On Nov. 3, Colorado voters will choose two new members of the state’s executive branch who will be responsible for administration, elections management and finances.

The secretary of state is responsible for managing the state’s elections and overseeing campaign finance, requiring knowledge of election administration, election law and record management.

The current Secretary of State Jena Griswold is not seeking reelection and is instead the Democratic candidate for attorney general.

Meanwhile, the state treasurer is responsible for managing and protecting the state’s public funds as well as guiding economic policy. The current state treasurer is Dave Young, who took office in 2019 and is not eligible for reelection.

Secretary of state

Amanda Gonzalez

Amanda Gonzalez is the Democratic candidate for secretary of state, bringing her experience as an election attorney and management of a nonpartisan voting rights organization. She currently serves as the Jefferson County clerk and recorder. When asked why she was running, Gonzalez said her experience will enable her to run the state’s elections with efficiency, transparency and accessibility. 

“The secretary of state is the state’s democracy defender in chief,” Gonzalez said. “They oversee elections for the entire state, and I am the only person in this race who has ever actually run an election. And that a secretary of state will oversee the 2028 presidential, and that does not feel like the time for on-the-job training.”

Gonzalez emphasized her focus on protecting voter rights and improving people’s trust in the election system.

“My goal at the end of the day is to make sure that every eligible voter — whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or unaffiliated voter — is able to have their voice heard,” Gonzalez said. “I want every eligible voter to understand what they’re voting on and be able to vote on their values.”

She said her goal, if elected, is to keep up with the development of technology and expand knowledge regarding voter eligibility.

“Obviously, technology is evolving faster than ever,” Gonzalez said. “We have to make sure that we are keeping up with that. I also think that there’s work that we still have to do around making sure that every eligible voter knows that they’re eligible.”

James Wiley

James Wiley is the Republican candidate for the secretary of state. He brings experience in elections litigation and work as a political consultant.

Wiley said he is running because of the potential crisis between humanity and artificial intelligence and how that will affect future elections.

“I want to make sure that we create a sacred activity that AI has no business in and that specifically one of those areas is our elections,” Wiley said. “Restoring human-accounted elections and ensuring that humans are in control of our elections and in control of our government will be a prerequisite to that symbiotic future with AI.”


Wiley also said he plans to prioritize in-person voting as the primary way to vote, while suggesting eligible voters can apply for a mail-in ballot if needed.

“Universal mail-in voting, in theory, could work with accurate voter rules,” Wiley said. “But in reality, unfortunately, it does not work and creates compromises to the chain of custody of the ballots prior to their delivery to the clerk’s office, where chain of custody is a top priority.”

He stated his main goal was to improve public confidence in elections and emphasized election concerns go beyond party politics.

“This isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a trust issue,” Wiley said. “And we need to restore the trust by removing those obstacles for the people to be able to experience it themselves and know that the elections are worthy of trust and that the losers did lose.”

Third-party candidates for secretary of state

Sean Vadney is the Libertarian Party candidate, whose focus is on ensuring voter security during elections, furthering fraud prevention and increasing accessibility.

Amanda Campbell is the American Constitution Party candidate, whose focus is on upholding the constitution, modernizing business services and improving voter security.

Celeste Landry, the Forward Party candidate, has experience in election policy advocacy and election reform and has focused her campaign on increasing voter rights, advocating for better representation in elections and improving elections integrity.

State treasurer

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges, the Democratic candidate for state treasurer, served in the Colorado General Assembly as a state senator for District 26 and was the vice chair of the Joint Budget Committee. 

According to his website, Bridges said he is running to shift more of Colorado’s investments toward affordable housing, infrastructure and clean energy and Colorado businesses.

“I’m running for treasurer to bring those dollars home and put them to work here in Colorado,” the website reads. 

Bridges’ website states his education and experience on the JBC have both informed his approach in budgeting the state’s finances.

“The budget is a moral document that puts in dollars and cents exactly what we value and how much we value it,” the website reads. “Good financial management isn’t just about numbers — it’s about values and priorities.”

Bridges did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment at the time of publishing.

Kevin Grantham

Kevin Grantham is the Republican candidate for state treasurer. Grantham has held elected positions at both state and local levels, having served in the Colorado State Senate and was senate president from 2017-18. He also served on the JBC and currently serves as Fremont County commissioner. 

According to his website, Grantham said he is concerned Colorado has become too expensive for residents to “live, work and raise a family.”

“He wants to make Colorado a safe and affordable place where anyone that works hard can get ahead,” the website reads. 

In an interview with CPR, Grantham said as state treasurer, he will prioritize protecting taxpayer dollars and aim to maximize returns on state investments with the goal of improving affordability in Colorado.

“It is time that Colorado gets back to being a state that is careful with how it taxes its residents and how it spends their hard-earned tax dollars,” Grantham’s website reads. 

Grantham did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment at the time of publishing.

Third-party candidates for state treasurer

Jodie Barr is the Libertarian Party candidate. No additional campaign resources could be found at the time of publishing. 

Marilee Langer Sturgis is the Approval Voting Party candidate. No additional campaign resources could be found at the time of publishing. 

Reach Morgan Pearson at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.