TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell is running Colorado’s gubernatorial seat in 2026, campaign filing records show.
“We are supporting Jason Mikesell for governor of Colorado so he may provide critical and essential services to all people of Colorado, while respecting and supporting local governance,” reads a statement from his campaign committee filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday.
Mikesell will run as a Republican, the filing shows, joining a growing list of candidates for the party who so far includes State Sen. Mark Baisley, Rep. Scott Bottoms, and third-time candidate Jason Clark.
A campaign website listed in the filing has not yet gone live, but ABC-affiliate KRDO-TV reports Mikesell has been using his platform as sheriff to advocate for stricter immigration enforcement.
In 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Mikesell over his plan that would have allowed for three of his deputies to make immigration-related arrests under a federal immigration statute known as 287(g), which allows certain local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws.
Mikesell will face Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat who announced he was running for the governor’s seat back in January.
The sheriff will likely face a crowded field of fellow Democratic candidates. Congressman Joe Neguse, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, former U.S. Senator Ken Salazar and Congressman Jason Crow are some of the other names most-often mentioned as potential candidates for governor.
Late last month, CPR News reported Sen. Michael Bennet was “seriously eyeing a run for governor.”
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