Jena Griswold projected to win race for the Democratic nomination for Colorado Attorney General
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is the projected winner of the race for the Democratic nomination for Colorado Attorney General.
Griswold was one of four Democratic candidates who campaigned for the state's top law enforcement job. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Hetal Doshi, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty and consumer protection and workers' rights attorney David Seligman also ran. Griswold is term-limited out as Secretary of State.
With 64% of the votes counted, Griswold had 46.5% of the vote and all of the other candidates had 20% or less.
In an interview with Your Reporter Sarah Horbacewicz after her projected nomination, Griswold shared her priorities if elected in November. "The first thing is protecting our state. We're seeing a rogue Trump administration break the law trying to roll back all of our rights and our freedoms, and I look forward to continuing to protect our rights, our freedoms, and the state of Colorado from the Trump administration. But there is so much work to be done."
Jenna Griswold's limited court experience has also been put into question in recent months. When asked about her qualifications for the role, Griswold mentioned in an interview with CBS Colorado last week that she's the "candidate with the most actual experience."
"The Attorney General is not a trial attorney. ... What the attorney general is, is an executive managing a large office, providing the legal direction, making strategic decisions, and I have that experience," she said.
The Colorado attorney general oversees more than 700 attorneys and staff and manages legal manners spanning consumer protection, civil rights, criminal, water, constitutional and environmental law. Former Attorney General Ken Salazar says the AG is responsible for "upholding the rule of law and representing the people of Colorado in thousands of cases in all state and federal courts."
In early June, CBS Colorado Political Reporter Shaun Boyd moderated a forum hosted by Common Cause in which three of the candidates in the race participated. Watch an excerpt.
Republican Michael Allen is projected to win his party's nomination in the attorney general's race, defeating lawyer David Willson. Allen is currently the Fourth Judicial District Attorney in Colorado.
The general election is on Nov. 3.
