My fellow Coloradans,

Each of us who have come to Colorado have our own story. Mine is an only-in-America one—a first-generation American, raised by a family that survived the worst of times yet remained focused on a better future, and moved to Colorado to raise a family in a thriving and supportive community. That story of resilience—and my family’s love of America—drives my commitment to serve others.

We are living in challenging times—rising dysfunction in Washington, rising demonization towards others, and rising incivility in our politics—that lead many to question our future. I believe in the promise of America—and that Colorado will continue to be a shining light for how a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” can and should work.  

In Colorado, we have the opportunity to work together to keep our state as a place where we all can and want to stay, and where our kids can build a future for themselves and their families. That’s why I’m running to be your next governor. And here I have set out our Colorado Blueprint for how we fight for our kids’ future and the state we all love. 

Our Colorado Blueprint was developed by listening and engaging with hundreds of Coloradans—people who I listened to in community meetings around our state, those who served on policy teams, and leaders throughout Colorado. This grassroots plan shows not only my vision for what I will do as your Governor, but how I will do it—by listening, collaborating, and taking action.

In this Blueprint, I lay out my continued commitment to fight this White House and federal government for its unlawful attacks on Colorado—abusing government agencies for political retaliation, withholding critical federal dollars to coerce states to adopt Trump’s policies, illegally firing critical federal workers, unlawfully punishing our state for our voting laws, or sending federal troops into American cities. I’ve led that fight as your attorney general, and I will continue it as your next governor.  

And fighting back is just part of what our next governor must do—I am running for governor to drive forward and solve the issues facing Colorado. Our Blueprint does that by charting our course for Colorado’s future, for us, and for our kids—making our state more affordable to live in; ensuring jobs, health care and a quality education are available to all; and protecting our land, air, and water. Our Colorado Blueprint lays out my comprehensive vision for how we can build a state in which all can live in and our children can see themselves having a future here.

To meet the challenges of this moment, I need your engagement and partnership. Our Colorado Blueprint is the product of much listening and reflection on what is working and what we can do better. To build on this foundation, I want your suggestions on what you want to see done by your next governor. To let me know your ideas, please submit them at http://philforcolorado.com/suggestions. 

Together, we have important work ahead, setting Colorado for the future we want and deserve. Thank you for being a part of building our future together. 

Phil

COLORADO BLUEPRINT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Colorado’s rights, freedoms, and liberties are under attack by a federal government and White House that continues to act like it is above the law—using government agencies for political retaliation; withholding critical federal dollars to coerce states to adopt Trump’s policies; illegally firing critical federal workers; and unlawfully punishing our state for our voting laws. As governor, I’ll continue to stand up for Colorado from any lawless Administration that acts illegally and harms our state.

Our Rights and Freedoms 

As Attorney General, I have stood up to the Trump Administration every time it has acted unlawfully and harmed Coloradans. As governor, I will:

• Protect federal funding—fight back when Washington illegally withholds money meant for public safety, research, and community needs.
• Stand up for democracy—defend Colorado’s gold-standard voting laws against political power plays and retaliation by the White House.
• Fight illegal and dangerous actions to federalize the Colorado National Guard or send the military into Colorado.
• Defend reproductive rights—including Amendment 79 and against any attacks on our laws protecting the right to choose.
• Protect LGBTQ+ Coloradans—defend access to gender-affirming care, enforce civil rights protections, and confront rising hate.
• Guard our public lands—stop any federal effort to sell them off to the highest bidder.
• Provide critical climate actions and protections of our land, air, and water as the federal government abandons its role in this crucial area.
• Enforce state laws to prevent the federal government from coercing state and local law enforcement to conduct immigration enforcement activities and that bar sales of government facilities for ICE detention centers.

At this moment, it is not enough to stand up against the Trump Administration, we also must chart a path for our future–with a comprehensive and grassroots driven plan to make Colorado more affordable; ensure jobs and a quality education are available to all; and protect our land, air, and water. Here’s what I’ll do as your next governor to advance our state so we have a livable, affordable Colorado for all.

Affordable Homes and Communities 

All Coloradans deserve a safe, affordable place to call home. Yet too many families are forced to choose between housing and essentials like childcare or healthcare. As governor, I will:

• Boost homes Coloradans can afford, increasing attainable owner-occupied homes by 40,000, closing the current gap on the shortfall on such homes by 50%.
• Speed up permitting and partner with local governments to lower fees for affordable homes available for sale under $600,000.
• Cut red tape to streamline state processes.
• Expand down payment assistance to support first-time homebuyers—especially essential workers like teachers, nurses, and first responders.
• Protect renters from unfair practices and keep affordable units available.
• Ensure that out-of-state corporate investors don’t mistreat Colorado families.
• Ban algorithmic price collusion by corporate landlords.
• Promote innovation & skilled trades: modular housing, apprenticeships, and workforce training.

Jobs and the Economy

It’s time to reinvigorate Colorado’s economy and create good-paying jobs across our state. As governor, partnering with business and labor, I will:

• Bring businesses and workers together to solve challenges to our competitiveness.
• Fuel innovation and growth in our key sectors from small business to tech to agriculture. 
• Expand access to capital, with small business grants and microloans.
• Appoint a Chief Innovation Officer to bring new ideas and efficiencies into state government–and ensure that state government does not cause unnecessary delays in starting new businesses.
• Cut unnecessary red tape while preserving safety with a full review of outdated regulations.
• Grow economic hubs from Denver to rural towns ready for new investment.
• Launch a Business Navigator to guide entrepreneurs through starting and scaling a business.
• Invest in the essentials—infrastructure, education and workforce training, public safety, and protecting our land, air, and water.

Workforce Development 

A good job and living wage are key to a good life. Yet our unemployment rate is too high, and many need more training. As governor, I will:

• Champion a Colorado Earn-and-Learn Promise to expand pathways into good-paying jobs, including apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities.
• Launch ColoradoCorps—a service program for careers in education, law enforcement, nursing, counseling, and fire fighting.
• Scale the Pay-It-Forward Fund to provide zero-interest loans and living stipends for training programs that deliver opportunities.
• Empower students with work-based learning, credentials, or college credit before graduation.

Education

Every student in Colorado deserves a world-class education. As governor, I will:

• Support teachers with livable wages so they don’t need multiple jobs to live where they work.
• Promote down payment assistance so teachers can afford to live where they teach.
• Stand strong for public schools and against privatizing or profiting off of our public schools.
• Lower the cost of college so students don’t face crushing debt.
• Support and work to expand Universal Preschool to give kids a strong start and save parents money.

Early Childhood

We must safeguard kids’ early childhood health, well-being, and care. As governor, I will:

• Preserve funding for prenatal and early childhood programs that work in Colorado.
• Coordinate the state’s strategy for early childhood mental health, aligning initiatives and resources across agencies and external partners
• Integrate funding and services to make childcare easier for families to afford and access.
• Launch a Childcare Solutions Fund to invest in local childcare solutions
• Streamline permitting and regulatory processes statewide to build a model that keeps kids safe and simplifies processes for providers to deliver care.

Rural Development

Too many in rural Colorado feel unheard and undervalued at the State Capitol. As governor, I will: 

• Guarantee rural voices meaningful input in policy development.
• Reject one-size-fits-all plans—regulations must work for all, not just the Front Range.
• Appoint a Director of Rural Affairs giving rural Colorado a cabinet-level go-to resource.
• Develop a rural economic plan to attract and grow businesses to every part of our state.
• Finish full broadband buildout so every home and business has reliable Internet.
• Develop and support innovations to address food deserts due to grocery store closures.

Public Safety

Every Coloradan deserves to feel safe in their homes, schools, communities, and places of worship. As governor, I will:

• Support recruitment and investment in police and sheriffs—we need to fund law enforcement, expand and modernize law enforcement training, and support mental health resources for officers and all first responders.
• Sign, support, and defend responsible gun safety laws—that will save lives and protect children.
• Strengthen the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to expand outreach and prevention and promote gun safety.
• Invest in co-responders—so addiction and mental health crises are met with compassion and treatment, and law enforcement officers are freed up for incidents that threaten public safety.
• Ensure that access to bail and justice is based on public safety risks, not how much money you have. 
• Keep tackling the opioid and addiction crisis—advancing prevention, treatment, and life-saving harm reduction like naloxone access as well as ensuring accountability for trafficking.
• Establish a Governor’s Office of Safe Communities, driving data-driven policies and advancing crime science solutions.
• Invest in youth interventions to prevent crimes and the school-to-prison pipeline.

Healthcare

Every Coloradan should have quality health care they can afford. Yet costs keep rising, and access is out of reach for too many. As governor, I will:

• Launch a Health Care Stabilization & Innovation Task Force to protect communities from federal cuts now, and develop paths to longer term advances in cost and quality.
• Use technology wisely to improve care and access, ensuring guardrails to protect patients.
• Rebuild Colorado’s health workforce through stronger training programs and ColoradoCorps.
• Address stigma and increase support for mental and behavioral health. 
• Build state public health capacity to fill voids in federal leadership as it walks away from vaccines and proven modern medicine.
• Ensure patients are treated fairly—stop drug price collusion, preserve cap on lifesaving medications like insulin, and protect families from medical debt collectors.

Youth Mental Health

Every kid should be supported for a successful future. As governor, I will: 

• Support youth mental health with a statewide mentorship program.
• Increase access to in school mental health professionals and services.
• Sign legislation holding social media companies accountable for the harms they cause kids.
• Get kids outside and off their phones so they can learn about what our public spaces have to offer, from health benefits to career opportunities.

Energy and Climate

A safe, affordable, and reliable energy supply is essential for Colorado’s future. As Washington undermines protections, Colorado must lead the way. As governor, I will: 

• Meet Colorado’s renewable energy goals to do our part in fighting climate change.
• Support solar & wind projects statewide, partnering with local governments.
• Expand battery storage adoption for safe energy storage.
• Establish a Geothermal Development Authority to leverage statewide activities.
• Lower winter costs for families with a dedicated rate class for residential heat pumps.
• Promote a just transition, retraining workers for geothermal drilling and other clean energy jobs.
• Protect EV purchase incentives and expand charging infrastructure in new builds.

Our Land, Air, and Water

Colorado’s land, air, and water are what make our state so special. But threats from Washington and rising environmental challenges mean we must step up and protect them.

• Expand CDPHE’s resources to monitor air and water quality and take appropriate enforcement actions.
• Fill the void left by federal agencies by restoring protections the EPA has abandoned.
• Fight back against federal land sell-offs—our public lands belong to all of us.
• Appoint a Chief Resilience Officer to enhance resilience to climate change across the state—from wildfires, storms and costs, to energy grid impacts.
• Support wildfire prevention with local & tribal partners from clearing beetle-kill trees to lowering insurance costs for homeowners who mitigate risk.
• Equip wildland firefighters with the protective gear and technology they need.
• Champion Colorado’s outdoor economy—support recreation, hiking, rafting, hunting, fishing, and make it easier to start outdoor businesses.

Safeguarding Our Water

Water is Colorado’s most precious natural resource, relied on for agriculture, outdoor recreation, and our future growth. As governor, I will:

• Build trust and collaboration across water users to find solutions that work best for our state.
• Keep standing up for Colorado’s water rights as part of Interstate Compacts.
• Fund the Colorado Water Plan.
• Stop buy-and-dry schemes that take water from rural communities for speculators’ profits.
• Innovate to encourage conservation, through reuse programs, voluntary crop shifts, lessening of irrigation needs, and smart storage programs.

Livable Communities & Transportation

Coloradans deserve communities where it’s easy to get around, safe to raise kids, and healthy to live. As governor, I will: 

• Fix our roads so Coloradans spend less on car repairs.
• Cut congestion to save time and reduce harmful emissions.
• Expand public transit, biking, & walkability so people have reliable options across the state.
• Invest in safe streets so kids can walk or bike to school safely.
• Address airport health and quality-of-life impacts on nearby neighborhoods and schools.
• Commit to environmental justice for families living near heavy traffic corridors.
• Partner with local governments to support community development goals.

Reimagining State Government

Government should be a partner, not a burden. As governor, I’ll make Colorado’s government more responsive, collaborative, and innovative. I will:

• Ensure citizens get timely responses when they reach out to government agencies.
• Use technology to improve response times, find efficiencies, and cut costs.
• Lead a statewide conversation on updating constitutional restrictions that hold us back from investing in our state and people.
• Partner with the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes, respecting their sovereignty and working hand-in-hand with them as partners.
• Work hand-in-hand with towns, cities, counties, and special districts as partners with collaboration at front of mind in our work together.
• Support smaller local governments with fewer resources in accessing federal funding.