Colorado GOP Is Defeating Itself in 2026

Jim Geraghty’s Washington Post op-ed, “Republicans in Colorado are actively defeating themselves,” is basically a field report from inside our favorite Republican hobby: snatching defeat from the jaws of opportunity. He lays out a political calendar that should have Colorado Republicans acting like adults for once. A term-limited Democratic governor (Jared Polis), a U.S. Senate seat up (John Hickenlooper), and Michael Bennet running for governor. On paper, that is an opening.

But Geraghty’s point is the part that stings because it’s true. Even with Colorado voters not exactly throwing roses at Democrat leadership, the Colorado GOP is doing what it does best: turning inward and lighting itself on fire while the other team quietly stacks wins.

The Bullet Point Brief

• Colorado has a rare pileup of statewide races in 2026, including governor, senator, and a whole list of down-ballot offices and boards with long-term consequences. Translation: you can shape the state for years, or whiff for years.
• The Post piece argues Republicans have been losing statewide since 2016, and the Trump-era brand has been a persistent anchor in Colorado elections.
• Instead of tightening up, the party is diving into messy primaries, including Trump yanking an endorsement from Rep. Jeff Hurd and backing a rival, making a GOP-leaning seat look a lot more “DCCC, come on down.”
• Fundraising for the state party is described as embarrassing, and the leadership situation is portrayed like a family Thanksgiving where everyone brought grudges instead of pie.
• The governors field is crowded, and Geraghty highlights how unserious candidates and evidence-free bomb-throwing are exactly how you take a winnable year and hand-wrap it for Democrats.

My Bottom Line

I said it and I’ll say it again: Colorado Republicans have real opportunities in November, but if the party apparatus is any indication, candidates will largely be on their own. That is not “strategy.” That is abandonment with a logo.

Maybe one day, to sleep, perchance to dream, the Colorado GOP will get serious about the radical concept of electing Republicans instead of auditioning for the lead role in Real Housewives of State Central Committee. Because right now, our biggest opponent is not Polis, Bennet, Hickenlooper, or Weiser. It’s us.

And yes, the state is absolutely feeling the results of years of one-party Democrat rule. People know what they are living through. That should be enough to focus the mind, sharpen the message, and recruit candidates who can win actual voters, not just applause lines.

Will my party be up to the task? Not if it stays in its current form. Facts over fan clubs. Receipts over rumors. Adults over arsonists. If we want to win Colorado again, we need to stop treating politics like a purity pageant and start treating it like the job interview it is.

Source: The Washington Post