Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is considering a run for governor.
Multiple sources close to Bennet confirmed to CPR News that he is pondering running for the state’s highest office in 2026, as first reported by The Colorado Sun.
Bennet won reelection to the Senate in 2022 with 56 percent of the vote, an improvement from his two earlier races, which he won with less than 50 percent. He was first appointed to his seat in 2009 by then Gov. John Hickenlooper, to replace Ken Salazar, who left to become Interior Secretary.
The senator also had an unsuccessful bid for president in 2020, dropping out after the New Hampshire primary.
“Michael Bennet has a record of accomplishment in D.C. that other people would kill for,” said one high ranking Democrat in the state. “He has been a leader on everything from campaign finance reform to cutting childhood poverty. He would certainly be a contender.”
Bennet could also freeze the field for Democrats, in what was expected to be a hotly contested primary.
Phil Weiser, the current attorney general, jumped into the gubernatorial race early this year. A number of other Democrats are also reportedly thinking of running, including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep Jason Crow and former U.S. Sen. Salazar.
With Gov. Jared Polis term-limited next year, the governor’s office is open for the first time since 2018. The state’s other major constitutional offices will also be open in 2026.
If Bennet does run for governor, it would open up a senate seat in the state at a time when Democrats have done well electorally in recent years.
