Michael Bennet launches campaign for Colorado governor – Washington Examiner

Hailey BullisApril 11, 2025

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Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) has officially launched his campaign for governor of Colorado, aiming to succeed the term-limited governor Jared Polis in the 2026 election. Bennet’s announcement was made through a video where he highlighted his Senate achievements, including expanding the child tax credit and advocating for public lands protection. He criticized former President Donald Trump’s impact on the economy and democracy and emphasized the rising cost of living in Colorado.

Bennet’s entry into the race positions him against Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, who announced his candidacy earlier this year. With a strong background in education and experience in the Senate since 2009, Bennet is currently viewed as the frontrunner, having secured endorsements from notable Colorado Democrats. The 2026 gubernatorial race occurs in a state that has maintained a Democratic majority,further bolstering his chances.

Bennet’s campaign focuses on creating more opportunities for Coloradans and addressing challenges such as housing affordability, healthcare access, and struggling schools. he believes solutions to these problems will emerge more effectively from state leadership then washington politics.As he navigates this gubernatorial race, bennet plans to retain his Senate seat until its term concludes in 2028.

Michael Bennet launches bid for Colorado governor to succeed term-limited Jared Polis

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) will run for governor of Colorado and attempt to keep the state under Democratic control after the term-limited Gov. Jared Polis steps down.

The state’s senior senator announced his entrance into Colorado’s 2026 gubernatorial race in a video on Friday. Polis, who has led the state since 2019, is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

Bennet’s campaign launch sets up a faceoff between him and Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, who announced his campaign earlier this year. Bennet, the former Denver Public Schools superintendent, was first elected to the Senate in 2009 and ran for president in 2020.

Colorado, I’m running for Governor.

From expanding the Child Tax Credit to securing $7B for Colorado’s infrastructure, we’ve made real progress together. Now, it’s time to keep building a future in Colorado that works for all of us. pic.twitter.com/0svUo4FzYd

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Trump makes gold great again

— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) April 11, 2025

In his campaign launch video, Bennet said that in the Senate, he has worked to “provide more opportunity to Coloradans, leading the battle to expand the child tax credit, limit the cost of prescription drugs, and protect our public lands.”

“But Donald Trump doesn’t believe in building opportunity. He believes in taking a wrecking ball to our economy and our democracy,” Bennet said. “Meanwhile, it’s getting harder to live in Colorado. Housing, groceries, and child care cost too much. Healthcare and mental healthcare aren’t available to everyone, and our schools and small businesses are struggling. Our best solutions to these challenges will not come from the broken politics practiced in Washington. They will come from us, and that’s why I’m running for governor in Colorado.”

Bennet expressed a similar sentiment during an interview with Politico magazine published last month, where he teased his run for governor, saying that the “central fight is whether or not we can create an economy where people feel like when they work hard they get ahead.”

He continued, “And I think the answer to that over the next decade is as likely to come from the states as it is from Washington.”

The Colorado Democrat is the frontrunner in the race, having launched his campaign with the endorsements of Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO), Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO), and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, as well as several other state officials.

Bennet, whose Senate term does not end until 2028, is expected to retain his seat in the upper chamber while he runs. But his intent to leave Congress comes after a string of Senate Democrats also announced their intent to leave Washington, including Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tina Smith (D-MN).

Colorado has a Democratic trifecta in its governor’s mansion and state legislature. The state has not elected a Republican governor since 2002, meaning the Democratic nominee has a strong possibility of being elected.

In the 2024 cycle, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the blue state by 9 percentage points, with Polis winning his second term in 2022 by 19 points. Bennet secured a third term in the Senate in 2022 as well, winning by 15 points against his Republican challenger, Joe O’Dea.

Bennet’s chief Democratic opponent for the 2026 governor’s race, Weiser, is among the attorneys general who have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for its changes to federal elections and cuts to the federal government. On the Republican side, the state GOP appears to expect a crowded primary field, including two state legislators: Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley and state Rep. Scott Bottoms.

Bennet made waves during the 2024 election after he was the first Senate Democrat to state publicly he did not believe then-President Joe Biden could win the presidential election.

“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House,” Bennet said in July 2024. “So, for me, this isn’t a question about polling, it’s not a question of politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country, and I think it’s critically important for us to come to grips with what we face if, together, we put this country on the path of electing Donald Trump again.”

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More recently, Bennet split from Senate Democrats alongside fellow Coloradan Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) in choosing to support Trump’s nomination of Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Hickenlooper, 73, has announced his intent to run for reelection, a boon for Democrats as they look to regain control of the House and Senate in 2026.