In 2026, Colorado voters will head to the polls to select the next governor. With Gov. Jared Polis' term expiring, the new state leader will take over at the start of 2027.

When Colorado Politics asked Polis what advice he is going to give to his successor, he smiled and said that, with 18 months left on his term, he’s not ready to say — he feels like there is plenty to do himself, he said.

Others, however, offered plenty of advice for Colorado’s next chief executive.

They said the governor must cultivate the economies of rural communities, home to ranchers and farmers, even if the political power largely resides in the Front Range — the center of Colorado’s population. As such, they added, the governor must work to ensure the rural economy is resilient.

They said the next governor sho

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