DENVER, COLORADO – The Libertarian Party of Colorado finalized its slate of candidates for the 2026 election cycle. The party’s nomination for Secretary of State will be decided in a June primary between Sean Vadney of Highlands Ranch and Alex Astley of Holyoke. Both candidates surpassed the 30% delegate threshold required under Colorado law to trigger a primary election, and participation will be limited to voters registered as Libertarian by June 8.

Delegates selected Eric Mulder of Aurora as their gubernatorial candidate and Blake Huber of Denver for U.S. Senate. Mulder, a U.S. Army veteran and small business owner, previously served on Aurora’s Veterans Affairs and Civic Engagement Commission. Huber is known for his activism around election reform, particularly his support of Approval Voting, and has military experience in both the Kansas National Guard and the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Candidates were also nominated across all eight of Colorado’s U.S. House districts: Chad Humphrey (District 1), Gaylon Kent (District 2), Cory Robertson (District 3), Douglas Mangeris (District 4), Mark Elworth (District 5), Patty McMahon (District 6), Dan Sallis (District 7), and David Wood (District 8). Their backgrounds span military service, housing advocacy, and federal employment, reflecting a range of professional experience within the ticket.

Beyond federal races, Libertarians are competing in numerous state legislative contests. One closely watched race is in House District 23, covering Lakewood and Wheat Ridge, where Libertarian Ross Metler is running without a Republican challenger. In the last election, Democratic nominee Monica Duran defeated Republican Fred Clifford by nearly 30 points.

The backdrop to these events involved the party addressing its internal governance and political strategy following the loss of the Mises Caucus leadership months ago. Delegates formally adopted a resolution formally rejecting the Liberty Pledge, an initiative previously associated with cooperation between Libertarian and Republican candidates. The resolution states that past actions by members of the 2023–2025 state board, such as promoting the pledge, supporting Republican candidates, and discouraging Libertarians from entering certain races, violated party bylaws requiring exclusive support for Libertarian nominees.

The newly affirmed position nullified any prior agreements tied to the pledge and explicitly prohibits party leadership from encouraging candidates to withdraw from races or deferring to other parties in future elections. It also commits the organization to backing Libertarian candidates in all eligible contests moving forward.