For a blissful few weeks, Coloradans had a break from political campaigns.
Then, just two days into the new year, Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser announced he is running for governor in 2026, almost two years before the general election.
So much for savoring the holidays.
To be fair, it’s not Weiser’s fault. Weiser has been a wonderful attorney general and is a great candidate. It’s just that the current political system is designed for a top candidate to jump in early. It’s likely to be an expensive and contentious race on the Democratic side, meaning Weiser is smart to try to push others out early.
And that it would be Weiser to harness this strategy and jump in early is no surprise. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he knows he’s terming out as attorney general. If he wants to stay in Colorado politics — and I hope he does — running for governor is an obvious move, even if there are admittedly others who I hope run, as well. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely look forward to hearing more from him during the gubernatorial election.But did it really have to be this soon?This raises the question of how early is too early to file a campaign. Shouldn’t Coloradans be entitled to at least a few months without a big political election looming in the background? Campaigns have end dates. Maybe they need start dates, too.
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3:05 AM MST on Jan 5, 20254:54 PM MST on Jan 3, 2025As it turns out, I’m not the only one who thinks endless campaign seasons are becoming a bit of a drag. One survey from the Pew Research Center shows a majority of Americans agree that in recent years big campaigns have “lasted too long.” And for good reason. As of late, presidential campaigns can last two years or more. That’s not to mention all of the other local, state and federal elections mixed in. It’s gotten so extreme that some experts have taken to calling the American campaign cycle “permanent.”
This trend is not good. Chronic campaigning, especially during what should be times of governance, can inflame political rhetoric over time and deeply impact the type of policies that can be shaped and enacted. To stay relevant, political officials wind up focusing more on short-term wins rather than long-term strategies. They are also forced to take away valuable time from the job to make time to run for the next big thing, limiting the effort they can put into legislating in the first place.Given all the drawbacks to extended campaign cycles, it’s no wonder many other democratic nations boast laws that shorten them — and at the same time no wonder that the U.S. doesn’t. Longer campaigns mean more money, more corporate influence and more oversight from those who control the purse strings. In other words, longer campaign cycles, much like increased rates of gun violence and chronic disease burden, have become uniquely American trends that are the opposite of beneficial.Introducing reduced campaign filing dates for political elections could help fix this problem, although this alone won’t solve everything. Addressing out-of-control campaign financing is also a big part of the problem. But that shouldn’t stop us from taking action on filing dates. Change happens one step at a time.
Meanwhile, the reality is that the 2026 election cycle has already begun in Colorado, so it’s time for everyone to start paying attention. And who knows? Perhaps having Weiser start his gubernatorial run this early will help me to look forward to a brighter future in 2026, instead of lamenting the bleak start to 2025. Perhaps it’ll help keep our eyes on the prize.
Or, perhaps, it’ll burn out the voters we need even more with endless campaign advertisements, calls, public debates and news coverage. Only time will tell — and by that, I mean almost two years.
Trish Zornio is a scientist, lecturer and writer who has worked at some of the nation’s top universities and hospitals. She’s an avid rock climber and was a 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate in Colorado. Trish can be found on Twitter @trish_zornio
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Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Zornio: Congratulations, Phil Weiser, on your run for governor. And for once again proving that campaign season is too long. )
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