This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
A long-shot effort to try to redraw Colorado’s congressional districts to add blue seats got a boost from a high-profile Democrat this week.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for Governor in 2026, said he would support changing how Colorado draws its maps in response to extreme partisan gerrymanders in other states. He’s the first prominent Colorado Democrat to publicly back a major change in how the state redistricts.
“This is about defending our democracy,” said Weiser in a written statement. “When other states break long-established norms and do mid-decade redistricting, Colorado can’t stand idly by and just watch. We’re not going to let those changing the rules to get an unfair advantage benefit from those efforts; Colorado must be ready to step up and do our part.”
Wesier said he didn’t take this position lightly, adding that he hates gerrymandering. Colorado voters approved an independent redistricting commission in 2018, and it would take a constitutional amendment to change that process. A group of political outsiders is trying to put a question on the ballot next year that would let the governor temporarily appoint a redistricting commission to draw new lines before the next census.
Despite total Democratic control of statewide offices, Colorado’s House delegation is split evenly between the parties, with only one seat seen as truly up for grabs next year. Some political observers say, in theory, it wouldn’t be that hard to draw two more seats favorable to Democrats.
Backers of that proposed initiative, which would likely need to raise millions of dollars to get the signatures needed for the ballot and to build a campaign, said Weiser’s comments and call to action are a huge step forward in the conversation.
“We’re thrilled to see Attorney General Weiser publicly support Colorado taking emergency action to defend fair representation,” said Jorge Rodriguez, an accountant who is organizing the effort. Rodriguez said he’s been frustrated that Democratic leaders in the state have largely been silent and are not trying to do anything to change the redistricting process.
“His leadership gives momentum to what so many Coloradans have been asking for, a plan to fight back against extreme gerrymandering in red states. We hope more leaders and candidates follow his example and join this effort,” said Rodriguez.
This week, North Carolina became the latest state to heed President Donald Trump’s call for Republican legislatures to draw maps that benefit their party. Texas and Missouri have already redrawn their maps, and efforts are underway in several other red states. Countering that, Democrats in Virginia and California may also seek to gerrymander ahead of the midterms.
Colorado’s Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, who is also running for governor, said all options should be on the table to defend the country’s democracy, but stopped short of endorsing efforts in Colorado. He said changing the maps for 2028 — the soonest an amendment could take effect — is too late.
“Every Democrat in Colorado needs to be focused on flipping the House of Representatives in 2026 so we can put a real check on Donald Trump,” Bennet said in a written statement. “We can take on Republicans like Lauren Boebert and win House seats here in Colorado — from Adams and Weld Counties to the Western Slope and El Paso County. If we want to make a difference sooner rather than later, we have to win these elections and win back the majority in 2026."
Governor Jared Polis has given the idea of mid-decade redistricting the cold shoulder, noting it couldn’t happen soon enough to affect the midterms and warning that voters will ultimately punish the party that tries it. “They see through this,” Polis told progressive podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen earlier this year. “Swing voters, unaffiliated voters really don't like this kind of sheer arrogance.”
Polis said he thinks Democrats can flip seats by focusing on other things, like the impact of Trump’s massive tax and spending bill.
“This is gonna be an albatross around the neck of all the Republicans that voted for it.”
