The Women’s Foundation of Colorado and Partners to Host Colorado Governor’s Forum
The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce to Host Women Decide: The Colorado Governor’s Forum
Live Virtual Forum on June 7 Will Bring Together Confirmed Gubernatorial Primary Candidates to Address Issues Critical to Colorado Women
Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS), The Women’s Foundation of Colorado (WFCO) and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC) will produce and present Women Decide: The Colorado Governor’s Forum — a live, virtual forum bringing together confirmed primary candidates for Governor of Colorado on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 7 p.m. MT.
The forum will be free and open to all Coloradans, streaming live on Zoom Webinar and on Rocky Mountain PBS’s YouTube channel.
Women Decide: The Colorado Governor’s Forum is designed to address the policy priorities that affect women, families, and communities across Colorado. The forum will address the full range of policy questions that shape the lives of Colorado women — from economic opportunity, small business and workforce to healthcare, housing, education and caregiving — through a lens that reflects the breadth and diversity of women’s experiences across the state. Equally, the forum is designed for all Colorado voters who care about these issues or want to be better informed on them.
Colorado’s 2026 primary election day is June 30, and general election day is Nov. 3.
Confirmed Candidates
In alignment with the structure of a nonpartisan candidate forum, viable candidates eligible for the primary ballot from the major parties were invited. The following candidates for Governor of Colorado have confirmed their participation:
- U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet
- State Rep. Scott Bottoms
- State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer
- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser
Victor Marx was invited and declined to participate.
Candidates will be asked identical questions by Gabriela Resto-Montero, journalism director of Rocky Mountain PBS, and given equal time to respond. Audience questions may be submitted ahead of the forum via registration. The forum is nonpartisan and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate or political party by any partner organization.
Forum questions will be informed by original statewide polling commissioned by The Women’s Foundation of Colorado to identify the issues of greatest importance to a diverse cross-section of Colorado women.
The polling findings will be published by Rocky Mountain PBS ahead of the virtual event.
“Public media exists to serve the public — all of it. Rocky Mountain PBS’s mission has always been to inform, engage, and strengthen the communities we serve, and this forum is one of the most direct expressions of that mission we’ve undertaken. Colorado women are business owners, caregivers, entrepreneurs, educators, and voters who care deeply about the full spectrum of issues facing our state. This forum will give them — and every Coloradan — the chance to hear directly from the candidates who want to lead Colorado on the questions that matter most. We’re also proud that this event will be free and accessible to anyone with an internet connection. That’s what public media is for.” — Amanda Mountain, President & CEO, Rocky Mountain Public Media
“Colorado’s future depends on all women having a real opportunity at economic security. When women thrive, families stabilize, communities strengthen, and our entire state’s economy grows — the evidence is clear. As the only statewide, community-funded foundation protecting and advancing women’s progress for nearly 40 years, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado believes women should be centered in every policy decision. We’re inviting the next governor of Colorado to do the same.” — Renee Ferrufino, President & CEO, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado
“Colorado’s next governor will inherit an economy where women are not a margin note, they are the engine. This forum is about making sure our candidates understand what it takes to keep that engine running. The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce has spent more than three decades advocating for the women who power this state’s economy, and we’re putting that expectation directly in front of the people who want to lead it.” — Simone D. Ross, CEO & Executive Director, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Free, Live, and Accessible to All Coloradans
The forum will be presented as a live virtual event, streaming simultaneously on Zoom Webinar and on Rocky Mountain PBS’s YouTube channel. The decision to host the forum in a virtual format reflects a shared commitment among the partner organizations to accessibility and civic inclusion. By removing barriers of geography, transportation, and venue capacity that can limit participation in traditional in-person forums, the virtual format ensures that Coloradans across the state — from Denver to Durango, from the Front Range to rural communities — have an equal opportunity to watch, listen, and engage.
Viewers can register to attend the live Zoom Webinar at or watch the live stream without registration on YouTube. The full Forum recording will also be made available by RMPBS and on its free streaming platform RMPBS+ following the event.
