When it comes to elections in Colorado, where no Republican has won a major statewide race in more than a decade, and with the Republican Party plotting major repairs, it was probably inevitable a pair of well-liked and generally admired Democrats would face-off against one another in a primary. The governor’s chair is unexpected, however. When Attorney General Phil Weiser announced his 2024 candidacy in January, it came as no surprise and seemed to place him as the presumed front-runner with, perhaps, one or more nuisance campaigns to emerge later in the year. Then, three-time U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, most recently re-elected in 2022, extended feelers last month regarding his return to the state and has now confirmed he is a gubernatorial aspirant.

Either gentleman seems likely to prove a worthy and competent governor. Several pundits and political observers have jumped to the conclusion Sen. Bennet arrives as an 800-pound gorilla who will swiftly eliminate any competitors. Colorado Democrats have shown a propensity for just such sweeps, with both Ken Salazar in 2004 and John Hickenlooper in 2020 clearing away their prospective opponents following announcement of their Senate candidacies. Though Sen. Bennet is likely to enjoy a fundraising advantage on the “soft-money” side, important with a state limitation of $400 for individual contributors, AG Weiser raised eyebrows with a nearly $2 million dollar haul during the first quarter of 2025. This success may have hastened Sen. Bennet’s entry more than a year before the 2026 Democratic primary.

Before weighing the relative strengths and weaknesses of each, I’d be remiss not to acknowledge there will be a Republican nominee at a general election in November of 2026. Normally, rumors Mike Coffman, Aurora mayor and former 5-term member of Congress, may jump into the fray would be taken seriously. An indefatigable and credible campaigner, his candidacy would enjoy broad appeal among Colorado Republicans, but his party apparatus remains in utter shambles and it seems unlikely newly elected State Chairwoman Brita Horn, can wash all the spilled blood from the carpets at her headquarters before Election Day. Furthermore, the tangerine terror in the White House is doing little to bolster the Republican brand writ large, while MAGA zealots who remain loyal are aware President Donald Trump is no friend of “Little Mikey,” who valiantly refused to jump aboard the “Operation Aurora” immigrant-bashing bandwagon.

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Colorado’s next governor will almost certainly be determined in the 2026 Democratic primary. Though U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper cruised to an easy Senate win over Cory Gardner in 2018, Attorney General Phil Weiser struggled mightily to defeat Democratic state legislator Joe Salazar for the Attorney General nomination, winning by a whisker. He then faced a tough battle against Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler in November. I point these victories out because Sen. Bennet hasn’t faced a close race since his first election in 2010, when a then little-known Ken Buck ran close enough to delay the final count for several days. Sen. Bennet went on to win his 2016 and 2022 reelection campaigns in relative romps over Darryl Glenn and Joe O’Dea, as did AG Weiser in his 2022 campaign for re-election as AG.

Weiser has been a particularly active attorney general, getting out of his Denver office to visit rural counties and assist district attorneys across the state. This has allowed him to establish a network of grateful officeholders, reflected in his lengthy roster of early endorsements. He has raked in millions of dollars for Colorado from class-action settlements to brag about. AG Weiser has joined lawsuits filed on behalf of Colorado ranchers, nonprofits and assorted injured or aggrieved parties across the state. He has earned many Colorado friends and supporters while acquiring a detailed understanding of how the wheels of local government turn. He will also earn considerable attention between now and Election Day as his office works with other Democratic AGs to launch legal squabbles objecting to outrages emanating from DOGE, the White House and the Department of Justice. His campaign theme emphasizes Colorado will have to create its own solutions to policy problems, including TABOR reform, which may resonate with residents.

Sen. Bennet has evidently reached a degree of frustration with the inability of Congress to get anything important done that he is now willing to throw in the towel and return home. His personal crusade to extend the federal Child Tax Credit provided during the COVID pandemic has run aground in Washington. He suggests Colorado should consider creating its own substitute, which would cut the state’s childhood poverty rate in half and reduce taxes for 96% of Colorado families. The Denver Post has suggested the senator should resign his seat, which he will hold until 2028, although they made no such suggestion when then-U.S. Rep. Jared Polis first ran for governor. It was likely a mistake on Sen. Bennet’s part to suggest he could appoint his own successor if he should win. He will pay a campaign penalty whether he remains at his job in Washington or ignores his obligation to serve as an antidote to the toxic MAGA mix of arrogance and ignorance despised in Colorado. Since there is little question our current governor might wish to take Sen. Bennet’s place, perhaps the senator should commit to turning any appointment over to Gov. Polis.

It would be odd to watch Sens. Hickenlooper and Bennet running on the same ballot in 2026. They’ve worked together for nearly a quarter of a century. During an appearance in Grand Junction last week, Hick was asked whether he was still considering another presidential run? He replied he’d wrung that yearning out of his system. Sen. Bennet will be asked this same question, since political analysts theorize a governor’s office provides a better platform for a national campaign than congressional experience. Sen. Bennet will need to offer the same answer as his former boss. It’s a shame, of course, Democrats can no longer assemble in the proverbial, “smoke-filled” room to find a place for both Sen. Bennet and AG Weiser.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.