They both took office nearly four years ago. Not all that much separates them in terms of basic ideology, both coming from the center-left, the sweet spot for an aspiring Democrat in this blue-leaning state. Holding positions lower on the ballot, their political fates are almost certainly tied together.

Yet, by dint of character and personality, Phil Weiser and Jena Griswold represent the two extremes of public service among Colorado’s high-ranking, statewide elected officials.

The bell curve applies to politics as well. Even in an era of grade inflation, not everyone is a top performer. The ranks of government, shockingly, hold a good share of lesser lights for whom ambition and the attractions of the limelight outweigh core capacity.

Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general, represents the upward side of that curve. He tops the class. At the other end of the curve is Colorado Secretary of State Griswold.

Before dissecting this talent gap, let’s make note of their political linkage.

Along with State Treasurer Dave Young, the walking embodiment of an innocuous placeholder, Weiser and Griswold hold what are known in the biz as “down-ballot” offices.

Through many election cycles, these lower-tier races have been essentially proxies for which party is ascendant and which is faltering. Over a meal long ago, I recall telling former Treasurer Cary Kennedy that she hadn’t won in 2006 because of some special genius and hadn’t lost four years later because she’d made a hash of the office.

Rather, Kennedy was victorious in a year friendly to Democrats and came up short in a year when the wind shifted. There was little more to it than that. The same in inverse was true for former Republican Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

Barring something unforeseen, Weiser and Griswold will rise or fall together come November. Their relative merits are almost incidental. Were it only otherwise.

Weiser has brought both rigor and soul to Colorado’s chief legal office. His accomplishments are many. As part of a multi-state lawsuit, he recovered over $500 million for Colorado from merchants of death among opioid manufacturers. He was a leading advocate for the red flag law to keep firearms away from those at extreme risk. He has pushed for more resources and improved training for peace officers.

In some instances, a combination of legal duties and good judgment led him away from doctrinaire Democratic positions. In Kerr v. Hickenlooper, Weiser successfully defended the 30-year-old Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) against the claim that it impinged on legislative jurisdiction and a republican form of government.

To the chagrin of a good number of Democrats, Weiser argued during this past session in favor of restoring felony penalties for fentanyl possession.

In 2020, the Colorado Civil Justice League, hardly a Democratic-leaning group as the counterpoint to the influence of trial lawyers, gave Weiser a Common Sense Award for working to find a sensible balance between the interests of consumers and business.

What distinguishes Weiser is that he is a lawyer first; and one with a strong sense of principle. Politics is far down the list of his motivations.

Which brings us to his polar opposite, Jena Griswold. Griswold wears her consuming political ambition on her forehead. It permeates the nonstop press releases coming out of an office that historically, with the exception of Republican Scott Gessler, has been mostly administrative and low on politics.

(A disclosure: Having written a column earlier this year critical of Griswold, I accepted an invitation last month to an event in Grand County in order to hear from her directly. Her operatives were less than pleased to see me there. Ultimately, I was told this was a “closed event” for donors only and asked to leave. In other words, ejected. Though I was ever so graciously encouraged to take my finger sandwich with me. Griswold called later that evening to apologize for what she labeled, “a misunderstanding.”)

Were politics not her be-all, end-all, Coloradans would not have been treated in 2020 and 2022 to $4.3 million of taxpayer-funded TV and digital ads with the not so thinly veiled purpose of promoting, you guessed it, Jena Griswold.

Her reelection campaign has been marked by hyperbole especially dangerous in today’s setting. She runs against “the big lie” and pretends her opponent is Tina Peters even after Colorado Republicans decisively rejected both. And even though Peters was always closer to a jail cell than a Capitol office.

Griswold’s inflated comment to the Guardian newspaper that “The U.S. could lose the right to vote within months” did not exactly serve the cause of reasoned discourse.

Indeed, election deniers have won the GOP nomination for this office in some other states. If Griswold was the Democratic candidate in Arizona or Nevada or Michigan, sensible voters would have no real alternative. Fortunately, that is not Colorado’s predicament.

Asked for a response to these criticisms, Griswold’s campaign responded with the usual boilerplate. There is no doubt that she was forced to take some tough steps, including the removal of Peters from any supervisory role in Mesa County and addressing a security breach in Elbert County. Credit to her for that.

Still, her preoccupation with high-volume politics has tarnished her credibility and forfeited any claim to bipartisanship.

The expanse between Weiser and Griswold is also evident in the loyalty each incurs. Weiser engenders passionate commitment. In annual reviews with key staff, he has been known to ask very un-boss-like questions. Such as, “How can I do better?” And, “How can I help you progress in your career?”

While Griswold’s office has been marked by its friction and high turnover.

Also telling are major endorsements announced in recent weeks. On Weiser’s side, his Republican predecessor Cynthia Coffman crossed party lines to support his reelection. While a number of those who have worked most closely with Griswold, including eight current or former Democratic county clerks – those in Boulder County and Denver among them, are lining up behind her Republican opponent.

Party-line voters in their blind zeal will check boxes for or against Weiser and Griswold in tandem. Those more discerning might elect to pick and choose.