Democrat Crisanta Duran, a former speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, announced Sunday morning that she is ending her bid to become Colorado’s attorney general.
In a written statement announcing her decision, Duran fully didn’t explain why she was exiting the race.
“I remain committed to ensuring meaningful progress in our state and nation, and now know the pathway forward to ensure fair outcomes must be rooted in federal solutions,” she said. “The fight is far from over to ensure there are elected leaders who are ready to take bold action in this moment to move us forward.”
But Duran’s campaign, which she launched in February, failed to pick up steam and has been overshadowed by other Democrats running for attorney general.
The crowded Democratic primary next year for attorney general includes Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, consumer rights attorney David Seligman, and former federal prosecutor Hetal Doshi.
Duran has raised a fraction of the money raised by her primary opponents.
Colorado’s current attorney general, Democrat Phil Weiser, is term-limited and can’t run for reelection in 2026. Instead, Weiser is running to be Colorado’s next governor.
Duran hasn’t been in the political spotlight in Colorado for several years. She served as speaker from 2017 to early 2019 and then ran in 2020 to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Denver. Duran ended her insurgent, albeit lackluster, campaign long before the primary.
After dropping her congressional bid, Duran worked in a national capacity on former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid.
The Democratic primary for attorney general will be held in June 2026.