Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michael Bennet on Wednesday named top campaign hires and key consultants for his 2026 run, including veteran Senate campaign strategists and fundraisers with experience in competitive races around the country.

Bennet, Colorado’s senior U.S. senator, launched his bid to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis last month, joining Attorney General Phil Weiser in the Democratic primary. Nearly a dozen Republicans are also running for the office.

Seasoned Senate campaign strategist Ben Waldon is Bennet’s campaign manager, his campaign said in an announcement first reported by Colorado Politics.

Waldon most recently managed Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s unsuccessful 2024 U.S. Senate race in Florida. Before that, he was senior advisor and interim campaign manager for Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s 2022 reelection campaign. He served as director of candidate services at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2020 cycle — six years after Bennet chaired the DSCC — when Democrats flipped the Senate from Republican control.

“Ben joins our team with a decade of experience leading statewide campaigns, building exceptional teams and delivering results,” Bennet said in a statement. “I’m pleased to have him on board as we work to make Colorado a model for the country in affordability, opportunity and leadership that brings people together.”

Bennet’s campaign also announced that Samantha Padavic is his finance director. Her fundraising experience in previous cycles includes work for former Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Warnock and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey.

Longtime Bennet strategist Craig Hughes, a partner at Hilltop Public Solutions, who has helmed Bennet’s campaigns since the Democrat won his first full term in 2010, will reprise his role as a senior advisor.

The Bennet campaign also announced its chief media, communications, polling, targeting and mail consultants.

Adam Magnus and Lauren Passalacqua of MPWR Media Strategies are set to return for another Bennet campaign after producing ads for the candidate’s Senate races.

Also on board are Andrew Baumann and Joey Teitelbaum of Global Strategy Group, a national communications, public affairs and polling firm; and Ed Peavy and Leticia Martinez of Mission Control, a targeting, data and mail house.