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: January 8, 2019
	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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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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2018[edit]

See also: Colorado Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Colorado

Phil Weiser defeated George Brauchler and William Robinson in the general election for Attorney General of Colorado on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Phil Weiser (D)	51.6	1,285,464
	George Brauchler (R)	45.1	1,124,757
	William Robinson (L)	3.3	81,733

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,491,954 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Colorado

Phil Weiser defeated Joseph Salazar in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Colorado on June 26, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Phil Weiser	50.4	301,354
	Joseph Salazar	49.6	296,551

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 597,905
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Colorado

George Brauchler advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Colorado on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		George Brauchler	100.0	418,713

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 418,713
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2014[edit]

See also: Colorado attorney general election, 2014

Attorney General of Colorado, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Cynthia Coffman	51.4%	1,002,626
	Democratic	Don Quick	42.4%	826,182
	Libertarian	David K. Williams	6.2%	120,745
Total Votes				1,949,553
Election results via Colorado Secretary of State

Full history[edit]

To view the electoral history dating back to 2010 for the office of Colorado attorney general, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

See also: Colorado Attorney General election, 2010

2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election^[2]
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a John W. Suthers	56.4%
	Democratic Party	Stan Garnett	43.7%
Total Votes			1,703,893

Term limits[edit]

Per the Colorado Term Limits Amendment, Issue 5 (1990), attorneys general, like all statewide constitutional officers, are limited to two consecutive terms in office. Former officeholders may run again after one term out of office. Serving more than one half of a term as an appointed replacement as attorney general counts as a full term.^[3]

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 1-2:

In order to broaden the opportunities for public service and to guard against excessive concentrations of power, no governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, or attorney general shall serve more than two consecutive terms in such office. This limitation on the number of terms shall apply to terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1991. Any person who succeeds to the office of governor or is appointed or elected to fill a vacancy in one of the other offices named in this section, and who serves at least one half of a term of office, shall be considered to have served a term in that office for purposes of this subsection (2). Terms are considered consecutive unless they are at least four years apart.

Vacancies[edit]

If the office of attorney general becomes vacant, the governor appoints a replacement with the consent of the Colorado State Senate. The replacement serves until the next election. If the vacancy occurs while the state senate is out of session, the appointee serves until it can meet.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 6

(2) If the office of state treasurer, secretary of state, or attorney general shall be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, the governor shall nominate and, by and with the consent of the senate, appoint a successor. The appointee shall hold the office until his successor shall be elected and qualified in such manner as may be provided by law. If the vacancy occurs in any such office while the senate is not in session, the governor shall appoint some fit person to discharge the duties thereof until the next meeting of the senate, when he shall nominate and, by and with the consent of the senate, appoint some fit person to fill such office.

Duties[edit]

The Colorado Attorney General serves as the state government's legal counsel and advisor. As head of the Colorado Department of Law, the attorney general's statutory duties include, "enforcing the criminal laws of the state in cooperation with district attorneys, and "[representing] and [defending] the legal interests of the people of the State of Colorado."^[4]^[1] According to the office website, the attorney general has primary authority over, "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." Additionally, the attorney general may be required by the governor to participate in civil or criminal cases in which the state has an interest.^[1]

Divisions[edit]

As of January 12, 2021, the Colorado Attorney General's Office is composed of the following divisions:

Administration
Business & Licensing
Civil Litigation & Employment Law
Consumer Protection
Criminal Appeals
Criminal Justice
Natural Resources & Environment
Office of Community Engagement
Revenue & Utilities
State Services^[5]

State budget[edit]

See also: Colorado state budget and finances

The budget for the Colorado Department of Law in the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year was $133,002,028.^[6]

Compensation[edit]

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of all elected executives in Colorado are determined by state law as mandated by the Colorado Constitution. Article IV, Section 19 of the state constitution notes that legislators cannot decrease state executive salaries during their current terms in office.

Text of Section 19:

Salaries of Officers Fees Paid into Treasury

The officers named in section one of this article shall receive for their services a salary to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their official terms. It shall be the duty of all such officers to collect in advance all fees prescribed by law for services rendered by them severally, and pay the same into the state treasury.