U.S. House, Colorado 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District?
Joe Neguse has the strongest record in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. Joe Neguse scores 79 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Joe Neguse's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Kelley Anne Dennison (5 of 15 criteria) and Gaylon Kent (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Kelley Anne Dennison
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Gaylon Kent
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Joe Neguse
79 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 90
- Performance
- 94
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Kelley Anne Dennison
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Gaylon Kent
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Joe Neguse
- On the record2026-07
Voted with about half of House Democrats to end U.S. aid to Israel; AIPAC, which had backed him, removed his online donation link.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
- Credit2025-12-18
His Secure Rural Schools reauthorization bill (H.R. 6535) was enacted through its identical Senate companion, S. 356, signed Dec. 18, 2025.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 6535
- Credit2025-11
The Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked him the most effective House Democrat in both environment and public lands policy for 2023 to 2025.
- Credit2024
Rated Exceeds Expectations by the Center for Effective Lawmaking in both the 117th and 118th Congresses.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking, House data 93rd to 118th Congress
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Annual financial disclosures are on the House Clerk record, filed within extensions, with no periodic transaction reports since 2019. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine and no House Ethics finding found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, calendar year 2025, Filing ID 10076784, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. In July 2026 voted with about half of House Democrats to end U.S. aid to Israel; the pro-Israel group AIPAC, which had backed him, then removed his online donation link.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Kelley Anne Dennison. Gave on-the-record interviews to CPR News and the Coloradoan for their voter guides. No record found of 2026 general election debates or forums, accepted or declined.
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, Fort Collins Coloradoan via Yahoo, Oct. 1, 2026
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Holds open in-person town halls across the district; he cites 100 since taking office, and the Steamboat Pilot reported a 2025 town hall with more than 300 people. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Post Independent, Oct. 7, 2026, Steamboat Pilot & Today, Nov. 20, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Served as a CU regent, state agency director and seven-plus years in Congress with no censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Joe Neguse
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 1987. No official finding of misuse found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Gaylon Kent
Joe Neguse. Voted Nay on both Jan. 6, 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania). No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: House Clerk, Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk, Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Kelley Anne Dennison. Massage therapist and business owner from Estes Park who started in politics as a campaign staffer. Has not held public office.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. U.S. representative since January 2019, in his fourth term; earlier a University of Colorado regent and executive director of the state Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Sources: GovTrack, Ballotpedia, Joe Neguse
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Kelley Anne Dennison. States positions in general terms: more housing supply through fewer regulations, limits on corporate home buying, and conservation; CPR notes she offered no specific water proposals.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Assistant House Democratic Leader, an elected leadership post (E5), and ranking member of the Natural Resources Federal Lands subcommittee; gives specific positions on antitrust, stock trading and public lands.
Sources: GovTrack, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Kelley Anne Dennison. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, answered the Denver Post questionnaire and gave interviews for CPR and Coloradoan voter guides.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Kelley Dennison, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Fort Collins Coloradoan via Yahoo, Oct. 1, 2026
Gaylon Kent. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026; did not return the Denver Post questionnaire.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Gaylon Kent, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Joe Neguse. Answered the Denver Post questionnaire, gave an issue interview for CPR's voter guide and holds regular town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, Post Independent, Oct. 7, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Kelley Anne Dennison. Lists her residence as Estes Park, inside the district, and describes herself as a Colorado native.
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Ballotpedia, Kelley Dennison
Gaylon Kent. Lives in Hayden, inside the district.
Source: Ballotpedia, Gaylon Kent
Joe Neguse. Lives in Lafayette; a University of Colorado graduate who served as an elected CU regent from 2008. About 56 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Colorado (FEC, through June 30, 2026).
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Ballotpedia, Joe Neguse, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Ran Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies, the state consumer protection and licensing agency, from 2015 to 2017. Campaign reports are on file with no FEC administrative fine.
Sources: CPR News, 2nd District voter guide, Sept. 24, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Exceeds Expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 4.16 against a benchmark of 0.53) and the 117th. GovTrack counts 33 bills he sponsored as enacted.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, House data 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Missed 8 of 3,869 roll call votes, 0.2 percent, from January 2019 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Runs district offices in Fort Collins, Boulder and Frisco plus mobile office hours, and reports 100 town halls since taking office.
Sources: Neguse House site, Offices, Post Independent, Oct. 7, 2026
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 1.35145 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 18 of 436, top quarter.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Kelley Anne Dennison. No public record found.
Gaylon Kent. No public record found.
Joe Neguse. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District?
Joe Neguse has the strongest record in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. Joe Neguse scores 79 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Joe Neguse's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Kelley Anne Dennison (5 of 15 criteria) and Gaylon Kent (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Kelley Anne Dennison (Republican), Gaylon Kent (Libertarian), Joe Neguse (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Kelley Anne Dennison a good candidate for Congress?
Kelley Anne Dennison has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Gaylon Kent a good candidate for Congress?
Gaylon Kent has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Joe Neguse a good candidate for Congress?
Joe Neguse scores 79 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 90 of 100, performance 94 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Colorado race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Colorado 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.