Colorado’s senior senator, Michael Bennet, is seeking a new job.
Under a beautiful blue sky at City Park in Denver, Bennet officially kicked off his campaign for governor. He was there with his wife, Susan, and one of their three daughters, as well as a who’s-who of political supporters.
Talking to the crowd, Bennet said Coloradans are worried about the cost of living, the state of democracy, and achieving the American dream.
“The best solutions to our challenges will come from us. They will come from Colorado. I am running for governor because I believe we can build a future that’s focused on the wellbeing of all of us, not just the few,” Bennet said.
Bennet has served in the U.S. Senate since 2009, winning three terms. He narrowly won his 2010 and 2016 races, before winning again in 2022 by double digits. Before that, he was superintendent of Denver Public Schools, an experience he has talked about often while pushing for legislation in the Senate.
When asked why he wants to take his fight from the U.S. Senate to the State House, Bennet said, “I believe that being a governor will allow me not just to continue to lead that fight against Trump, but also help us build a positive vision for the future.”
In recent years, he’s talked about his frustrations with how the Senate and Congress operate — or don’t. And with Democrats in the minority in that chamber for at least the next few years, there are limits to what Bennet can do.
With Gov. Jared Polis term limited, the state’s top political job, a plum post, will be open for the first time in eight years.
While speculation has raged over which high-profile Democrats might seek the seat, Bennet is only the second to make it official.
Attorney General Phil Weiser launched his campaign at the start of the new year. As of early April, he has raised almost $2 million and has several dozen endorsements from local leaders, as well as former Gov. Roy Romer, who is Weiser’s honorary campaign chair.
As talk began to mount Thursday about Bennet’s entrance into the race, Weiser indicated he’d continue on with his campaign.
“I have served Colorado as the People’s Lawyer, working directly with people in every county of every background to solve difficult challenges. That’s just what a governor does. I am prepared for this job and will continue to build a better future for us all,” Weiser said in a statement. He also said Washington needs experienced Democratic leaders.
Former Senator and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who is reportedly also considering entering the race, put out a statement Friday morning praising both Bennet and Weiser while also pointing out he previously held both their current jobs.
“Colorado Democrats will choose their nominee for Governor in June 2026, and more candidates may still emerge before then,” he said in a written statement from his home in the San Luis Valley. “Whoever ultimately earns that nomination must be ready to represent every corner of our state — especially our rural communities — by delivering practical, innovative solutions to the real challenges we face together.”
Bennet surprised many when he started seriously contemplating a run in late February. When Magellan Strategies polled likely Democratic primary voters last December they didn’t include Bennet on a list of possible candidates.
The primary election is still more than a year away.
Bennet’s announcement shakes up not only the governor’s race but also starts the behind-the-scenes jockeying over who will replace him in the Senate.
Bennet said he will stay in his current job while he campaigns for governor.
And if he wins, “I will appoint my replacement,” he told reporters.
Colorado has a deep Democratic bench, and many Democrats will now likely be eyeing the seat, including some of the state’s House members.
Several names would likely be in the mix, including current Democratic Reps. Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Brittany Pettersen. Both Crow and Neguse stood behind Bennet at the announcement and promptly endorsed him for governor.
“There is no one we trust more to lead Colorado and build a brighter future for families like ours —and all families across our state — than Michael Bennet,” Neguse said in a statement.
“Senator Bennet is a proven leader and champion for Colorado who is working to lower costs, fight climate change, and hold President Trump accountable,” said Crow in a statement. “Michael Bennet has been a fierce fighter for Colorado and is exactly the type of servant leader our state needs right now.”
Neguse is currently a member of Democratic House Leadership, holding the title of Assistant Minority Leader, while Crow, who flipped a long-held Republican seat in 2018, has been tapped to lead candidate recruitment for 2026. Pettersen has also grabbed national attention recently with her fight to get proxy voting for new parents.
Bennet himself arrived in the Senate as a vacancy appointment, chosen to fill the rest of Salazar’s term in the Senate in 2009.
Since hitting the chamber, he’s been a formidable fundraiser, netting more than $20 million for his last Senate run. He’ll need to use those ties to secure support for his gubernatorial race. His federal campaign committee had less than $500,000 cash on hand at the end of last year, but state campaign finance laws prohibit transferring those funds to his state campaign war chest.
In the Senate Bennet has championed expanding the Child Tax Credit, something Congress agreed to temporarily during the pandemic but then allowed to lapse. He was also involved in Obama-era attempts at immigration reform, including sponsoring versions of the DREAM Act and helping develop the Gang of Eight’s bipartisan immigration bill in 2013, which passed the Senate but stalled in the Republican-controlled House. He also advocated for creating a universal public healthcare option through the expansion of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.
Bennet has also used his perch on the Senate Agriculture committee to advocate for communities struggling with the western drought and to pass two bipartisan farm bills, even as the most recent farm bill has been delayed by two years. And he’s worked with the delegation to secure federal funds to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit and to keep Space Command headquarters in Colorado Springs.
In 2019, Bennet attempted a long-shot bid for another executive office: the U.S. presidency. He made it to the New Hampshire primary before dropping out of the race after getting less than 1000 votes.
Prior to serving in elected office, Bennet, a Yale-educated lawyer, was the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, an experience he has mentioned often while in office as cementing his commitment to policies like the Child Tax Credit. Bennet also worked as Sen. John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff when Hickenlooper was mayor and as a managing director of the Anschutz Investment Company.
While the Democratic field is still sparse, it’s a different story in the Republican primary race.
Ten candidates have filed the paperwork to run, including state Sen. Mark Baisley of Woodland Park, state Rep. Scott Bottoms of Colorado Springs, and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, who ran for Congress in 2022, has also expressed interest in the office, while former Rep. Gre Lopez and state Sen. Paul Lundeen are also often mentioned as potential candidates.
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