Tag Archives: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet

Colorado Primary Results:
Sen. Bennet & Rep. DeGette Lose

By Jim Ellis — Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Colorado

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D)

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) / Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr

What once appeared as a virtual sure bet for Sen. Michael Bennet to be elected Governor turned to defeat last night, and the result wasn’t close; and with pre-election polling trends running against 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver), she too became another incumbent loss statistic.

Sen. Bennet will continue in his present position. Because his seat was not in-cycle this year – it next comes before the voters in 2028 – the loss does not cost the Senator his political career. His 2028 situation, should he choose to seek re-election as Senator, would certainly make him more vulnerable in a new Democratic primary, however.

The Governor’s race should not be considered a Democratic Socialist win. While Attorney General Phil Weiser, who beat Sen. Bennet 56-44 percent, is certainly on the ideological left, he did not campaign as a socialist. Rather, he won this campaign by simply being the better candidate and very likely outworking Sen. Bennet, who still had to spend considerable campaign time in Washington doing his present job.

Weiser, who won two statewide races as Attorney General but was term-limited in 2026, has a compelling story in that his mother was born in a concentration camp during WWII because his grandmother was being held as a prisoner of the Nazi regime. Furthermore, with a political party moving closer toward the Palestinian coalition and away from Israel, Weiser highlighted his Jewish heritage and still won going away. Therefore, this incumbent defeat is not like most of the others we’ve seen this year but is another indication that perceived establishment candidates are doing poorly.

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver)

In Denver’s 1st Congressional District, Rep. DeGette suffered a 51-42 percent defeat at the hands of 29-year-old Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros. Polling showed DeGette trailing, and she qualified for the ballot by only eight delegate votes at the 1st District nominating convention. Each clue revealed Rep. DeGette’s weakness in campaigning for renomination. Conversely, at the district nominating convention, Kiros attracted almost 70 percent of the delegate votes.

There are now seven House incumbents and two Senators who have been denied renomination. Now, added to these numbers, we have a sitting multi-term Senator running in an open Governor’s race who fails to claim his party’s nomination.

Of the seven, five – now including DeGette – are Democrats. The others are Reps. Al Green (D-TX), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY). The Republicans are Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Thomas Massie (R-KY).

Democratic Socialists are responsible for three of the defeats: Reps. DeGette, Goldman, and Espaillat.

Al Green attempts to blame his loss on a new redistricting map, but the overwhelming majority of the new 18th District constituency carried over from his own district, suggesting the new district boundaries were not the principal reason for his losing to recently elected Congressman Christian Menefee, 68-32 percent.

In the case of freshman Rep. Johnson, redistricting was a major factor in her losing to former Congressman Colin Allred, since her 32nd District was transformed into a Republican seat, thus forcing her to seek re-election in the newly drawn 33rd District.

On the Republican side, Rep. Crenshaw’s loss in his Harris County-anchored CD began the string of incumbent losses. Rep. Massie, likely the most well-known nationally of the defeated Representatives, lost because of his feud with President Trump; this was also the case with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Being tabbed by Trump as the most anti-Trump Republican Congressman led to Massie suffering a 55-45 percent loss in a district that he had won seven times.

Turning back to Colorado, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D) was renominated in his campaign, but with only a 55-45 percent margin against another Democratic Socialist candidate, state Sen. Julie Gonzalez (D-Denver), who he outspent by an 8:1 ratio.

In the 3rd Congressional District, freshman Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Grand Junction) scored a lopsided 67-33 percent victory over former state Rep. Ron Hanks. The general election looks to be competitive as Rep. Hurd will face Real Estate company CEO Dwayne Romero, who last night defeated venture capitalist Alex Kirloff even though the latter man had a huge spending advantage.

In what promises to be a very close 8th District general election, state Rep. Manny Rutinel (D-Commerce City) won the right to challenge freshman Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Ft. Lupton/Thornton). The Rutinel victory margin of 61-34 percent over former state Rep. Shannon Bird was much more substantial than predicted.

Bennet’s Gubernatorial Bid In Doubt

By Jim Ellis — Friday, June 19, 2026

Governor

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D)

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) / Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr

When Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) announced he would enter the open race for Governor back in April of 2025, most believed he would sail through the Democratic primary and into the Governor’s mansion with relatively little effort. As the June 30 primary approaches, however, the political landscape looks considerably different.

Once Sen. Bennet declared his gubernatorial candidacy, all but one of the major prospective Democratic contenders abandoned their ambitions – choosing instead to seek re‑election, pursue other statewide offices, or exit electoral politics altogether. The lone holdout was Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is term‑limited and therefore unable to seek a third term. He remained in the race as Sen. Bennet’s only significant primary opponent.

It is now clear that Weiser has become a serious threat. At least one recent survey has even shown him leading the primary. Two of the latest publicly released polls illustrate the tightening contest: Public Policy Polling (June 1-2; 505 likely Democratic primary voters; text and live interview) found Bennet ahead 36-30 percent, while Colorado Community Research (May 22-28; 796 likely Democratic primary voters) showed Weiser leading 41-34 percent.

Neither poll is encouraging for Bennet. Even in the PPP survey, where he holds a narrow lead, the fact that a four‑term US Senator (appointed in 2009 to replace Ken Salazar and subsequently elected in 2010, 2016, and 2022) is polling only in the 30s among his own party’s primary electorate as the early voting period begins is hardly a sign of political strength.

Several of Bennet’s strategic decisions, combined with an unexpectedly vigorous grassroots effort from Weiser, have contributed to the competitiveness of the race.

The Senator’s first questionable move was bypassing the state party’s nomination assembly. Colorado candidates can access the primary ballot in one of two ways: by securing at least 30 percent of the delegate vote at the state endorsing convention, or collecting the required number of petition signatures – 1,500 from registered party members in each of the state’s eight congressional districts. Candidates may pursue both paths simultaneously as a safeguard. Sen. Bennet chose to skip the assembly entirely and rely solely on petition signatures.

Weiser, by contrast, attended the assembly and surpassed the 30 percent threshold, earning his ballot line. Sen. Bennet’s decision raised eyebrows, suggesting either a lack of confidence in his ability to win over party delegates or a desire to avoid the rigors of the convention process altogether.

A second misstep came when Bennet stated that, if elected Governor, he intended to remain in the Senate long enough to choose his own successor rather than resign immediately and allow outgoing Gov. Jared Polis (D) to make the appointment. Critics quickly seized on the remark, accusing Bennet of attempting to consolidate too much power.

Meanwhile, Weiser’s campaign has been more aggressive and effective than many anticipated. In his campaign appearances around the state, he has criticized Bennet – and DC Democrats more broadly – for not applying sufficient pressure on President Trump. He contrasts this with his own record, highlighting the 65 lawsuits he has filed or enjoined against the Trump Administration.

There is little doubt that the winner of the June 30 Democratic primary will be strongly positioned to become Colorado’s next Governor, given the state’s continued leftward shift. Sen. Bennet may ultimately secure the gubernatorial nomination, but if he does, the victory will likely be viewed as far less impressive than many expected when he first announced his return to state politics in early 2025.

Moreover, federal incumbents seeking different offices in the 2026 cycle have not fared well in either party. Base party primary voters have shown frustration with Washington, rejecting several sitting members of Congress in their bids for Senate seats or gubernatorial positions. Sen. Bennet’s status as a long‑time federal officeholder may be yet another factor weighing down his current campaign.