This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
A Republican who was once president of the Colorado Senate announced Tuesday that he’s running to be the state’s next treasurer.
Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham led the Colorado Senate in 2017 and 2018. During his eight years in the chamber, Grantham, who lives in Cañon City, also served on the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee.
Grantham was elected to the Fremont County Commission in 2020 and reelected in 2024.
“I was raised in a rural farming community in southeast Colorado raising hogs, so I know a little something about how to cut the fat. Coloradans deserve leaders that will be careful stewards of their hard-earned tax dollars,” Grantham said in a written statement as part of his campaign launch. “They deserve a state they can afford to live and raise a family without breaking the bank.”
In a folksy, low-budget campaign launch video, Grantham introduces himself as “Kevin” and promises to “restore a little bit of sanity back to Colorado.”
Grantham is the only Republican running for state treasurer. However, there are a handful of Democrats seeking the job.
The Democrats running to be Colorado’s treasurer are state Sen. Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village, who is the current chair of the JBC; state Rep. Brianna Titone of Arvada; Jefferson County Treasurer Jerry DiTullio; and John Mikos of Monument, who previously served as chairman of the El Paso County Democratic Party.
The primary election will be held in June 2026.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary for treasurer is likely to win the general election, too, given the leftward shift of Colorado’s electorate. There hasn’t been a Republican elected to statewide office in Colorado since 2016.
Current Treasurer Dave Young, a Democrat, won reelection in 2022 by nearly 11 percentage points. Young is term-limited and now running in the crowded Democratic primary in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.
The state treasurer’s duties include overseeing the state’s money, handling its investments and serving on the board for the Public Employees’ Retirement Association. The treasurer also manages Colorado’s unclaimed property program.
Colorado Capitol Alliance
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
