Dem Senator’s Governor Bid Collapses In Embarrassing Defeat

A longtime Democrat senator’s bid to become governor of Colorado ended on Tuesday in another embarrassing defeat for the Democratic establishment. 

Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser upset Senator Michael Bennet to earn the Democratic nomination to replace outgoing Governor Jared Polis. With about 90% of the vote in by Wednesday morning, Weiser had 56% to Bennet’s 44%.

“We did it! Thank you to all who believed in this movement, donated, knocked on doors, hosted events, & voted! Tonight it’s clear the future of CO doesn’t belong to out-of-state billionaires or corporations; it belongs to us. I promise to be a Governor for all of us,” Weiser’s campaign posted on X. “Thank you!”

Bennet, who has been in the Senate since 2009, had the backing of Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper and three of the state’s congressional representatives. He also had a significant financial edge over Weiser. 

Both candidates made attacking President Donald Trump a focal point of their campaigns. In his concession speech, Bennet continued to attack Trump. 

“Donald Trump has made matters so much worse. He is trying to convince Americans to hate each other just to serve his own selfish purposes,” he said. “Donald Trump, as I’ve said during the course of the campaign, is the worst president in American history.”

Weiser, who sued the Trump administration over 60 times during his time as state attorney general, says on his campaign page that he will “defend reproductive rights,” ensure “access to gender-affirming care,” and combat climate change. 

The Democrat is expected to win in November as Colorado has not elected a Republican governor in decades. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also defeated Trump in the state by over 10 points in 2024. 

Colorado’s primaries also featured an upset with far-Left Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeating longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) for the nomination in Colorado’s 1st congressional district. Kiros ran on a platform of abolishing ICE, jacking up corporate tax rates, and transitioning away from traditional policing. 

Hickenlooper, Bennet’s fellow Democrat senator, also performed poorly, but managed to fend off a leftist challenger by just 10 points.

The Colorado results come just one week after a number of Democratic socialists won in New York despite opposition from more traditional Democrats, causing panic in the party.