Anti-Trump Senator and former presidential candidate Michael Bennet suffers a humiliating defeat in the Colorado primary

The Democratic primary for Colorado governor concluded on Tuesday with a result that shakes up the state’s political landscape.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Senator Michael Bennet, dashing the latter’s hopes of leaving the Senate to move into the governor’s mansion.

Weiser’s victory immediately positions him as the favorite to succeed the current Democratic governor, Jared Polis, who cannot run again due to term limits established by law.

Weiser’s victory over Bennet—a three-term senator and former 2020 presidential candidate—represents one of the most significant and unexpected electoral upsets in this year’s party primaries.

Given the dominance that Democratic Party structures have exerted in recent state elections, the winner of this nomination has a clear institutional advantage heading into the general election in November.

As an immediate consequence, Bennet is expected to retain his seat in Washington, thereby averting the political battle that would have ensued to fill his Senate vacancy had he won the governorship.

The traditional Democratic establishment succumbs to the progressive advance

The internal clash divided the party’s most influential figures in the state. Bennet entered the race with the overwhelming backing of the traditional Democratic establishment, boasting a list of endorsements that included more than 200 regional leaders, among them Senator John Hickenlooper, U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen, as well as major labor unions and legislative leaders.

For its part, Weiser’s campaign relied on the backing of longtime former officials and, crucially, on a network of progressive organizations on the radical left that have gained ground in the state’s internal politics.

During the debate, Bennet centered his platform on the idea that he would be a more effective enforcer from within the state executive branch in combating Donald Trump’s policies.

However, Weiser focused his narrative on his track record as attorney general, presenting himself on his official website as a champion of advancing justice and protecting citizens, from a perspective strongly aligned with left-wing judicial activism.

The outlook for the Republican opposition

While the left was embroiled in its intense internal struggle, the Republican Party primaries showed a favorable trend for Barb Kirkmeyer, who was leading the count on Tuesday night ahead of her closest rivals, Victor Marx and Scott Bottoms.

Despite the Republican candidate’s gains, analysts agree that the opposition party’s nominee will face an extremely challenging environment in November against Weiser’s campaign machine, in a region where the progressive agenda has solidified major electoral strongholds in recent election cycles.