CPR News first published this story on Jun. 30, 2026, at 7:13 p.m.
Updated at 8:02 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has defeated U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary in the race to become Colorado’s next governor.
The Associated Press called the race for Weiser just before 8 p.m., with Weiser leading Bennet 54.7 percent to 45.3 percent.
Given Colorado’s blue leanings, Weiser is heavily favored to win the governor's office this fall to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
The Democratic gubernatorial campaign was hotly contested and polls showed it narrowing in the final days as Weiser continued to gain ground. Weiser pitched himself as a fighter and collaborator who has learned to help solve the challenges facing Colorado during his nearly eight years in office.
“When this election started, there were lots of people who said, how could Phil Weiser beat Michael Bennet? He has 10 years in elected office head start, and my answer is watch our campaign. We're going to run a people power campaign. I believe in the power of people,” Weiser said.
Weiser and Bennet are traditional Democrats with very similar policy positions on a host of issues from reigning in Medicaid costs to tackling affordability and putting stricter controls on social media companies. They also have similar personal backgrounds, hailing from the East Coast and being children of families that survived the Holocaust.
Weiser’s campaign sought to portray Bennet as a Washington, D.C., insider who didn’t do enough to push back against the Trump administration, especially when he voted for some of Trump’s key presidential nominees. Weiser leaned into his lawsuits against the administration to block federal funding cuts. Affordability was another centerpiece of his campaign.
“What people deserve is if you're a teacher anywhere in Colorado, you should be able to afford a starter home in the community where you work. If you're a firefighter or a police officer, it's important that you can afford to live in your community. That's what people deserve. That's not the case right now,” Weiser said.
He said he would lower permitting fees for starter homes and bring people together to get things done.
Throughout the Democratic gubernatorial race, many primary voters said they were torn between Bennet and Weiser, both long-time public figures. Weiser is term-limited after wrapping up eight years as attorney general and ran a campaign touting his many lawsuits to push back against the Trump administration.
“They're probably both fine. I wish they could both win,” said Greeley voter, Democrat Katie Carlson.
Democratic primary voter Nick Contarino from Lakewood said he was backing Weiser because of his long-term commitment to health equity and science around things like vaccines.
“I think if everyone just spent a couple hours before each election just reading about candidates, it's not hard to make decisions. You can tell who puts in the work. Certain people on their website don't even have their policies or what they're planning on doing. They just have talking points and it's like, it's not that hard to find out. But I care about this stuff. I'm the lawyer,” Contarino said.
Should Weiser win the office this fall, he would take the helm with Democrats poised to continue one-party control of the State Legislature, where Democrats currently hold wide margins, just shy of a supermajority in each chamber. This year, lawmakers closed a $1.5 billion budget shortfall and the budget challenges are expected to continue into the next governor’s term.
Colorado continues to grapple with a high cost of living. According to a bipartisan poll from the Colorado Polling Institute, voters from across the political spectrum cited affordability as the top issue they want the state government to address, along with a diffuse set of issues from lack of housing to taxes to immigration.
A majority of Colorado voters, 55%, predict that the economy will get worse and are evenly split on whether the state is heading in the right or wrong trajectory. Meanwhile, the favorability of state officials, Democratic and Republican, has dropped. Voters continue to be polarized, and a successful gubernatorial candidate will need to win over parts of their base as well as unaffiliated voters, who comprise the largest share of the state’s electorate.