DA Michael Allen Cites 20-Plus Years of Experience in Serving Colorado Citizens
As the 2026 midterm Election Day takes place this week, one local Republican candidate has emerged from the sea of blue that engulfs Colorado state politics.
Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, who represents Teller and El Paso counties, has emerged as a top contender for the state’s Attorney General position.
With over 20 years of law enforcement experience, Allen has run a strong campaign for the last several months as he faces a tough opponent, Jenna Griswold, the current Colorado Secretary of State.
Despite facing tough odds, Allen throughout his campaign has cited his extensive experience as a trial prosecutor as why he would make a good choice for the state’s top law enforcement position. Griswold, on the other hand, has spent much of her campaign outlining how she will stand up against President Donald Trump.
At press time, most polls put Griswold ahead as many political insiders believe that most Colorado voters will cast their ballots along party lines. At the same time, many believe that with his experience, Allen will come closer to winning the attorney general spot than any other Republican currently running for a major state seat. For the last five years, Colorado has been dominated by Democratic leaders, with the party currently controlling the state House, Senate and governor’s office.
Democrats also now have taken a big lead in the number of registered voters at the state level among the major parties. However, this trend is not evident in Colorado’s rural areas, such as Teller, in which the GOP has a big advantage.
As a Colorado native, Allen said that he has seen the state’s political arena change greatly over the years. He chose to run for attorney general now because he believes the state needs some political balance within its top positions.
“I can offer common sense solutions to the problems we’re facing,” Allen told TMJ News in an interview. “And then obviously also to get away from the hyper-partisanship that has been unfortunately the hallmark of our politics in Colorado and the nation for far too long now. It’s time to get to just doing the job that we are elected to do.”
Allen Cites District Attorney Experience
When asked how his experience will help him in the role of attorney general, Allen stated that he currently runs what he considers the largest law firm in southern Colorado. The district attorney office Allen oversees has 259 total employees, including more than 90 attorneys. He pointed out that his office has around 80 more employees than Griswold’s Secretary of State office.
“Really it comes down to being a leader of a large public law firm,” Allen said. “The AG’s Office is a bigger public law firm that represents the state in so many different areas. And I’m really excited to get to work on those things.”
Allen also said that his experience as a DA has included him working with people that he doesn’t necessarily agree with politically. If he does win his bid for Colorado Attorney General, he most likely will be the sole Republican surrounded by Democrats in the legislature and the governor’s office.
Along with his experience as a trial attorney and DA for the past year, Allen has served as the president of the Colorado DA’s Council. This council has every DA in the state as a member. He was elected to serve as president by both Republican and Democrat DAs in the council.
“What we always have to be focused on is getting to the right result for whatever the issue is,” Allen said. “I have done those types of bi-partisanship efforts. I have worked with both Republicans and Democrats to make sure that we are having a positive influence on legislation that is happening in our legislature. The reality is that the job of attorney general and the job of a DA, the results that you get in those two roles are truly not partisan results.
“Everybody cares about public safety. Everybody cares about clean water and defending our water rights. Everybody cares about protecting consumers in consumer protection cases. So, it’s about taking that common-sense approach, working with people of all variety of opinions and reaching the right result for Colorado.”
Allen Outlines Detailed Plans if Elected
If elected, Allen said that he would focus on getting all of the employees in his office on the same page. As an attorney general, he would be limited on what he could do as the position doesn’t have the power to impose executive orders on day one like the state’s governor can.
But he said he would immediately start setting priorities on policy issues like public safety, water and consumer protection. “So really it’s making sure we are all headed in the same direction when it comes to those things,” Allen said. “My main focus throughout this campaign has been on public safety, water, cost of living and consumer protections. But holy cow, there are so many other areas that the attorney general has authority over. And it’s about being professional, confident and having staff in place that know how to do the job that is so important for the future of this state.”
Overall, Allen believes that the state needs less partisanship as opposed to more partisanship. Therefore, he contends he is uniquely qualified to “turn down the heat on partisanship issues that have divided us for too long in this state and really get back to the core functions that the attorney general should be focused on.”
Although not tracking as well in pre-election polls as his opponent, the district attorney has received some major media endorsements.
Allen received the backing from the editorial boards of The Gazette newspaper in the Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region, and the Denver Post in Denver. Both of these are quite prestigious.
