27-year-old massage therapist Dennison wins Republican primary in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District
Kelley Dennison, a 27-year-old massage therapist from Estes Park, won Colorado’s GOP primary on June 30, 2026, securing the Republican nomination to face incumbent Rep. Joe Neguse in the general election this November.
Dennison defeated Fort Collins-based hairdresser Christina Blunt with 57.79% of the vote—21,068 votes compared to Blunt’s 15,386 votes. The Associated Press called the race for Dennison, who will now represent the Republican Party in what analysts consider a challenging matchup in a heavily Democratic district.
Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District spans north-central Colorado, encompassing ski areas, rural ranches, and parts of the Front Range urban corridor that includes the college towns of Boulder and Fort Collins. The district has leaned Democratic for years, with Neguse representing it since 2019.
Neguse, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, made history in 2018 as Colorado’s first Black U.S. congressman. He won reelection in 2024 with 284,994 votes. Politi…