney general’s office, served as second-in-command in the Gilpin and Jefferson county district attorney’s offices, and worked as a prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney’s office for over 12 years. He’s been a member of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, and co-chaired the state’s Sentencing Reform Task Force.
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