The Sentinel, publishing a Colorado Newsline story, reports that three Democratic candidates for Colorado Attorney General are criticizing Secretary of State Jena Griswold for skipping candidate forums and debates in the primary race. David Seligman, Michael Dougherty, and Hetal Doshi appeared at a Colorado Sun debate this week, while Griswold was absent, and Dougherty said the three have attended more than a dozen forums or debates that Griswold did not attend.
This is not the biggest scandal in Colorado history. Nobody needs to faint into the municipal flower bed. But it is a perfect little window into ruling-class entitlement: Griswold wants to be Colorado’s next Attorney General, the person who supposedly walks into court and fights giants, but her own Democratic competitors are saying she will not even walk into the job interview.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Griswold’s Democratic rivals say she has lacked engagement with voters and other candidates throughout the primary campaign. Translation: she wants the promotion, but apparently the interview portion is optional homework.
- The Colorado Sun debate featured Seligman, Dougherty, and Doshi, but not Griswold. That left her opponents with an empty-chair gift so obvious even a consultant could spot it without a polling memo.
- Dougherty said if Griswold cannot face other candidates and debate moderators, she cannot face the Trump administration in court as Colorado’s Attorney General. That is a campaign punch, sure. It is also the kind of punch you invite when you do not show up.
- Doshi argued Griswold is avoiding debates because she does not want to answer unscripted questions or take accountability for her record. We do not know Griswold’s full scheduling rationale from this story, but the political stink is plain: absence creates the perception your opponents are selling.
- All three rivals said Griswold is technically qualified because she is a lawyer, but they questioned whether she has the substantive qualifications to lead the office. That is not Republicans heckling from the cheap seats. That is the Democratic primary saying, “Are we really doing this?”
My Bottom Line
The Attorney General’s race is serious. This is not student council. The AG handles consumer protection, criminal justice, federal litigation, state agency defense, environmental fights, constitutional questions, and all the legal plumbing voters only notice after it floods the basement.
So yes, a candidate for Attorney General should be willing to stand on a stage, answer questions, take punches from rivals, and explain why she deserves the damn job. That is not cruelty. That is democracy without the bubble wrap.
Griswold has built a political image around being a fearless democracy defender with big courtroom-resistance energy. Fine. Then show up. If the brand is “I will fight Trump in court,” skipping debates with fellow Democrats is a strange way to warm up. It is like announcing you are ready for the heavyweight bout while ducking the weigh-in.
This is the consultant-brained disease in modern politics: control the clips, manage the appearances, blast the fundraising emails, polish the moral branding, and avoid any room where voters might see the seams. Colorado does not need another statewide official who wants power without scrutiny. If Griswold wants the title, she can start by showing up for the job interview.
Source: The Sentinel
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