A year from now, Gov. Jared Polis will wrap up eight years as the state’s chief executive officer and go back to private life. When Polis took office in January 2019, no one could have predicted what was to come. “I don’t think when I was elected I imagined any of those curveballs,” s uch as COVID, wildfires and a “very hostile” federal administration, the governor said, reflecting on what he has done and remains to do in his final year as the state’s 43rd governor. “I knew there’d be fires” — he said — but not the three largest ones in state history. Gov. Jared Polis stands inside the Governor’s Office at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) President Donald Trump had been in office for nearly two years when Polis took office in 2019 and the Republican is once again America’s president in the governor’s final year. That was a much less adversarial period, he said. There is no love lost between Colorado and Trump. The president has criticized the state’s mail-in voting system, questioned its immigration policies, and most recently attacked state leaders — including Polis — for refusing to negotiate the release of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters from state prison, a dispute that has further escalated tensions between Colorado and the White House. That’s not to mention the legal attempt to kick the president off the ballot in 2024. The attempt originated in Colorado and went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Had that lawsuit succeeded, it would have heralded the end of his campaign to come back to the White House. Colorado Democrats have not been cooperative since Trump took office. They have consistently criticized the Trump administration through social media, media appearances and town halls, and they have at times called for defiance of presidential orders, such as when U.S. Rep. Jason Crow told military and intelligence personnel to disobey orders that they allege are “unlawful” and “unconstitutional.” Lawsuits have flown back forth between the White House and Colorado over funding and policy changes. The governor’s 2026 agenda The governor has his share of supporters, who have pointed to his accomplishments in the areas of preschool and kindergarten, health care and energy. He also has his share of critics, who said he has presided over the explosion of business regulations that are driving up costs, stalling investment and pushing companies to look elsewhere in the country. Turning to 2026, Polis’ agenda continues to focus on much of the same path he has pursued for the past seven years — notably, housing and education. This year, as he seeks to create more affordable housing options, legislation on “lot-splitting” is expected. When someone adds an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADU or “granny flat,” to a property, the home must be served by the property’s infrastructure, including electricity, water, and sewer lines. The legislation envisioned for the 2026 session, which starts on Wednesday, Jan. 14, would allow a lot owner to “split” the lot to sell the ADU, the lot, and the entire property. That’s instead of — or after — the ADU has been used as a rental unit, enabling more homeownership. Colorado Gov. Jered Polis holds his terrier, Gia, while listening to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speak Saturday, July 26, 2025, during the National Governors Association Summer Meeting at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.(The Gazette, Christian Murdock) Polis envisions these as starter homes for young families who can later move up to larger properties. The other major housing policy piece is what Polis and Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, refer to as the “HOME Act.” Announced last month, the policy intends to remove barriers to new homes near transit and local businesses. It’s a follow-up to last year’s “Yes in God’s Backyard” bill, which would have allowed churches and schools to construct housing on their property. House Bill 25-1169 died in the state Senate in the final days of the 2025 session. The HOME Act would allow schools, community organizations and local governments to build affordable housing on underutilized lands. Energy is also expected to be a big topic in 2026. The state has set a goal of achieving 100% zero-emission electricity generation by 2040, though that may be adjusted in 2026 to extend the deadline to 2050. Environmental groups have cheered that goal, arguing Colorado needs to take advantage of new technologies to push for cleaner sources of energy. Critics said the transition is happening too quickly, calling it unreasonable, impractical and a burden to residents and businesses, particularly low-income families. Also at the forefront are potential changes to the state’s law on competency, a controversy tied to people released from jail after a determination that they are incompetent to stand trial. Some have gone on to re-offend after their release. “We need to make sure nobody dangerous is released on the streets,” Polis said. “Democrats and Republicans agree, and it’s common sense that if someone is dangerous and not competent to stand trial, they should absolutely not be released. They’re a danger to themselves and to others, but at the same time, we have to figure out where to put them,” the governor said. Part of that equation is the cost, he added. The funds to fix the current state law are in the budget, he noted, and he hopes this will be one of the first bills lawmakers tackle. ‘Batting about a thousand’ When asked about the “one that got away,” Polis pointed to efforts to move policies through on health care, preschool education and housing. “If we failed, we try, try again,” he said. “We’re very relentless in reducing housing costs” and getting preschool and full-day kindergarten into place. “When we have a setback, we always have a plan to come back,” and while it may take multiple years, it eventually comes with a large degree of success, he said. “We’re batting about a thousand,” the governor quipped. While 2026 is Polis’ last session, he said that doesn’t mean the next governor won’t support some of the same policies he has pursued. Twenty years from now, what does the governor think people will look back on as his legacy? Education, housing, livability and mobility, he said. “We first worked hard to end the underfunding of education,” Polis said, including paying off the state’s $1 billion debt to K-12 education, known as the budget stabilization factor. Education investment has increased by more than 50% since he became governor, he said. “Teacher salaries are up, class sizes are down,” and most importantly, learning results are up, he said. The most recent report from the Colorado Department of Education showed that students are making steady progress in English, with “slight” increases in the percentage of students meeting grade-level expectations in grades 5, 6 and 8, and more pronounced gains in grade 7. Math scores are also up, particularly in grades 4-8. SAT results for 11th-grade students also improved in reading, writing and math. However, students of color, English language learners and students with disabilities showed little progress, and some actually fell further behind, particularly in English. And for all the hand-wringing to get back to pre-pandemic attainment levels, many regard the 2019 academic performance as inadequate, noting that year’s benchmarks showed most students were falling short of state standards in English and math. Polis pointed to the launch of half-day preschool and full-day kindergarten, both funded by taxpayers. Prior to his time in office, parents had to pay for kindergarten or preschool, though very low-income families’ expenses got paid for by the state and federal government. “Now, everybody has full-day kindergarten,” he said, “and a half-day of preschool is free.” “You will see those improvements across time,” he added, noting that the first kindergarten class is now in third grade. Gov. Jared Polis and Nate Springer, president and CEO of the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, chat while taking a tour of the food bank’s warehouse on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2025. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett) Polis said he took those plans to the national level through the National Governors’ Association. The next phase, he said, deals with higher education reform, adding it will seek to elevate apprenticeships, work credit and other ways people obtain skills. That brings the education changes full circle, from preschool through career transition and readiness, he said. Polis said housing has long been ignored — to the detriment of the state, arguing Colorado had artificial constraints on housing supply. People want to live here to take advantage of jobs and enjoy Colorado’s great mountains, ski industry and other outdoor recreation. But when homes aren’t being built or the paperwork adds costly delays, it’s a problem, he said, adding that’s how the Denver metro area wound up with an average home price of $600,000. He said the legislature hasn’t engaged in discussions on land use since the 1970s. He noted that voters endorsed Proposition 123, which provides $300 million annually for affordable housing grants. He also pointed to the elimination of occupancy limits, changes to parking requirements, and a requirement that local governments permit ADUs. “That work continues to allow the market to catch up with demand,” and will make Colorado more affordable and livable, he said. While some Coloradans may be fine with long commutes, most people want to live within five to 10 minutes from their jobs, he said. “We wanted to empower more people to be able to do that,” he said. That includes improving the Regional Transportation District by identifying new funding streams. That also includes Front Range passenger and mountain rail, which have a commuting component, he said. Several things keep him up at night, according to the governor. Notably, one question is how the greater-than-usual uncertainty around the national economy would impact Colorado. While Colorado’s unemployment rate is below the national average, when the nation goes in the wrong way, including on inflation, Colorado will feel it, he said. And that means cuts to the budget. The state has a small projected Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights surplus, but even a minor economic downturn could eliminate it. Gov. Jared Polis shows pictures Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, of himself in 2025 and Gov. Stephen McNicholas in 1957 as they both posed with a jackhammer at the start of the remodeling of the governor’s office at the Colorado State Capitol. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) Polis had hoped the surplus could cover the nearly $200 million cost of the 2026 senior homestead exemption. He’s also considering the privatization of Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance and is a quasi-governmental entity. The idea of privatizing Pinnacol has been discussed for years. In his 2026 budget proposal, Polis noted that the state could gain about $400 million from the privatization of Pinnacol. He also briefly reflected on the voter-approved ballot measure that has caused so much controversy: the reintroduction of wolves, approved primarily by Front Range voters, into Western Slope counties that largely rejected the measure. “We’ve implemented’ everything the voters sent us, whether he supported them or not,” the governor said. Polis noted that voters approved several ballot measures, including Family and Medical Leave Insurance, which he wasn’t a strong supporter of, believing it should be done differently. Then there were citizen-initiated measures to spend $350 million on public safety, housing via Proposition 123, and mushrooms. Polis will give his last State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 11 a.m. ...read more read less