The News
Michael Bennet is running for governor of Colorado, continuing a trend of senators seeking more impact back home in an executive branch.
The Democratic senator has made no secret of his frustrations with the Senate. And in announcing his campaign, he made sure to take a shot at the legislative branch: “The best solution to our challenges will not come from Washington’s broken politics. They will come from us.”
“Too many Coloradans struggle to afford to live here; our state’s budget is in crisis; and, President Trump has waged an all-out assault on our values and economy,” Bennet said in announcing his campaign.
Bennet will not resign his Senate seat as he pursues a bid to succeed Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, according to a person familiar with the matter. His Senate seat is not up until 2028; he easily won a third full term in 2022.
And Bennet will be the odds-on favorite to win the governorship in a state that dramatically shifted away from Republicans during the Trump era. He’s launching his campaign with the support of Sen. John Hickenlooper, Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado legislative leaders, hoping to quickly lock up the Democratic nomination.
Republicans dubbed Bennet the “accidental senator,” a moniker he co-opted after he was appointed to the Senate to succeed former Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. Now Bennet is seeking to head back to Denver, where he was superintendent of the public schools, and will share a ticket with Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., a former governor who warned Bennet he might be “bored” running the state.
Former Sen. Mike Braun passed on a second term in Congress to become Indiana governor in 2024. Two other senators are weighing gubernatorial runs this cycle, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; she is widely expected to launch her campaign soon.