The CU Board of Regents oversee more than CU-Boulder, but our local campus is a major local economic driver and societal shaper.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents oversees the University of Colorado system, which includes the CU-Boulder campus, CU-Denver, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The budget for the entire CU system in Fiscal Year 2026-27 is about $6.84 billion. There are nine Regents on the Board – one Regent representing each of Colorado’s eight Congressional districts, and one serving at-large (statewide). Regents serve six-year terms, and are limited to two terms in office.

I will only write about the Regent race for the Second Congressional District this year, since it’s the only district with a race this year that includes Boulder. Whoever wins this race will replace the current Regent Callie Rennison, who is completing her six-year term she won in 2020 but is not running for re-election. This race will be decided by plurality vote, as the candidate with the most total votes will win no matter how many candidates are in the race.

Edie Hooton, Democratic

Edie Hooton

Edie Hooton won the Democratic nomination for Regent in the Second Congressional District by earning about 40% of the June 30 primary election vote, defeating Murray Smith with about 31% and Kubs Lalchandani with about 29%. Hooton served three full terms as state Representative for House District 10, winning elections in 2016, 2018, and 2020. The HD10 boundaries include the CU-Boulder campuses and a great deal of nearby off-campus housing. She also won the Democratic Party primary for HD10 in 2022, but withdrew from the general election race for a potential fourth term.

Hooton is a Boulder resident who was active in local civics and politics before running for office. She worked as a legislative aide in the US Senate and the Alaska State Legislature in the 70s and 80s, and moved on to work with the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Philadelphia Electric Company in their government affairs offices. After moving to Boulder, she served as a Democratic Party precinct captain, and served as both the vice-president and president of Democratic Women of Boulder County. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

For some brief examples of Hooton’s stated priorities for work as a Regent, should she win:

  • Affordability: She said she intends to try keeping CU affordable by fighting for better state funding to the CU system; keeping available revenue flowing more toward the classroom and less toward administration; and looking to tuition revenue from out-of-state students to help keep in-state tuition lower.
  • Academic Research and Freedom: Hooton notes that the Trump administration has made financial cuts that affect CU, but the state is or was in court to defend CU against the cuts where possible. She supports a “Mutual Academic Defense Compact” to help protect academic freedom, in which member universities could pool resources to fight against perceived attacks on member institutions.
  • Artificial Intelligence: She supports curriculum so graduates will be ready to compete in the new AI environment, but also “designing AI out of the curriculum” so students won’t just hand over critical thinking and other skills to AI.

While serving in the state House, she served as the House Democratic Caucus Chair, chaired the state’s Capital Development Committee, was vice-chair of the House Energy and Environment Committee, and was a member of the following House committees: Transportation, Housing & Local Government; State, Veterans & Military Affairs; Public Health Care & Human Services; and Statutory Revision.

State legislators typically see around 600 bills per year on a very wide variety of topics, so most of them can’t only focus on one topic and there are typically not that many bills per year directly pertaining to higher education. The state’s Capital Development Committee makes preliminary recommendations on funding for capital projects at state institutions, including those at the CU system (not necessarily just CU-Boulder). Hooton was a prime House sponsor of a bill in 2021 (SB 21-256) in the wake of the horrific shooting at King Soopers in Boulder, which allowed local governments including governing boards of higher education institutions – like the CU Regents – to adopt their own firearms ordinances.

During her three terms in the House, Hooton was known for her work on bills pertaining to the environment, energy, manufactured homes, auto towing companies, pharmacy benefit management, medical marijuana, and homeowner’s associations (HOA). For a brief sample of bills she sponsored, among many that were signed into law:

  • Community Choice Energy: She was a prime sponsor of HB 21-1269, which directed the Public Utilities Commission to study the feasibility of allowing communities (like Boulder) served by investor-owned utilities to choose alternative wholesale electricity.
  • Manufactured Homes: Hooton sponsored two key bills in 2020: HB 20-1196 was a significant update to laws regarding park maintenance and other issues, and HB 20-1201 set up a structure for park residents who want to make an offer toward purchasing their park.
  • Medical Marijuana: She sponsored HB 19-1028, allowing autism spectrum disorders to be added to the list of conditions for which Coloradans could obtain medical marijuana.

Follow The Money: As of Oct. 9, the Hooton campaign had reported $94,218.40 in contributions.

Campaign website: https://www.edieforcu.com/

Marty Neilson, Republican

Marty Neilson

Marty Neilson is the Republican Party’s nominee for the CU Board of Regents, and she ran unopposed in the June 30 primary. Neilson ran unsuccessfully for Boulder County Treasurer in 2010, as the incumbent Treasurer Bob Hullinghorst won by about 67% – 33%.

Per the Boulder Daily Camera, she earned a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Denver. She said she has worked as a controller and/or chief financial officer for Tropicana Energy Company in Texas; Case Logic, Inc.; 105 Meridien, LLC; Equity Link Companies; and PFSI, Inc. She worked in the accounting department for IBM in Boulder for about 14 years.

As of mid-2026 she was the treasurer of the Boulder County Republicans and the Boulder Republican Women. She has served as the chairman of the Boulder County Republican Party, as former president of the Colorado Federation of Republican Women, and former treasurer for the Colorado Republican Committee. She is the current assistant treasurer and former president of Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

Again per the mid-June 2026 Camera story, a few of Neilson’s priorities for the Regent position include:

  • CU should be prepared to reduce reliance on federal funding, in the face of present or future funding cuts from the federal government.
  • To address federal cuts, CU should diversify funding sources and “expand partnerships with industry, philanthropy, foundations and state-supported innovation programs.”
  • She said her career has given her experience in dealing with budgetary issues for large institutions, “including funds, appropriations, major budget decisions, debt issuance, tuition and fees.”
  • She also noted that she has experience in hiring, evaluating, and overseeing senior leadership within large institutions.

Here is a brief sample of her general policy objectives:

  • Affordability and Access for Colorado students and families
  • Fiscal Responsibility and transparent stewardship of taxpayer and tuition dollars
  • Operational Excellence through modern systems and efficient processes
  • Support for World-Class Research and Innovation, especially in areas like renewable energy where Colorado leads
  • Ethical, Non-Partisan Leadership focused on students, faculty, and the long-term strength of all CU campuses

Follow The Money: As of Oct. 9, the Neilson campaign had not reported any contributions.

Campaign website: https://neilsonforcuregent.com/

Richard Friend, Libertarian

I just learned of Richard Friend’s candidacy in late August 2026. I will update this section if I learn anything about him.

Richard’s Take

Vote Hooton. For full disclosure, I worked for Hooton for about six years while she was serving as State Representative for House District 10. I would easily support her in this race even if I hadn’t worked for her, but I’m including this information about me in the interest of reader knowledge.

Among Hooton’s top claims for this job is that she represented the House district in which the CU system’s flagship campus – CU-Boulder – is located. Her three terms included studying and voting on bills that might affect Colorado higher education in general, meeting with CU officials and lobbyists, and receiving information about the economic and societal values of CU to the Boulder community and the State of Colorado. While a Representative, she also chaired the state’s Capital Development Committee, which in part recommended funding allocations for projects on the CU campuses. These are good pieces of experience that, along with her time campaigning, should help her hit the ground running at least fairly fast.

The CU annual budget of nearly $7 billion is not as big as the State of Colorado’s budget, but Hooton has the experience of voting on a state budget that was about $40 billion for FY 2022-23, Hooton’s last year in office. All legislators need to be in touch with the budget process to be sure key needs can be met in Colorado.

Part of the reason I’m endorsing Hooton here is because the political balance of the Board of Regents matters. Also, since CU-Boulder is a major part of the 2nd Congressional District, the performance of CU really matters as part of the economy and social fabric in Boulder, nearby areas, and the entire state to some extent.

It has not been that long since Republicans had a slim majority, and during this time they were able to elect a new CU President, the conservative Michael Kennedy, who was not popular in Boulder and didn’t last long at the helm. The former at-large Regent Heidi Ganahl used some of her time to work toward protecting right-wing speech on campus. During the time of the Republican majority, John Eastman, an attorney and then-architect of efforts to overturn the 2020 election, became the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy for CU. If you’re a centrist or left-of-center, you don’t want a repeat of the years of GOP majority control, and frankly, given the state of the nation, the thought of GOP control over an institution of higher education might be more frightening in 2026 than it was just a few years ago.

I can’t say I know Marty Neilson well, but I interviewed her fairly often when she was chair of the Boulder County Republicans and I was a full-time working journalist. We probably didn’t agree on much politically, but she always returned my calls and I believe she tried to answer my questions respectfully and honestly. It’s not easy for Republicans to get elected in Boulder County, but she has experience in being a candidate, working with other candidates, and keeping in touch with political issues.

Neilson’s experience in finance would clearly be an attribute to the Board of Regents. The economic situations facing higher ed right now seem to point toward a need for number-crunching and tough choices.

The debate between saving and spending money is almost always present in politics. It’s a fair opinion to suggest a university that wants to charge money for tuition might want to spend or invest, at high levels if possible, to make sure it has top-notch facilities, faculty and staff, security, and other things that make for a high-quality university experience. But Neilson is a former president and is the current assistant treasurer for Colorado Union of Taxpayers (acronym CUT), so readers may guess where Neilson might come down if spending cuts are on the table.

Despite having worked for Hooton, I recognize that a couple things happened over the past few years that might give some voters pause. She did drop out of the 2022 House race after the primary election, and there’s no doubt in my mind that many voters would have preferred having a primary election open to most HD-10 voters, as opposed to a small-batch Democratic Party vacancy committee in which 34 votes basically gave the winner a full term in office and then the benefit of incumbency. Still, I do believe a person has the right to quit a job if that’s what they want to do, but I heard this issue come up during the 2026 assembly and primary process, and I know some locals remain disappointed.

Also, during the 2026 primary process, Hooton’s campaign manager posted on Reddit some information about fellow candidate Kubs Lalchandani under a fake personal description – not just using an anonymous Reddit handle but also including a statement saying she was a displeased CU parent when she very clearly was not. I don’t know how this all happened, but I firmly believe this episode was like an “own goal” in soccer terms because it led to bad press for the campaign, plus the spectacle overshadowed any potentially relevant information the Reddit post might have made about Hooton’s opponent.

However, having worked for Hooton, I also remember her six years of work in the House with positive memories. She fought for the disadvantaged when she really didn’t have to. She was a long-time member of the House Transportation and Energy Committee who made countless votes to support strong environmental bills. She has worked with and continues to support local political organizations and candidates. She knows how to legislate and how to negotiate, and I’ve seen first-hand the type of inclusive stakeholding she did on bills or issues with people of competing interests. With the totality of her very lengthy record considered against a few things that not everybody will understand or appreciate, it’s easy for me to endorse Edie Hooton for Regent.