Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is running to be Colorado’s next attorney general in the 2026 election.
Dougherty, who has served as Boulder County’s top prosecutor since 2018, launched his campaign this week with a pledge to push back on President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“I know what it takes to lead, what it means to fight for what’s right, and the important role the justice system can play when it is being guided by the rule of law and not by politics,” he said in a campaign video. “I will use my decades of experience in the courtroom and leading offices to protect our values and defend our rights against Donald Trump and anyone who endangers Colorado.”
He said his platform will also focus on access to reproductive health care, public safety, consumer protections, workers’ rights and environmental issues.
Dougherty is the first candidate to formally declare a candidacy for the state attorney general race, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The current attorney general, Phil Weiser, is running for governor.
Dougherty, 53, grew up in New York and began his career as a prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. He later moved to Colorado to work for then-Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, where he led the Criminal Justice Section. In 2018, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed him district attorney for Boulder County’s 20th Judicial District. He won the seat outright later that year and was reelected in 2020 and 2024.
During his tenure, Dougherty prosecuted Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the gunman who killed 10 people at the South Boulder King Soopers in 2021. Alissa was sentenced last year to life without parole. His office also investigated the origins of the 2021 Marshall Fire, determining that a reignited burn pile on land owned by members of the Twelve Tribes community and an unmoored power line managed by Xcel Energy were likely sources of the state’s more destructive wildfire on record. No criminal charges were filed, though the report led to hundreds of civil cases against Xcel
Dougherty has also reviewed multiple fatal police shootings in Boulder County, including two fatal shootings by City of Boulder police and another involving the Colorado State Patrol and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. In each case, the Boulder County Investigation Team conducted the investigation. Based on the findings, Dougherty declined to bring charges. Two of the cases involved armed men. Another involved a woman holding what was later determined to be a replica handgun.
Dougherty graduated from Nassau Community College and Cornell University before earning a law degree from Boston University School of Law. He lives in Boulder with his wife, Antonia, and their twins. Outside of the courtroom, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado School of Law and an ultrarunner, having completed the Leadville 100 and other races over the past two decades.