United States Sen. Michael Bennet, a third-term Democrat, announced his bid to be Colorado’s next governor on Friday, April 11, before a crowd of supporters in downtown Denver. 

“I am running for governor because I believe we can build a future that’s focused on the well-being of all of us, not just the few,” Bennet said. 

Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, is term-limited and can’t run after 2026. Colorado’s deep-blue electorate hasn’t elected a Republican governor since Bill Owens in 2002. Polis won the election in 2018 by more than 10 percentage points and re-election in 2022 by nearly 20 percentage points. 

Bennet said his campaign would focus on making Colorado more affordable, improving funding for K-12 education and expanding economic opportunity. He also signaled he would use his role as the state’s chief executive to stand against President Donald Trump’s agenda, saying he is committed to “driving a stake through Trumpism.” 

The comments represent a more aggressive stance than Polis, who has sought to find middle ground with Trump on some issues while still critiquing some of his social and economic policies. 

Bennet positioned his campaign priorities as a key way to fight the Trump administration from his home state. 

“When a teacher can’t afford to buy a house in the Roaring Fork Valley or anywhere on the Western Slope and has to commute two hours to go to work, when a mental health worker can’t find themselves decent health care,” Bennet said, “that’s when some people feel like their only choice is to vote for chaos. But our solutions for the future will not come from President Trump’s chaos or from Washington’s broken politics.” 

Bennet was first appointed to the Senate in 2009 by former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter. He won election in 2010 in a tight race against Republican Ken Buck, winning by less than 2 percentage points. He went on to secure re-election in 2016 by less than 6 percentage points and in 2022 by more than 14 percentage points, an indication of Colorado’s leftward trend. Before serving in the Senate, Bennet led the Denver Public Schools system as its superintendent. 

Because Bennet’s Senate term doesn’t end until early 2029, Colorado’s governor would need to appoint a replacement if Bennet wins.

While Bennet could vacate his Senate seat following the November 2026 election to allow Gov. Jared Polis to make the appointment, he pledged to keep his seat until becoming governor to handpick his successor himself.  

Bennet’s announcement comes after the state’s attorney general, Phil Weiser, launched his run for governor at the beginning of the year, the first major Democrat to jump into the race. The two are now headed for a showdown in the June 2026 primary. 

Several state Republicans are also vying for governor, including Rep. Scott Bottoms, Sen. Mark Baisley and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. 

High-ranking Colorado Democrats were quick to endorse Bennet’s campaign, including U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, along with Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie. 

“From advocating for our farmers and ranchers to protecting our public lands and water, Michael has been a strong voice for the interests and values of Coloradans on the Western Slope,” McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, said in a statement. 

Bennet touted legislative achievements that include passing the Affordable Care Act in 2009, temporarily expanding the child tax credit during the COVID-19 pandemic — which experts say led to a brief but dramatic reduction in child poverty — and advancing $550 billion in new infrastructure investments under a major 2021 infrastructure law. 

He has also long championed efforts to pass new federal lands protections in Colorado, introducing a sweeping Senate bill last fall to safeguard over 700,000 acres on the Western Slope, a measure 10 years in the making. 

Public lands bills have largely stalled in the Senate, though Bennet and other lawmakers did succeed in pushing through another package to boost the outdoor recreation economy in the final weeks of President Joe Biden’s term. 

Bennet has, however, come under criticism from environmentalists for his support of several of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. That includes voting to confirm Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, a Denver-based fracking industry executive. 

Bennet has also taken heat during recent town halls, where constituents have called on him and other Democrats in Congress to do more to counter the Trump administration. Several people were removed by police from a town hall in Golden last month after heckling Bennet for not doing enough to fight climate change and for his role in supporting Trump officials. 

In a swipe at Bennet’s support of some of Trump’s nominees, Weiser said in a statement, “We must protect Colorado and oppose Trump’s illegal actions, not appease him.”

“Two years ago, the voters sent Sen. Bennet back to D.C. because we believed he would be there for us no matter what – especially in historically dangerous moments like the one we currently face,” Weiser said. “Now more than ever, we need experienced Democratic leaders in Washington.”

Weiser, who has emerged as a leading figure nationally in battling the Trump administration in the courts, called himself “the fighter Colorado needs as our next governor.”

Speaking with reporters, Bennet called Weiser “a great attorney general and a great public servant,” before adding, “I have a fairly unique set of experiences.” 

“I’ve had the chance to work at every level of government and in business as well,” Bennet said. “I am quite confident that there is nobody who has spent more time traveling our state and meeting with people in their living rooms, their small businesses, their county commission offices than I have.” 

Still, Bennet declined to say what he would do differently from Polis, saying, “I actually think he’s done a great job, I think, in basically all respects.”

Bennet said he would advance the priorities of state Democrats to build more affordable housing and modernize the state’s funding model for K-12 education. Colorado consistently ranks near the bottom of states for per-pupil education spending. 

Bennet dodged a question about overhauling the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, a 1992 voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that has severely limited government revenue. Statehouse Democrats are currently pursuing a lawsuit to try and overturn TABOR, which they say is the driving cause of their current budget crisis and the reason behind chronic underfunding for education and other priority programs. 

“I think we’re going to have to have a discussion about how we fund public services in this state,” Bennet said.