The Ballot Brief
2026 U.S. House

Colorado's 1st Congressional District — 2026 Candidates

U.S. House · CO-1
Primary: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 General: Tuesday, November 3, 2026

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2026 candidates we're tracking in CO-1

Melat Kiros

Melat Kiros

Democratic

Top priorities

  • Medicare for All
  • A Housing First approach to affordability in Denver
  • Universal childcare

Per the campaign site.

About Melat Kiros

Kiros is an attorney and a doctoral student in public policy at the University of Denver, per the campaign site. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she moved to Denver as a child after her father was selected in the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, per the campaign site. She studied political science and economics at Washington College in Maryland and earned her law degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2022, then practiced at a law firm in New York City, per the campaign site. She is running as a Democratic Socialist on an affordability platform for Denver, per the campaign site.

Christy Peterson

Republican

Top priorities

  • Safety
  • Economy
  • Education

Per the campaign site.

About Christy Peterson

Christy Peterson is the Republican candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. The campaign organizes its platform around four themes: common sense, safety, the economy, and education, per campaign site (homepage). Peterson is the Republican candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District in the November 3, 2026 general election, per campaign site (homepage).

Critter Milton

Unity Party

Critter Milton is the Unity Party candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Chad Humphrey

Libertarian

Top priorities

  • Abolish the IRS and the Federal Reserve and end corporate tax monopolies
  • Keep government out of personal matters such as drug policy and financial privacy
  • End U.S. military involvement in foreign conflicts unrelated to homeland defense

Per the campaign site.

About Chad Humphrey

Chad Humphrey is the Libertarian candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. Humphrey is a retired Marine officer and Operation Enduring Freedom veteran whose military service began in 1993, per Campaign site (liberty4the1st.com). Humphrey is a Denver-based technology entrepreneur and self-taught programmer with an MBA in finance and economics from Pepperdine University, per Campaign site (liberty4the1st.com).

Shimon Blau

Shimon Blau

Unaffiliated

Top priorities

  • Affordable, accessible health care
  • Lower the cost of living
  • Small business and good jobs

Per the campaign site.

About Shimon Blau

Shimon Blau is the Unaffiliated candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. Blau is a Denver doctor who qualified for the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate by gathering petition signatures, per The Colorado Sun. Blau launched his campaign in July 2026, later than the district's other candidates, per Colorado Politics.

About this race

Colorado's 1st Congressional District elects one member of the U.S. House of Representatives to a two-year term. Every House seat in the country is on the ballot in 2026. The Colorado primary is Tuesday, June 30, 2026, and the general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

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