When Democrat Jena Griswold was elected Secretary of State in 2018, her victory was the cherry on top of a Blue Wave sundae for Democrats [yes, that was a very tortured analogy]. Griswold was a relatively-unknown candidate at the time who was not widely expected to defeat incumbent Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams.
While Griswold deserved her victory, it’s also true that she happened to be in the right place in the right election cycle, with Jared Polis at the top of the ticket as the Democratic nominee for Governor.
It was strange, then, that Griswold began openly exploring a potential run for U.S. Senate just a few months into the job as SOS. A poll conducted on Griswold’s behalf in July 2019 showed that she was in a decent position for a 2020 Senate run, but the optics were terrible for someone who pole-vaulted out of obscurity to win a statewide office less than a year earlier. Amid rumors that former Gov. John Hickenlooper was nearing a decision on his own Senate run, Griswold eventually decided not to begin another statewide campaign and focus on the office she had recently won. The end result, however, was to create a perception that Griswold really wasn’t interested in the job at hand.
Griswold quieted some of that talk by establishing herself as a strong voice as SOS against the endless claims of voter fraud from Donald Trump and his acolytes. After trying unsuccessfully to gain traction as a candidate for Governor, Griswold eventually pivoted to running for Attorney General. She cruised to victory last month in a four-way Democratic Primary and is now the odds-on favorite to become Colorado’s next AG.
Griswold does not appear to have learned from her previous mistakes, however. As Caitlyn Kim reports for Colorado Public Radio:
The Griswold Senate Exploratory Committee updated its statement of organization after the candidate won her primary for attorney general, keeping the door open, experts say, for a federal campaign in the future.
Jena Griswold may have said no to a Senate bid in 2019, but the exploratory committee she created still lives and has been quietly running behind the scenes.
Two days after winning the Democratic nomination for Colorado attorney general, Griswold updated paperwork for her Senate Exploratory Committee with the Federal Election Commission. Last week, her Senate Exploratory Committee amended its statement of organization to change its bank name and remove its registered agent.[Pols emphasis]
While it is not currently raising funds, the Jena Griswold Senate Exploratory committee has remained active since she decided not to pursue a 2020 Senate bid. It has been spending money on compliance consulting (filling out the required forms) and spending money on “database services.” As of April 1, it has just over $87,000 cash on hand.
Maybe don’t do that anymore.
There has been a lot of speculation that Sen. Michael Bennet won’t seek re-election in 2028 after being soundly defeated by Phil Weiser in the Democratic Primary for Governor. It’s way too early to be making moves in that direction, however, and updating her Senate campaign paperwork two daysafter winning the Primary for Attorney General is not a good look.
If Griswold wants to appear like a dedicated public servant rather than a calculating opportunist, she’s doing it wrong. Again.
Here’s how Team Griswold responded to CPR:
A Griswold spokesman said it’s not “atypical” to keep committees open.
“Jena is committed to serving the whole term if elected as Attorney General,” said spokesperson Zach Stout. “The exploratory committee was kept open in case Jena decided to run for federal office. We are considering options like shutting it down or converting it to a PAC.”
That comment from a Griswold spox is unintentionally hilarious. Sometimes other people do it!
In order to quiet a brewing storm that Griswold has once again created, she needs to personally pledge to serve as Attorney General for the entire four-year term. This is the best way for Griswold to avoid the perception that she is going to jump to the next thing at the first opportunity — which is important since she hasn’t yet been elected as AG.
Meanwhile, the bigger issue for Griswold is that she does not appear to be learning from previous errors. As an unknown wise person once said, “Once is a mistake; twice is a choice.”
July 10, 2026 11:36 AM UTC
When Democrat Jena Griswold was elected Secretary of State in 2018, her victory was the cherry on top of a Blue Wave sundae for Democrats [yes, that was a very tortured analogy]. Griswold was a relatively-unknown candidate at the time who was not widely expected to defeat incumbent Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams.
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