Former Democratic state House Speaker Crisanta Duran has dropped her bid to be the next state attorney general, her campaign announced.
“When I began my campaign for Colorado attorney general, it was to take on monopolies of power that have eroded the health, safety, and economic security of Americans,” said a statement from Duran. “Since the launch, the knowledge I’ve gained has been tremendous and there is no doubt that access to democracy must be strengthened.”
Duran was part of a crowded Democratic primary field to replace Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is term-limited and running for governor in 2026. Democrats in the race include Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty, David Seligman, the executive director of the legal nonprofit Towards Justice, and former federal prosecutor Hetal Doshi
Duran first entered the race in February. According to campaign finance records she had raised about $51,000 in the race and had about $11,000 cash on hand. Griswold has raised the most money so far at roughly $805,000 with nearly $700,000 funds on hand.
In the 2020 election cycle, Duran briefly challenged U.S. Rep Diana DeGette for the 1st Congressional district seat representing Denver. But she shut down her campaign eight months after it started as she struggled to raise campaign cash, and lost key endorsements -- including from the United Food and Commercial Workers, where her father had worked as an attorney.
She is a sixth-generation Coloradan and has been in private practice since leaving the legislature where she handles divorce, family law and estate planning work, according to the firm. She is a graduate of the University of Denver and received her law degree from the University of Colorado.
Duran served in the state House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 — and was speaker from 2017 to 2019.
