Where the Democratic primary candidates for Colorado Attorney General stand on the big issues 

Jena Griswold

“First, I will fight back against Donald Trump and his attacks on our democracy,” Griswold said, adding that she would protect Coloradans’ civil rights from a “lawless Trump administration” and “inhumane immigration policies.”

She pledged to “staff up an office on workers’ rights to protect Coloradans from wage theft and illegal behavior.” And she said she would protect women’s access to reproductive healthcare, including birth control, IVF and abortions. On public safety, she said she would help pass a stronger ban on assault weapons and work to fix the rape kit backlog.

David Seligman

Seligman said he would prioritize protecting immigrants and holding federal immigration enforcement officers accountable for violating civil rights. He also promised to hold corporations accountable for things like “burying us in junk fees,” “suing people for medical debt they don’t even owe,” and increasing utility rates. “The forces of wealth and power are ripping us off, and they’re getting away with it.” Finally, he said he would prioritize “the existential threat” of climate change. “We need to make polluters pay,” he said.

Michael Dougherty

“With the Colorado River Compact coming to an end this year, the scarcity of water due to climate change, and the Trump administration rolling back the Environmental Protection Agency, the next attorney general has to step up,” Dougherty said. He also wants to prioritize consumer protection and prosecuting public corruption in response to lax enforcement by the Trump administration. Finally, he said, “over the last few years, public safety has suffered in Colorado. I’m going to reprioritize public safety and make sure the attorney general’s office is supporting law enforcement and local district attorneys.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said her top priority would be “defending Colorado and protecting the rule of law — anything that touches on our constitutional rights, our right to vote, our right to make decisions about our bodies.” She also said she wants to use the AG’s office to address the underlying socioeconomic problems that led to President Trump’s reelection. “Whether that’s consolidation in Big Ag, or the healthcare space, or it’s making sure that our workers have access to fair wages … I’m going to use every tool at my disposal” to make housing, healthcare and food more affordable.

Jena Griswold

“I will absolutely continue to pursue federal litigation against Donald Trump,” Griswold said.

“I took action when Tina Peters compromised her voting equipment in an attempt to prove the big lie,” she said. “The rule of law, our democracy, and our country is at extreme risk by this lawless president, and as attorney general, I will continue to stand up to Trump and MAGA extremists to protect our democracy and our rights.”

David Seligman

“We have to hold the Trump administration accountable when it violates the law, and it hurts Coloradans,” Seligman said. But, he said, the next attorney general also has to have a “positive vision for the future.”

“Whether or not you voted for me, I’m going to fight for your prosperity. And I’m gonna do it by standing by your side when we take on the bullies of our society, the Goliaths, the wealthy, the powerful that crush us.”

Michael Dougherty

“Protecting Colorado will always be my top priority, and that includes standing up against the Trump administration or whoever’s in the White House,” Dougherty said. “If they’re violating the rule of law and harming Colorado — that will always be my guide. It will never be done to get my face on cable TV.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said she would sue the federal government when it does something unlawful that harms Coloradans if it falls into one of two categories. “No. 1, it’s one of our individual rights, liberties, or deeply held values, or No. 2, it has to hurt our economic interest,” like withholding funding for food stamps.

“But I feel incredibly strongly that if we spend all of our time just being anti-Trump, we are missing and abdicating our responsibility to lead in Colorado in terms of building that better future,” she added.

Jena Griswold

“I am fully supportive of banning masks outside of limited exceptions,” Griswold said. “If we are seeing — and we are — illegal behavior, criminal acts, from federal agents, it’s really important that masks are off.” She said she would work with the legislature to ensure Coloradans can bring lawsuits against federal agents for violating their civil rights. And, she said lawmakers should explore prohibiting federal immigration enforcement on public property.

“ICE is terrorizing cities,” she said. “They’re terrorizing this country and we have to put an end to that lawlessness.”

David Seligman

“I was deeply disappointed that the legislature rejected the No Kings Act this year,” Seligman said. “That would have allowed people in Colorado to sue federal officials, including ICE officers, who trample our rights.”

But, he said, the attorney general’s office already has the legal tools to “bang down the door” at immigration detention facilities with a subpoena in hand. “People are getting treated with inhumane conditions, and we need to stand up for people.”

Michael Dougherty

”One thing I want to see Colorado do is give the attorney general the authority to inspect immigrant detention facilities,” Dougherty said. “We should have that here in Colorado, so that I, as attorney general, can address the inhumane conditions that immigrants are being subjected to and suffering from, and bring either civil rights violations and/or criminal charges against the people working in those private prison facilities.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said it was “unacceptable that ICE agents that wear and carry a badge are masked, they are unidentified and they are violating core constitutional principles” like entering people’s homes without a warrant.
She said she would support “every effort that Colorado can make to pass constitutional legislation that holds federal agents to the same standards as Colorado state agents to make sure that our citizens are protected.”

Jena Griswold

“I will prosecute any ICE or federal agent that commits a crime,” Griswold said. “The constitution does not disappear because someone is wearing a badge. They do not have immunity and I will hold them accountable.”

David Seligman

“Yes, (I will) hold them accountable, prosecute them with whatever tools we have,” Seligman said. “I just think it’s really important that we signal that no one is above the law.”

Michael Dougherty

“I promise you, I’ll hold ICE accountable when they commit crimes in Colorado,” Dougherty said. “I’m the one candidate in the race who’s successfully prosecuted police officers, people in power and elected officials. And I’ll hold ICE to the same approach, which is doing justice without fear and without favor.”

Hetal Doshi

“Yes,” Doshi said, but “prosecuting a federal agent under criminal law is like the Super Bowl of criminal prosecutions. Truly, it is deeply complex and fraught.”

“When we have to do it — not an if, based on what we saw in Minnesota — we need the most experienced lawyer at the helm.”

Jena Griswold

“I think Colorado law enforcement should follow the law,” Griswold said. “It’s very clear that law enforcement must not cooperate with ICE in most situations, and as attorney general, I will absolutely enforce the law. That’s what the law is, that’s what it should be, and people need to follow it.”

David Seligman

“Not at all.”

Michael Dougherty

“It’s prohibited by state law. Period,” Dougherty said. “If you have a domestic violence victim, that person should be able to call 911, have the police respond, go to the hospital for treatment, and come to the courthouse, without fear that they and their kids are going to be deported. The job of local and state law enforcement, including district attorneys, is to do justice and to uphold public safety, not to do the job of federal authorities.”

Hetal Doshi

“I don’t,” Doshi said. “I support the fact that Colorado law enforcement’s resources are best suited to protecting Coloradans. That’s the law in Colorado.”

Jena Griswold

“I don’t think that they’re in contention necessarily with one another,” Griswold said. “We should always prioritize constitutional rights and civil rights. Healthy communities are communities where people’s rights are being respected, and where people also feel safe in their communities. So I fundamentally believe that those two concepts are not at odds.”

David Seligman

“I don’t see these as being in tension with one another,” Seligman said. “What we know is that mass incarceration in Colorado has failed. We need to move away from that model.”

He said the state needed to increase funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment. To fund it, he wants to create a community health and safety fund that would be paid for with enforcement actions against corporations.

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty pointed to his work on criminal justice reform, which includes leading the state’s Sentencing Reform Task Force, and launching a mental health diversion program.

“It’s recognizing that we have behavioral health needs that often go untreated — Colorado languishes compared to other states in providing treatment to those in need,” he said. “But it’s also holding people accountable when they violate the rule of law. When crimes are committed, particularly serious crimes, making sure that justice is done in those cases, and I have a long history of doing exactly that.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said she has experience balancing those considerations as a federal prosecutor. “Public safety issues can’t just be addressed at the last stage of the process,” she said. ”We’re not going to be able to resolve crimes arising from poverty by simply prosecuting those crimes.”

Instead, she said, she supports increasing mental health services and improving economic opportunities “in conjunction with making sure that we go after the heads of organizations, cartels, and (criminal) conspiracies.”

Jena Griswold

Griswold said ”it depends.”

“Every Coloradan has the right to live in a community free of crime, where they feel safe,” she said. “I will focus on addressing both the crime and the root causes of it — that includes mental health, drug addiction, gun violence, sexual assault.”

“We do have to ensure that people formerly incarcerated are reintegrated into communities in productive ways,” she added.

David Seligman

Yes, Seligman said. “I’d make sure that we get people out of prison who are eligible for release — make sure they’re on a pathway to … fulfilling, thriving lives.”

Seligman said the state needed to invest much more heavily in restorative justice programs, as well. “This is where the attorney general could be a really important voice in the legislature, to be a leader on fighting for a system that actually advances public safety.”

Michael Dougherty

“Yes,” Dougherty said. He said he plans to expand diversion programs and continue to work on sentencing reform in order to reduce prison populations. Dougherty also said he wants the state Department of Corrections to take over control of the state’s private prisons.

“I can’t emphasize enough how strongly I oppose private prisons,” he said. “The reality that we still have two private prisons at the state level when we’ve had a Democratic-controlled state House and Senate and governor’s office to me is a failure. We should never have a for-profit corporation making money off the backs of those that are in their custody.”

Hetal Doshi

“Yes,” Doshi said, adding that it’s why she believes the attorney general needs to focus on economic issues, like enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws.
She also said she wants to work with the legislature to increase funding for behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. “If we have a society that provides for a shot at the American dream, much like my family had, and a society that takes care of behavioral health issues, data shows us that is the best way to reduce crime in our cities and urban areas.”

Jena Griswold

Griswold said she expects the state to have “repeated conversations” over artificial intelligence in the coming years, and “we need to focus on making sure AI is not used in an unlawful way.”

She also said she’s concerned about the impact of data centers. “I will stand up to monopoly utilities and tech companies to protect water and to make sure that data centers are paying their own way so that Colorado families and small businesses don’t have to foot the bill,” Griswold said.

David Seligman

Seligman said there was “some good stuff in the compromise,” but there’s a lot more to do. He said he would have preferred a deal that was in the works last summer that would have “substantially stripped the red tape that applies to small businesses,” but added “meaningful liability up the chain for the wealthiest, most powerful corporations.”

“We need to make sure that the interests that are profiting off of the misuse of AI … are held accountable for the harms they cause us,” Seligman added.

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said lawmakers should have done more to find compromise before becoming the first state to pass regulations on AI.

“The rush to pass the legislation on AI last year, it was problematic, and Colorado got too far out over its skis on that,” he said. “So, I think whether or not it strikes the right balance is still a work in progress, quite frankly.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said it’s too early to say. “The devil’s in the details in terms of what enforcement looks like, and how these cases hold up in court, and how good of a job we do separating honest conduct from cheating conduct,” she said.

“What I have seen is that in my biggest cases — like cases against Google and Apple — it’s actually other small- and medium-sized businesses that are coming to the table and saying, ‘we’re being squeezed out of the competitive process right now. We are dying for some enforcement.’”

Jena Griswold

Griswold said she will “absolutely pursue antitrust cases that affect everyday Coloradans,” including price-fixing, healthcare consolidation and the use of algorithms to drive up rent.

She also said it’s important to prioritize consumer protection, pointing to her experience fighting fraudulent business filings as secretary of state. “As attorney general, I’ll build on that by taking on price gouging, junk fees, predatory lenders, companies that are misusing Coloradans’ personal data.”

David Seligman

“With me as attorney general, Colorado will be a leading force across the country in the fight against monopoly power,” Seligman said, adding that he would target monopolies in healthcare, housing and ski resorts, among other industries.

“This is not just a problem of economics. It’s also how working people have been left behind, even while we live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world,” he said. “It’s also a problem of our democracy, who has voice and who has power over their own lives. This is about everything. It’s for all the marbles.”

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said antitrust enforcement would be a priority for his office, pointing to the case that blocked the grocery store merger between King Soopers and Safeway as an example of why it’s needed.

“Especially as we see a concentration of power in corporations, antitrust enforcement is going to be more important than ever at the state level, given that the federal government seems to be rolling back any regulation, and any response to what we’re seeing across the country.”

Hetal Doshi

“We are seeing in this moment a real understanding that economic opportunity and economic freedom is the key to our civil liberties,” Doshi said. “And therefore, I think antitrust has an important central role to play in the next attorney general’s portfolio.”

She pointed to comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from ABC last year in the wake of pressure from the Trump administration. “That seemed to be a question around the First Amendment — and it was — but the constraints on the First Amendment were coming from incredible concentration of power with the broadcasting agencies.”

Jena Griswold

Griswold called environmental protection “even more pressing as the (federal Environmental Protection Agency) is being gutted,” saying Colorado is already seeing the ”dangerous effects” of climate change.

“I’ll sue to stop Trump’s effort to force Colorado to use dirty coal power and sell off our public lands,” she said. “I’ll stand up to corporate polluters to make sure that our air and water is clean and that our outdoors are protected.”

David Seligman

Seligman said the attorney general needs to do more than just represent the state’s environmental agencies in court. Too often, he said, state regulators impose fines that amount to the equivalent of “a parking ticket” for oil and gas companies that make billions in profits.

”The AG’s office has the authority right now to go on offense, independent of the governor and the agencies of the governor,” Seligman said. “I’d create an environmental justice and protection unit, bring together all of the civil authorities, all of the criminal authorities in Colorado law to make polluters pay meaningfully.”

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said the Attorney General’s Office needs to hold corporations responsible by prosecuting environmental crimes and taking civil actions against polluters. He said he would ensure state regulators are “putting people over profits and making sure we’re not giving companies like Suncor a light slap on the wrist when they’re polluting and harming communities of color.”

Dougherty also said he would protect Colorado’s water from “buy and dry schemes,” in which private equity firms buy the water rights from struggling communities, leaving less for farmers and ranchers across the state.

Hetal Doshi

“The state has both civil and criminal environmental tools available to it, and in an era of unprecedented rollback from the federal government, we’re going to have to see an increase in the use of both of those types of tools,” Doshi said.

She said the state will have to step in on water policy, in particular, and push back against the federal government when it is “actively making things worse” by suspending pollution standards and bringing coal plants back online.

Jena Griswold

Griswold said she would continue the fair housing unit’s “really important work” cracking down on predatory practices by landlords and preventing discrimination.

“I will absolutely enforce laws to stop corporate landlords from illegal price fixing and from charging tenants junk fees month after month,” Griswold said. She also promised to take action — if needed — to make sure local housing markets are competitive. And, she said she would defend state laws that help create new housing.

David Seligman

Seligman said his top priority is enforcing the existing laws with more urgency. “If your landlord isn’t fixing the heat and it’s the middle of winter, and you call government, you know what? We’re going to show up in 24 hours,” he said. “We’re going to be banging on the door. We’re going to make sure the landlord fixes the heat.”

He also said he would also support legislation banning private equity ownership of housing and allowing local governments to pass rent stabilization ordinances.

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said the attorney general ”has to be really aggressive” in taking on unscrupulous landlords that tack on excessive fees to renters, pointing to his role in suing Four Star Realty over illegal tenant charges.

But, he added, many of the state’s business regulations have gone too far. “It makes it so hard for business owners and small businesses to survive.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi pointed to her role in filing the national lawsuit against RealPage over its use of an algorithm to increase rent prices. “You should expect to see me continue to prioritize systemic and structural issues in the housing space,” she said.

Doshi said there are always be more protections that could be helpful, but she will prioritize enforcing the laws Colorado already has. “It’s often the poorest communities, often Black and brown communities, that suffer when people try to skirt those laws, and that’s something that I’m very committed to fighting.”

Jena Griswold

“Yes,” Griswold said. “No matter what my opinion is on TABOR, it is the law of the land. The Colorado Supreme Court has upheld its constitutionality.”

But, she added, “it’s also true that TABOR has created frequent damaging impacts on the services that Coloradans need. It’s devastated the budget. It’s prevented the state from making key investments in education, childcare, healthcare and infrastructure.”

David Seligman

Seligman said he has “serious concerns about TABOR’s constitutionality and the ways in which it violates a republican form of government.”

“I would not defend TABOR in court,” he said. “I think it is absurd and counter to our constitutional structure that our legislature is hamstrung from raising revenues because of a scheme where billionaires and corporations pay the same tax rate as you and me.” Seligman said he would also work to convince voters to make changes to TABOR at the ballot box.

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said he supports modifying TABOR. “The very things we need to improve our society, TABOR restricts or eliminates our ability to provide those things to people.”

But if he was asked to defend TABOR in court, Dougherty said “it would depend on the specifics of the lawsuit. My hope is that since TABOR was enacted by the will of the voters, my idea would be that any changes come from the voters.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said TABOR is “problematic” because of the effect it has on public services, but she also supports letting voters have a say in tax increases. “To the extent that the actual TABOR is challenged in court, the facts and circumstances of how that comes before the court will inform my decision about how I handle that,” she said.

“I have a voice and discretion, of course, as the next attorney general, but I think we have to be very careful about attorneys general that just casually say, ‘there are some laws that I will not defend,’ right? Because that can be a road to some really unwise outcomes,” Doshi added.

Jena Griswold

“I think we really touched on almost everything to tell you the truth,” she said.

David Seligman

Seligman elaborated on his answer to the previous question regarding TABOR: “The Colorado Supreme Court has been perfectly clear about this: It is not the AG’s responsibility to defend the state tooth and nail in every case. If I think TABOR is unconstitutional, it’s part of my obligation to make that point and not defend it in court. And I do not think it is constitutional. But, let’s beat it at the ballot box.”

Michael Dougherty

Dougherty said it was critical to strike “the right balance between protecting our democracy and defending Colorado through this crisis period that we’re living in, but also having a vision for the future. I can do both, and I’m committed to doing both.”

Hetal Doshi

Doshi said hate crimes are on the rise, and the next attorney general will have to “make sure that people feel safe in their ability to worship and to live freely.”

She also said she’s prepared to protect people’s right to vote — either from problems that pop up on Election Day, or structural changes to voting rights at the federal level. “I will want to make sure that we are leading the fight to make sure that every American has the right to vote and have that vote counted.”