Fort Collins and Estes Park Candidates Challenge Neguse in Colorado 2nd District

Can a Fort Collins hairstylist and an Estes Park massage therapist actually flip a district that has been Democratic for more than half a century, or are they just shouting into the wind?

That’s the question hanging over the June 30 primary in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. Two first-time Republican candidates, Christina Blunt and Kelley Anne Dennison, are stepping into the ring to challenge incumbent Rep. Joe Neguse, who is running unopposed in November. They’re banking on the same old frustrations — affordability, government spending, and a sense that nothing ever changes — to win over the unaffiliated voters who make up more than half of the district’s 519,000 active voters. But with a Cook Partisan Voter Index rating the district as 20% more Democratic than the national average, the odds feel less like a toss-up and more like an uphill climb.

You can feel the weight of that history. Neguse’s seat has been held by a Democrat for over 50 years, a streak that started when he replaced Jared Polis in 2018 after Polis moved to the governor’s mansion. The district itself is a sprawling tapestry of north-central Colorado, stretching from the urban centers of Boulder and Fort Collins out through the mountain communities of Eagle, Grand, and Summit, and all the way to Weld County. It’s a region of roughly 728,000 residents, a place where the air is thinner in the high country and the cost of living is thicker in the valleys.

Dennison, a 27-year-old business owner and massage therapist from Estes Park, sees the pain points clearly. “People vote Democrat time and again,” she said. “I think they expect change. They hear about affordability, and nothing ever changes.” She argues that people are “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” hurting in the wallet, and desperate for fiscally responsible leadership. “That is what I hear over and over and over again, left, right, center.” It’s a simple pitch, one that relies on the idea that the base is tired of the establishment, regardless of party.

Blunt, a Fort Collins hairstylist, puts it slightly differently. “I have Democratic friends; they’re not happy with a lots of things that are going on,” she said. “Some of them are going to hang on to the blue, and some are letting it go, because they’ve just gone too far.” Her strategy is to peel away the moderates, the ones who might still vote blue but are ready to let go.

The math is stark. As of May 2026, only 15% of registered voters in the district are Republican, while 31% are Democrat. The rest, the unaffiliated majority, are the prize. Dennison’s political resume includes a stint as a staffer for Adam DeRito during his 8th Congressional District primary run against incumbent Gabe Evans. DeRito, a Fort Carson-based Army Reserve captain, was locked in a legal battle with the U.S. Air Force Academy over misconduct allegations he claimed were politically motivated, though he didn’t make it onto the June ballot. It’s a small detail, but it grounds Dennison in the local political machinery, even if she’s running in her first election.

There’s a warmth to the idea of local candidates making the case, but the rough edge is the sheer scale of the challenge. To flip the district, these two women need to not only win the primary but also convince that massive unaffiliated bloc that their message resonates beyond their immediate circles. The district covers Boulder, Larimer, Jackson, Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Eagle, Grand, Summit, Routt, and Weld counties. That’s a lot of terrain to cover, a lot of voices to hear.

The primary winner will face Neguse in November. It’s a race of attrition, of patience, of trying to convince people that the status quo is broken. Dennison’s words linger, repeated like a mantra: “over and over and over.” It’s the sound of frustration, of people waiting for something to shift. The wind blows through the canyons of Routt, it settles over the plains of Weld, and it carries that same question: is it time for change?