U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., announced a gubernatorial bid on Friday, becoming the second Democrat to jump into the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis.
Phil Weiser, Colorado‘s Democratic attorney general, has already announced a bid. Weiser has emerged as a high-profile opponent of the Trump administration, joining with other state attorneys general to file lawsuits over a series of policies and executive orders.
But Bennet, a former Denver Public Schools superintendent, immediately becomes the defacto front-runner in blue-leaning Colorado’s gubernatorial contest.
“From expanding the Child Tax Credit to securing $7B for Colorado’s infrastructure, we’ve made real progress together,” Bennet said on X. “Now, it’s time to keep building a future in Colorado that works for all of us.”
Bennet has served in the Senate more than 16 years.
The lawmaker won re-election in 2022, so if elected governor next year, he would vacate his Senate seat before the end of his current six-year term.
Colorado was once a key general election battleground state, but it hasn’t elected a Republican as governor since 2002.
Bennet in 2019 launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He ran as a moderate candidate, and his campaign failed to catch fire. After failing to qualify for most of the primary debates, he dropped out of the race.
His announcement on Friday makes Bennet the latest Senate Democrat planning to move on from Congress at the end of next year.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Tina Smith of Minnesota announced earlier this year that they wouldn’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms
Bennet was quickly endorsed by fellow Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a former two-term governor.
“Michael will build on this work to shield Colorado from Trump’s corruption, create economic opportunity for every Coloradan and protect the environment,” Sen. Hickenlooper said. “I think Michael has the potential to be a truly great governor- I wholeheartedly endorse his campaign.”
Bennet served as Hickenlooper’s chief of staff during Hickenlooper’s tenure as Denver mayor.
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Weiser released a statement following Bennet’s news, highlighting his commitment to Colorado and emphasizing the need for keeping the state’s experienced leaders in Washington.
“Two years ago, the voters sent Senator Bennet back to DC because we believed he would be there for us no matter what – especially in historically dangerous moments like the one we currently face. Now more than ever, we need experienced Democratic leaders in Washington,” Weiser argued.
