By Lily Defnet

The 2026 Colorado gubernatorial race has far-reaching implications for young voters, with issues like affordability and accountability being top of mind when they assess the different candidates. 

After serving two consecutive terms, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis leaves the state’s highest position vacant. The three main candidates — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, 58; 61-year-old Republican pastor Victor Marx; and 62-year-old independent Greg Lopez — each have different views on how to tackle these issues and are driven by varying backgrounds and priorities.

If elected as governor, each of these candidates would inherit a state where approximately 30.7% of the population is between the ages of 19 and 39. Results from the 2026 Yale Youth Poll indicate that young voters’ most important priorities are affordability, corruption, democracy and healthcare. These concerns are not exclusive to young voters. The Colorado Health Foundation’s annual Pulse Poll shows politics and the cost of living are the two biggest issues for Colorado residents as a whole. Twenty-five percent of respondents cited the cost of living as the most important issue currently, a 12-percentage-point increase from 2025 responses.

Marx agrees that affordability is the “No. 1 issue” facing voters this election.  The two paths forward, he argued, are capitalism, which is currently impeded by “one-party rule,” or socialism, which he claims “doesn’t work.” 

Marx is a first-time political candidate with a background in ministry and service in the Marine Corps. According to his campaign website, he would prioritize improving the cost of living and strengthening law enforcement. As governor, Marx said he would “shrink the government without taking away services for eligible people who need it.” 

Lopez is similarly campaigning on housing affordability and government efficiency. The former U.S. representative for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and former mayor of Parker said he would tackle issues of affordability for young Coloradans by proposing legislation that would “allow renters to be able to deduct a year’s worth of rent from their income tax.” 

He also proposed building stronger relationships between employers and students through tax breaks or subsidized salaries for companies that hire college students.

During a 9News town hall on Sept. 29, Democratic candidate Phil Weiser outlined a plan to tackle affordability by building 40,000 affordable homes and protecting Coloradans from big companies who find “predatory ways to squeeze people.” On his campaign website, he has also outlined plans to expand down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

Weiser has served as the state’s attorney general since 2019. His campaign website outlines his aims to protect federal funding and democracy, as well as defending reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. He also has a history with CU Boulder, serving as a professor at the University of Colorado Law School and eventually the dean of the law school for five years. 

Weiser’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Respondents of the 2026 Yale Youth Poll were also concerned with corruption and democracy, speaking to a larger driving issue of government trust as a whole.

Polling from the Pew Research Center indicates that public trust in the government is at a historic low, and young voters in particular said both parties care more about the interests of the elite than regular people. This puts candidates in a position where they will be asked to rebuild trust in a system that has been somewhat eroded, even if not by their own doing.

Lopez said he left the Republican Party and became an unaffiliated candidate because he wants to “put people over politics.” He was previously a member of the Democratic Party while serving as mayor of Parker, but ran as a Republican from 1994 to 2026. 

“Now I believe that both parties are not interested in solving the day-to-day challenges of individuals,” Lopez said. “They’re just interested in keeping power and getting reelected.”

Marx said he plans to “hold leadership accountable” as governor, and Weiser has similarly expressed sentiments about “holding the state government and its political subdivisions accountable to (Colorado) laws.”

However, each candidate has faced public scrutiny over their own records.

In 2020, Lopez paid a $15,000 settlement to resolve a civil case that alleged he tried to influence former colleagues in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by asking for a “favor,” though the attempts were unsuccessful. In 2022, Lopez published a response on his website, in which he claimed he was not informed of conflict of interest prohibitions after departing the SBA.

Weiser has been criticized over campaign contributions from entities that were involved in lawsuits with the attorney general’s office at the time. Though not technically illegal, critics suggested it was a conflict of interest. Weiser had also previously faced similar allegations of accepting donations from entities under investigation by his office while running for attorney general in 2022. In a statement made in October 2022, his campaign had promised to return the money and stated that Weiser “refuses and returns any contributions from anyone tied to a pending investigation.”

Marx’s campaign received one of the largest campaign finance fines in Colorado history in early October, with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office claiming that the campaign accepted around $83,000 in illegal contributions. In a statement made to Colorado Politics, Marx’s campaign said they plan to appeal the decision, saying it had been “transparent” and was working to correct its mistakes.

Young people ages 18-24 have historically been the demographic least likely to turn out to vote, but their turnout has the potential to shape the Colorado gubernatorial race. In the Democratic primary, Weiser beat U.S.  Sen. Michael Bennett in part due to younger voters, according to a poll by Public Policy Polling.

“Don’t wait until you’re older to get involved,” Marx said.

Young voters have the opportunity to make a similar impact on the general election. In the highest state office, the governor can significantly shape state policy. 

“We need your involvement,” Lopez said. “America and the state of Colorado will not be what you want it to be unless you get involved and vote.”