Colorado’s March 5 presidential primaries — the state’s first formal foray into the 2024 election — have firmed up, and the competition isn’t as simple as incumbent-versus-challenger.
As of now, voters who mark Democratic ballots will have their pick of eight candidates and a no-preference option. The Republican ballot will have seven listed candidates, plus a write-in option.
But it’s a more fluid situation than in elections past, thanks to the recent uncertainty surrounding former President Donald Trump.
The undisputed Republican frontrunner was barred by the Colorado Supreme Court from appearing on the ballot in its 4-3 ruling on Dec. 19 — the first time a state found him ineligible because of his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. (Maine’s secretary of state followed suit later in the month.)
But in Colorado’s case, the court put a stay in place pending any appeals filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. The state Republican Party and Trump’s campaign filed petitions to the higher court, securing Trump a spot on the primary ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted the case on Jan. 5, the same day the state certified its primary ballots.
That means Trump will appear on Colorado’s Republican primary ballot unless the justices rule otherwise. The high court heard arguments Feb. 8.
In Colorado, to otherwise qualify for either primary ballot, candidates must receive party approval and submit either a $500 filing fee or a petition with 5,000 signatures. A couple write-in candidates also have filed paperwork; they only need to submit an affidavit of intent and submit the $500 filing fee.
There will be plenty of options for Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters to choose from on the primary ballots.
Here’s a breakdown, listed alphabetically, with some key dates ahead of the March 5 primaries.
Democratic candidates
Joe Biden, the incumbent president
Gabriel Cornejo, tech entrepreneur
Frankie Lozada, president of an event logistics and management company
Stephen P. Lyons, business owner and plumber
Jason Michael Palmer, entrepreneur and philanthropist
Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato, educator
Dean Phillips, U.S. representative for Minnesota
Marianne Williamson, 2020 presidential candidate and self-help book author (has dropped out)
Noncommitted Delegate: An option provided by the Democratic Party for primary voters with no candidate preference. It’s a vote to send a non-committed delegate to the party’s national convention this summer.
Republican candidates
Ryan Binkley, business consultant and pastor
Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey (has dropped out)
Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida (has dropped out)
Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas (has dropped out)
Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and founder of a biotech company (has dropped out)
Donald Trump, former president and business owner
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold certified the names and party affiliations of the candidates on Jan. 5. Mail ballots for the primaries were set to go out to military and overseas voters by Jan. 20, and to the broader public beginning Feb. 12.
Voters affiliated with a party have until Feb. 12 to change or withdraw their affiliation to vote in a different party’s presidential primary. Otherwise, voters affiliated with a party that holds a primary will receive a ballot only for that party.
Unaffiliated voters will receive ballots for both major parties’ primaries, but they may vote in only one party’s contest.
Colorado’s votes will be tallied March 5, which is known as Super Tuesday because 16 states will hold their nominating contests that day. Eleven states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands will have their nominating contests before that, with the Iowa caucuses going first on Jan. 15.
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