U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, officially launched his campaign for governor Friday, saying that solutions to the state’s challenges won’t come from “Washington’s broken politics.”

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, a former five-term congressman and potential presidential candidate, is term-limited after next year’s election.

The 60-year-old Bennet faces a primary against two-term state Attorney General Phil Weiser, who launched his campaign in January and said this week that his campaign raised a record-setting $1.9 million in the year’s first quarter.

“Colorado is the best state in the nation, and throughout our history, we have been an example of leadership for the rest of the country. But right now, we face significant challenges,” Bennet said in a written statement. “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. I’m running for governor to build a brighter future in Colorado and give people a chance at a better life.”

He added: “The best solutions to our challenges will not come from Washington’s broken politics. They will come from us. Together, we can make Colorado the best state to live, work, and raise a family in, and provide the leadership and vision our country needs.”

Bennet planned to kick off his run with an event at Denver’s City Park Friday, his campaign said.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation sparked when aides let it be known in late February that Bennet was “strongly considering” a run for governor after previously ruling out the possibility. A source close to Bennet told Colorado Politics that the three-term lawmaker believed that it could be a time where leadership in Colorado can make more of a difference than remaining in the U.S. Senate.

“The central fight is whether or not we can create an economy where people feel like when they work hard they get ahead,” Bennet told Politico’s Jonathan Martin late last month. “And I think the answer to that over the next decade is as likely to come from the states as it is from Washington.”

Bennet, whose Senate term isn’t up until 2028, intends to remain in office through next year’s election, his campaign said. If he wins, Bennet will be in a position to appoint his own replacement in the Senate under Colorado law, echoing how he got the job 15 years ago.

An attorney and former Denver Public Schools superintendent, Bennet was appointed to fill Ken Salazar’s Senate term in 2009 after Salazar stepped down to join the Obama cabinet as Interior secretary. Since then, Bennet has won election to full terms three times, in 2010, 2016, and 2022, each time by an increasingly larger margin.

Democrats have swept every statewide election in Colorado since 2018 and have held the governor’s office since 1975 for all but two terms in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Nearly a dozen Republicans have filed paperwork to run for governor in 2026, including state Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park; state Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs; Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell; and former congressional candidate Joshua Griffin. State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, a former congressional nominee, is also considering running.

Colorado Republican Party Chairwoman Brita Horn greeted Bennet’s entry in the gubernatorial race with derision.

“In 16 years representing Colorado in the U.S. Senate he has had nothing to show for it,” she told Colorado Politics in a text message. “He’s managed to skate by his entire political career with defeating underfunded opponents and no serious primary opposition in a decade. I anticipate his campaign for governor going the same way his 2020 Presidential campaign did — nowhere.”

Bennet mounted a campaign for president in 2020 but withdrew after a poor finish in the New Hampshire primary. He later said that his main motivation for running was to bring attention to a proposal he’s pushed to expand the child tax credit, which happened temporarily during the Biden administration and was credited with steep reductions in childhood poverty.

Bennet’s initial endorsers include many of the state’s most prominent Democratic politicians, including Bennet’s fellow U.S. senator, John Hickenlooper, a former two-term governor and mayor of Denver, and U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, who both considered runs for governor before Bennet’s camp floated his potential bid.

Also throwing their support behind Bennet are Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, former Mayor Michael Hancock, former Mayor Wellington Webb and former state Rep. Wilma Webb. The two highest-ranking Democrats in the General Assembly, Senate President James Coleman and House Speaker Julie McCluskie are also on board.

“I know what it takes to succeed in this job, and I know Michael Bennet,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “His values, and his experience are exactly what Colorado needs. As Senator, Michael showed strength and courage in defending Colorado from Donald Trump. He protected tens of thousands of acres of Colorado public lands, and helped take major steps to fight climate change. Michael will build on this work to shield Colorado from Trump’s corruption, create economic opportunity for every Coloradan and protect the environment. I think Michael has the potential to be a truly great governor — I wholeheartedly endorse his campaign.”

In a statement released by Bennet’s campaign, Neguse, the House assistant minority leader, called his congressional colleague “a kind, thoughtful and dedicated public servant who has always stood up for the people of our great state, from protecting public lands to fighting for Colorado’s kids.” He added: “There is no one we trust more to lead Colorado and build a brighter future for families like ours —and all families across our state — than Michael Bennet.”

Since Donald Trump took office for a second time in January, Bennet has won a reputation for aggressively questioning Trump’s cabinet nominees in Senate confirmation hearings, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence Tusli Gabbard.

Bennet has come under fire from fellow Democrats, however, for voting to confirm some Trump nominees — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and CIA Director John Ratliff — in an approach Bennet has described as picking his battles.

Former state Rep. Joe Salazar, a Weiser supporter, told Colorado Politics on Thursday that Bennet’s votes to confirm Trump cabinet nominees were a red flag.

“These cabinet picks then lay off thousands of hard working federal workers, including Coloradans, and eliminate grants and programs designed to help Coloradans,” Salazar said in a text message. “You can’t ‘pick your battles’ with a wannabe dictator. Every battle affects Colorado. I’m concerned Sen. Bennet doesn’t have the stomach for the fight ahead.”

Weiser told Colorado Politics this week that he’s known Bennet was planning to run but added that he has no intention of backing down.

“I’m in it to win it,” Weiser said in an interview. “I knew when I got in that others were going to get in. I believe that the voters can and should be given a choice of who they want to serve.”

In a statement released ahead of Bennet’s announcement, Weiser delivered a more confrontational message.

“While Sen. Bennet has been in Washington, I have served Colorado as the ‘People’s Lawyer,’ working directly with people in every county of every background to solve difficult challenges. That’s just what a governor does. I am prepared for this job and will continue to build a better future for us all,” Weiser said. “We must protect Colorado and oppose Trump’s illegal actions, not appease him.”

Added Weiser: “I am the fighter Colorado needs as our next governor. Two years ago, the voters sent Sen. Bennet back to DC because we believed he would be there for us no matter what — especially in historically dangerous moments like the one we currently face. Now more than ever, we need experienced Democratic leaders in Washington.”