FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2026
Media Contact:
Nate Jackson
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BREAKING: Phil Weiser Announces County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper as Lieutenant Governor Nominee
As County Commissioner, Lesley has Built Grassroots Coalitions that Deliver for Coloradans
CLICK HERE FOR HIGH-RES PHOTO OF LESLEY
DENVER, CO – Today, Democratic nominee for governor of Colorado Phil Weiser announced that he has selected Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper to be his nominee for lieutenant governor.
As a county commissioner, Lesley worked with Phil and other local leaders to build Colorado’s historic, nationally recognized framework to distribute more than $900 million to help communities fight the opioid crisis. Working alongside her colleagues and community, Lesley also eliminated Jefferson County’s revenue cap – which was imposed by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) – and made critical investments in public infrastructure, including roads and bridges, as well as public safety, including wildfire risk reduction.
In selecting Lesley as his nominee for lieutenant governor, Phil has made clear that local governments will have a seat at the table in his administration, that the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe will have a key partner and ally who honors and respects the Tribes’ sovereignty, and that he will build coalitions to deliver on his bold agenda for Colorado. As governor, Phil will lower costs, protect the rights and freedoms of all Coloradans, and build a brighter future for the next generation by first asking communities: How can I help?
“As governor, I will work hard to partner with the Tribes and their leaders, build trust across Colorado’s rural and urban communities, and bring Coloradans together to deliver a brighter future for the next generation,” Phil Weiser said. “In the face of shared challenges, Coloradans show up for one another and demonstrate what it means to be a good neighbor. That’s a mindset I will work to instill across state government – and I can’t imagine a better partner in that work than Lesley.”
“As governor, Phil will lead from the bottom up, not the top down – and he will ensure the state honors the sovereignty of the Tribes and respects them as the valued partners they are,” Lesley Dahlkemper said. “I’m proud of my work finding common ground and workable solutions that deliver for Coloradans as a county commissioner – and I’m ready to take on this work with Phil as lieutenant governor.”
Lesley’s Bio:
Lesley is a member of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and formerly served as the board’s chair. She was elected to her second, four-year term in November 2022.
Lesley’s professional life has focused on what she loves most – helping people, solving complex problems, and giving back to her community.
She’s owned her own business, worked as an award-winning journalist, and led national and statewide initiatives as a senior executive in the private and non-profit sectors.
Gov. Jared Polis appointed Lesley to serve on the Colorado Fire Commission, and she was selected earlier this year to serve on the Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force. Lesley chairs the Jefferson County Wildfire Commission and the Chatfield Watershed Authority, and she has chaired the Gateway to the Rockies Opioid Council and served as treasurer on the Board of Directors for Colorado Counties, Inc., in addition to other national, state, and local boards. She is the past president of the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education.
Originally from Chicago, Lesley moved to Denver in 1989 to work as a reporter after obtaining her master’s degree from the University of Illinois. Her family has called Jeffco home for 30 years. Lesley and her husband, Mike Feeley, chose to raise their daughter, Grace, in Jeffco because of its excellent schools and quality of life. Grace now attends college. Mike – a retired attorney and former Colorado Senate Minority Leader – also served on the West Metro Fire Board. They live in south Jeffco with their three rescue dogs: Peaches, Maisy, and Eli.
For more information, visit https://philforcolorado.com/.
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