Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell is the latest to announce his candidacy for governor, joining nine other Republicans who’ve filed paperwork in the race.
In an announcement speech Thursday, Mikesell described a state in crisis, or actually, multiple crises, around its budget shortfall, water policy, immigration, crime rates and even routine government functions.
All of those problems, Mikesell said, tie back to a single source — "The real crisis in Colorado is the crisis of leadership."
Of all those issues, immigration has long been at the forefront of Mikesell's concerns. He regularly partners with El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal on efforts to make it easier for local law enforcement to work with federal officials when it comes to immigration enforcement. He also fought a long-running legal battle with the ACLU over his policy of holding people in jail past their release time if ICE requested it.
"We have an immigration crisis costing 356 million taxpayer dollars brought about by our sanctuary policies at both the state and urban city levels, specifically Denver," Mikesell said in a speech announcing his candidacy.
Mikesell held a gathering to announce his candidacy outside the Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs. He was flanked by two Teller County Commissioners and 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen.
Teller County – population close to 25,000 people – is just west of El Paso County, on the western side of Pikes Peak. Its county seat is the mining and gambling town of Cripple Creek and its largest city is Woodland Park. The area’s rural identity is also a lynchpin for his campaign.
"Rural Colorado comprises 75 percent of our state and provides considerable economic benefit from recreation to agriculture and ranching," he said. "Yet rural Colorado is virtually ignored when it comes to state resources."
He went on to highlight what he sees as the unfair distribution of state highway funds and the dominance of Denver and the Front Range when it comes to making decisions for the entire state.
"It is completely inexcusable that we have allowed Colorado to become dangerous, unaffordable, and frankly, unrecognizable," he said.
Mikesell is a third-generation Colorado native and started his law enforcement career in Park County. According to the biography on his campaign site, he was originally selected to serve as sheriff by the Teller County Commissioners and was then elected to two terms.
More than a year ahead of the 2026 primary, Mikesell joins a GOP field that includes two state lawmakers, Rep. Scott Bottoms and Sen. Mark Baisley, as well as a number of political newcomers.
