Two of the candidates for governor of Colorado are set to square off in a televised debate for the first time Thursday night, when Attorney General Phil Weiser, the Democratic nominee, and former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, an unaffiliated candidate, meet in Colorado Springs.

Republican nominee Victor Marx, a ministry leader and first-time candidate, declined the invitation and has yet to agree to debate his general election rivals.

The candidates are running to take over next year from Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who was first elected in 2018 and faces term limits.

The hourlong debate at the Pikes Peak Center, sponsored by The Gazette, Colorado Politics, KOAA News and the El Pomar Foundation, is set to broadcast live from 7:30-8:30 p.m. on KOAA News and stream on the news outlets’ online platforms. Tickets to the event are sold out.

The gubernatorial candidates will take the stage following a debate between 5th Congressional District candidates U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, the Republican incumbent, and Jessica Killin, his Democratic challenger. That debate is scheduled from 6-7 p.m. and will also be aired live by the media sponsors.

Weiser, a former dean of the University of Colorado Law School and U.S. Justice Department official, secured the Democratic nomination in the June 30 primary against three-term U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

Lopez, who served in Congress for six months in 2024 after winning a special election to fill a vacancy, is making his third run for governor. After campaigning last year for the GOP nomination, he left the party and announced his bid as an unaffiliated candidate in January. Earlier this summer, he successfully petitioned onto the ballot.

Marx, who defeated two Republican lawmakers to win the GOP nomination, declared last month that he only intended to debate Weiser once before the general election — and said he would only do so without a moderator. So far, Marx has passed on multiple debate invitations, though he has agreed to appear at a moderated forum sponsored by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce in Denver on Oct. 8.

Colorado has only elected one Republican governor in the last half century, and national election forecasters don’t expect that statistic to change this year, with every nonpartisan analyst’s site rating Colorado as a safe Democratic seat.

Mail ballots will start to go out to Colorado voters on Oct. 2 and are due back to county clerks by 7 p.m. Nov. 3.