3 candidates are tracked for Colorado House District 8 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Carolyn Barnes, Lindsay Gilchrist and Jesse Lashawn Parris. Candidate information follows official Denver County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Carolyn Barnes (Republican), Lindsay Gilchrist (Democratic), Jesse Lashawn Parris (Unity Party) are on the November 3 ballot for Colorado House District 8; Lindsay Gilchrist is the sitting member, per the General Assembly roster (leg.colorado.gov). Major-party nominees were chosen at the June 30 primary; minor-party nominees by assembly or petition and unaffiliated candidates by petition. The field is the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
State legislator. State legislators write and vote on state laws and the state budget, which fund schools, roads, prisons, universities and health programs, and set the rules for local governments and elections. Each member represents one district and serves on committees that shape bills before a floor vote. Terms are two years in most state houses and four in most state senates.
This race. Elected by district: only voters who live in the district see this race on their ballot. The sitting officeholder, Lindsay Gilchrist, is on the ballot.
Colorado › Denver County › Colorado House District 8
Republican
Carolyn Barnes is the Republican candidate for Colorado House District 8, per the Denver County Republican Party's 2026 slate. No campaign site or attributable press coverage describing her background or priorities was found as of this research pass. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Democratic Incumbent
Per the campaign site.
Gilchrist is the incumbent state representative for House District 8, per the campaign site. She holds a master's degree in public policy from UCLA and previously worked in Senator Ted Kennedy's office and on the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, per the campaign site. She later served as senior advocacy officer at the international health organization mothers2mothers and founded a policy consulting firm, Gilchrist and Company, in 2012, per the campaign site.
Unity Party
Per the campaign site.
Jesse Lashawn Parris is a Northeast Denver resident of more than 20 years and a third-generation Denverite who has previously run for Denver mayor and at-large city council, per his campaign site. He is running as the Unity Party candidate for Colorado House District 8, describing over a decade of public advocacy and community service work, per his campaign site.
Who is running for Colorado House District 8 in 2026?
3 candidates are tracked for Colorado House District 8 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Carolyn Barnes, Lindsay Gilchrist and Jesse Lashawn Parris. Candidate information follows official Denver County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
When is the Colorado House District 8 election in Colorado?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Colorado are on the Colorado election hub at theballotbrief.com.
How do I see my exact Denver County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.
Candidate roster from official Denver County and state election office filings. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Colorado election office, or see the full Denver County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.
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