Attorney General of Colorado

	Colorado Attorney General
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$107,676
2024 FY Budget:	$133,002,028
Term limits:	2 consecutive terms
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Attorney General of Colorado Phil Weiser; Democratic Party; Assumed office: 2019-01-08
	Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
	Other Colorado Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Exec. Director • Colorado State Board of Regents

The Attorney General of Colorado is one of four independently elected statewide offices in Colorado and was established by the Colorado Constitution in 1876. The attorney general is the head of the Colorado State Department of Law and acts as the chief legal counsel and chief law officer for the state. According to the office's official website, the attorney general, "represents and defends the legal interests of the people of the State of Colorado and its sovereignty."^[1]

The position has primary authority for enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws, prosecution of criminal appeals and some complex white-collar crimes, the statewide grand jury, training and certification of peace officers, and certain natural resource and environmental matters.^[1]

Colorado has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current attorney general is Phil Weiser, a Democrat who was first elected in 2018. Weiser was sworn for a four-year term as attorney general January 8, 2019.^[1]

Authority

The state constitution establishes the office of attorney general in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

(1) The executive department shall include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, and attorney general, each of whom shall hold his office for the term of four years, commencing on the second Tuesday of January in the year 1967, and each fourth year thereafter. They shall perform such duties as are prescribed by this constitution or by law.

Qualifications

The attorney general must be at least 25 years old and an attorney in good standing licensed by the Colorado Supreme Court. Additionally, he must be a citizen of the United States and have been a Colorado resident for at least two years prior to election.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 4

No person shall be eligible to the office of... attorney general unless he shall have attained the age of twentyfive years and be a licensed attorney of the supreme court of the state in good standing, and no person shall be eligible to any one of said offices unless, in addition to the qualifications above prescribed therefore, he shall be a citizen of the United States, and have resided within the limits of the state two years next preceding his election.

Elections

Colorado state government organizational chart

Attorneys general are elected to four-year terms during federal midterm election years (2018, 2022, 2026, etc.). The candidate that earns a plurality of the votes is the winner, and, per Article IV, Section 1 of the state constitution, he assumes office on the second Tuesday of January in the year following his election.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

(1) The executive department shall include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, and attorney general, each of whom shall hold his office for the term of four years, commencing on the second Tuesday of January in the year 1967, and each fourth year thereafter.

2022

See also: Colorado Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Colorado

Incumbent Phil Weiser defeated John Kellner, William Robinson, and Stanley Thorne in the general election for Attorney General of Colorado on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Phil Weiser (D)	54.7	1,349,133
	John Kellner (R)	43.0	1,060,866
	William Robinson (L)	2.2	54,557
	Stanley Thorne (Independent) (Write-in)	0.1	1,772

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,466,328
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Colorado

Incumbent Phil Weiser advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Colorado on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Phil Weiser	100.0	504,071

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 504,071
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Colorado

John Kellner advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Colorado on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Kellner	100.0	504,631

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 504,631
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