Colorado general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for 23rd Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln) District Court, Retention: Judge Daniel W. Warhola in 2026?

Here are the candidates for 23rd Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln) District Court, Retention: Judge Daniel W. Warhola on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in 23rd Judicial District.

This is a retention vote: voters decide yes or no on keeping this judge for another term. Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.

Daniel W. Warhola

· Incumbent

District Court Judge, 23rd Judicial District (Twenty-Third Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties), District Court)

Daniel W. Warhola is the sitting District Court Judge, 23rd Judicial District, standing for a retention vote on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. District Court Judge since August 2024; moved from a domestic relations docket to a full-time criminal docket in October 2025². The commission found the judge meets performance standards²⁴.

District Court Judge since August 2024; moved from a domestic relations docket to a full-time criminal docket in October 2025²
Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Colorado, 2022 to 2024; Deputy and Senior Deputy District Attorney, 18th Judicial District, 2014 to 2022; Deputy District Attorney, 17th Judicial District, 2013 to 2014²
B.S.B.A., University of Richmond; J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law²
Colorado judges are first appointed by the governor to a provisional term and then stand for retention³. Daniel W. Warhola was appointed to the District Court in August 2024². This is a retention election: voters decide yes or no on keeping the sitting judge, and no opponent is on the ballot¹.
Bar poll: Colorado Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, 2026 evaluation: the page prints "Recommendation: Meets Performance Standards" and states: "The Twenty-Third Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance finds by a vote of 6-0, with one commissioner recusing themselves, one commissioner absent, and two commission vacancies, that Judge Daniel W. Warhola MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS."²⁴. This is an official state commission evaluation of the judge's performance, not an endorsement.
Public discipline: Searched on 2026-10-08: the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline's public Determination Database (17 public determinations, 1984 to 2025, all four result pages viewed), its list of public court filings (Matters of Grattan, MacLaren and Murphy) and the public discipline section of its 2025 Annual Report; none names this judge. Not checked: discipline short of a public proceeding, which is confidential and not listed by name, and Colorado Supreme Court attorney regulation records.⁵

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.