I keep hearing from backers of opponents of Jena Griswold, the current Secretary of State, that she is not qualified to be AG, but no specifics. From the right, her weight gain is ridiculed, though I did not think the qualifications to be an AG were to be skinny and young, though young she is...I. What Griswold brings to the AG table is what none of her opponents have: administrative talents to run a large government regulatory and enforcement agency and the knowledge and ability to bring to justice and accountability those who would undermine elections and harm integrity as she did in the Tina Peters case..While her Secretary of State's office has as many as 200 employees engaged in a variety of regulatory and service functions, including Griswold being the chief elections official for the state, , the AG office has about 300 plus attorneys (400 supportive staff) and among them is a whole division on courtroom litigators. I am not sure how many AGs in the past have ever argued cases in a courtroom themselves as their main, or even part-time, jobs. She has a national record on protecting voting integrity and is skilled at handling national media. The AG in the next two years will also face continued attempts by Trump to control Colorado elections and federalize the vote count. Her background and experience, and demonstrated effectiveness, are appropriate to the position and top any I see in her opponents.
June 16, 2026, update: Here is what I see shaping up in the general election for AG. My bottom line is to keep an election denier from becoming AG, and that Griswold is the only one on the Democratic Party side who has election integrity as a priority and a proven track record of national and local leadership on the issue. Here is my fear. In this primary campaign of character assassination and whispers of management style, MAGA will use them, too.
Here is my fear in the AG primary race and Griswold's being attacked on character. First, whatever her character or management skills, as SOS she has certainly run business records and elections with skill and devotion to the law and rules. If she is severely damaged by her opponents' primary attacks, an election denier will be elected. If the threat is bad now, just wait until after Nov 2026. Her opponents may be good lawyers, but if they are in the Democratic primary, they do not have the proven creds, leadership, and performance skills she has exhibited in protecting ballot integrity, nor do they even see it as a priority in any campaign literature or ads I have seen.. Heaven help us if an election denier becomes the Colorado AG.
Griswold is likely to win the primary; she has a war chest, her two opponents will split the opposition vote, and yes, she has name recognition. Her abilities were demonstrated by her vigorous and successful action on the Tina Peters case, which received nationwide coverage of her leadership in this vital area of democracy. Note: the Peters conviction by jury trial and after appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court was never overturned, though the length of the sentence was in question. She had already served 4.5 years of her prison sentence when Gov. Pollis ordered her release.
Update: 6/8/2026 This election for AG is no time for amateur hour, given the high-profile controversy and national attention surrounding the Tima Peters case. It will require adroit political footwork and strategy as Peters has become the poster child of Trump's case to seize control of the election process from the states, a controversy that will not go away in November 2026. It will be every bit of a MAGA attempt to take over federal control of state-run elections. While it is nice to find non-political candidates in this day and age, some experience will be crucial when dealing with Trump and MAGA. Griswold has earned her spurs in the Tina Peters case and was more than up to the challenge as Secretary of State. The same issue, but with even more power, will land in the next Colorado AG's lap since there will surely be a new Secretary of State in Colorado, red or blue.
I have been following how she has operated in my frequent blog postings on the subject of local and Tina Peters-type election deniers in county clerk positions, including my own. I am a former elections official myself in Denver (and before that, as a director of a consumer affairs office with concurrent powers with the AG's office and function, just multi-county wide instead of statewide).) I am also a small business owner, and I have frequently had to file reports with her office. Even that function has gone smoothly.
https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2026/06/what-do-colorado-ag-and-secretary-of.html
