Colorado’s next governor will appoint the people who set the state’s wildlife rules. That includes how the state manages its wolves, which is one of the most divided issues on the Western Slope. Ballots are already out for the Nov. 3 election. Here is what the three leading candidates have said about wolves and wildlife, in their own words, with the date and source for each statement.
Threatened Colorado does not endorse candidates. For the two statewide ballot measures on wildlife, see Wildlife on Colorado’s 2026 Ballot: Amendment 83 and Proposition 137.
At a glance
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m.
- Mail-back deadline
- Oct. 26 is the recommended last day to mail a ballot. After that, use a drop box or voting center.
- On the ballot for governor
- Phil Weiser (Democratic), Victor Marx (Republican), Greg Lopez (unaffiliated), Stephen T. Hamilton (American Constitution), Eric Mulder (Libertarian), Jeff Peckman (Unity) and Erik Underwood (Approval Voting).
- Why it matters for wildlife
- the governor appoints the Parks and Wildlife Commission, which sets regulations and policy for Colorado's wildlife.
Why the governor matters for wildlife
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is a citizen board appointed by the governor. Its 11 voting members include three sportspersons (one of them an outfitter), three agricultural producers, three recreationalists (one from a nonprofit, non-consumptive wildlife group) and two at-large members.
The commission’s decisions are close and contested. In July, it set a daily limit of two animals for 17 furbearer species, including beaver and swift fox, by a 6–5 vote. Two hunting groups sued over that rule on Oct. 2. The commission is also expected to take up a citizen petition on wolf damage compensation in November.
Wolf policy is in flux too. On Sept. 30, Colorado Parks and Wildlife suspended the directive it used to decide when to kill wolves that repeatedly prey on livestock. A revised directive is due by April 1, 2027, after the next governor takes office. For the latest numbers, see our Colorado Wolf Tracker.
Side by side
| Topic | Phil Weiser (Democratic) | Victor Marx (Republican) | Greg Lopez (unaffiliated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolves | "No one on any side of this issue — including me — believes the wolf reintroduction program is working well." | "Colorado's wolf reintroduction was an ideological decision, not a scientific one." | "It's time for people to recognize this is a failed experiment." |
| Parks and Wildlife Commission | Would choose commissioners based on expertise, background and geographic diversity. | "As governor, I'll clean house on the boards and commissions making these decisions." | Called the commission "out of control" and said he would dismantle it. |
| Amendment 83 (right to hunt and fish) | Doesn't believe it "should be in the Constitution." | Supported the proposed right to hunt and fish in June, before it was numbered. | No public statement found |
| Proposition 137 (sporting goods tax for conservation) | "And I'm for that one." | No public statement found | No public statement found |
Full statements, with context and sources, follow below.
On wolves
All three leading candidates answered questions about wolf reintroduction this fall.
Phil Weiser (Democratic), Colorado’s attorney general, told the Steamboat Pilot & Today in an Oct. 8 Q&A: “No one on any side of this issue — including me — believes the wolf reintroduction program is working well. Half of all the relocated wolves haven’t survived, frustration on the Western Slope is at an all-time high, the program is costing the state far more money than was budgeted and other states are refusing to offer new wolves to be introduced in Colorado.” He added: “As governor, I will ensure our laws are carried out, and I’ll do it in a smart way — one that listens to all Coloradans impacted and follows the science and data.” At a Sept. 19 debate hosted by Club 20, he said the goal is “to make sure people feel like they’re at the table, not on the menu,” according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
Victor Marx (Republican) told the Steamboat Pilot & Today in an Oct. 7 Q&A: “Colorado’s wolf reintroduction was an ideological decision, not a scientific one. Activists and lobbyists pushed it through, and Western Slope ranchers are paying the price.” He added: “Ranchers who’ve lost livestock deserve fast, fair compensation and this program needs serious reform based on honest data, not ideology.” After CPW suspended its lethal-removal directive, Marx said through a spokesperson on Oct. 1: “As governor, I’ll give the people who live with wolves a real voice in how they’re managed.”
Greg Lopez (unaffiliated), a former U.S. representative, said on Oct. 1, after CPW’s announcement, according to Colorado Politics: “It’s time for people to recognize this is a failed experiment. The state of Colorado has no idea how to manage this apex predator. Hand it back to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and back away.” In 2025, Lopez wrote to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking it to stop Colorado from capturing wolves in British Columbia, according to The Colorado Sun. At the Club 20 debate, he said he would defer to the U.S. Department of the Interior on wolf removals, according to the Daily Sentinel.
On the Parks and Wildlife Commission
Weiser said in June, during the primary, that commissioners should exercise independent judgment and that he would choose them based on expertise, background and geographic diversity, according to The Colorado Sun.
Marx told the Steamboat Pilot & Today on Oct. 7: “As governor, I’ll clean house on the boards and commissions making these decisions. No more activists with an agenda. No more lobbyists working for special interests. I’ll appoint real scientists, real outdoorsmen and women, people who actually understand this land and the people who work it.”
Lopez called the commission “out of control” and said he would dismantle it if elected, according to Colorado Politics on Oct. 1.
On Amendment 83 and Proposition 137
Weiser said in an Oct. 7 interview with The Gazette’s editorial board, published Oct. 18, that a constitutional right to hunt is one of the measures “that I don’t believe should be in the Constitution,” calling such measures “amorphous constitutional rights that will be an invitation to litigation and mischief.” On Proposition 137, he said: “And I’m for that one.”
Marx supported the proposed constitutional right to hunt and fish in June, before it was numbered Amendment 83, according to The Colorado Sun. We found no public statement from Marx on Proposition 137.
Lopez: we found no public statement on Amendment 83 or Proposition 137.
The other candidates
Stephen T. Hamilton (American Constitution), Eric Mulder (Libertarian), Jeff Peckman (Unity) and Erik Underwood (Approval Voting) are also on the ballot. Colorado Public Radio’s voter guide lists no wildlife positions for any of the candidates; we did not find wildlife statements from these four.
How to vote
- Mail: Oct. 26 is the recommended last day to mail your ballot back.
- Drop box or voting center: Drop boxes are open through Election Day. Voting centers are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.
- Deadline: Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
- Check your registration at GoVoteColorado.gov.
We’ll update this page after the election.
