Colorado’s primary elections held in the doldrums of early summer tend to be routine affairs, most often predictable and by the book. Tuesday’s battlefield was anything but. It is no exaggeration to call it a sea change. Its ripples will shape Colorado politics for many years to come.

The choice of the next governor

The formality of the November general election ahead will likely simply confirm what many have accepted: Phil Weiser will be Colorado’s next governor.

Unlike the Republican contest, the Democratic race was not even close. Anyone wagering a year ago that Weiser would defeat Michael Bennet by nearly 12 points would have scored some serious coin.

For a serious politician, Bennet made a major miscalculation when he jumped into the race. He and his team presumed the waters would part and that the field might even clear. More so, they failed to take notice of the steaming discontent percolating in Democratic ranks directed at longtime establishment types.

As the campaign went on, Weiser seemed the far happier warrior. Bennet often appeared to be brooding, while relying on old-school factors of big money and name-brand endorsements to carry the day.

While Weiser can soon measure the drapes at the Governor’s Mansion, Bennet will head back to D.C. to complete the last two years of his Senate term, while weighing whether to run for another stint in an institution from which he wanted a reprieve.

Jumping across the aisle, the vote tallies have seesawed between Barb Kirkmeyer and Victor Marx in the match for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Weiser’s first big decision

In the coming few weeks, Weiser is obligated to name his lieutenant governor running mate. The scope of his Tuesday victory and his status as the de facto incoming governor give him wide latitude. He has the luxury of selecting a governing partner instead of just a political asset. Here’s hoping his short list starts with former Fort Collins mayor and legislator Jeni Arndt.

The end of an overly long political era

The second headline of Tuesday night was Diana DeGette’s stunning loss to 29 year-old upstart and self-proclaimed “Democratic socialist” Melat Kiros. Staying as long as DeGette has in power always risks a sudden, humiliating exit is the risk.

With term limits more popular than ever, even if not imposed in Congress, DeGette’s 30-year run was more than enough for Denver voters. A whole lot of young, ambitious party types who bid their time to succeed DeGette but lacked the nerve to challenge her are now deep into questioning and self-doubt.

Every rookie lawyer needs a starting job

Jena Griswold entry into the legal world will be as Colorado’s attorney general.

Legal recruiters will have a field day between now and January as top-flight lawyers depart the attorney general’s office in droves.

This race was effectively over once it was clear that opposition to Griswold would be split between three able contenders. Sure enough, Griswold prevailed with 45% of the count with the majority of ballots being cast for someone else.

A big night for progressive insurgents; a lousy night for establishment centrists

With Kiros providing the headline, one Democratic primary after another tilted hard toward progressives on the left flank. There is no obscuring or minimizing this trend, which was not unlike what took place in New York City just a week prior.

The other notable example took place in Congressional District 8, where insurgent Manny Rutinel did not just upend centrist legislator Shannon Bird, he nearly doubled-up her vote total. The same transpired in a host of state legislative primaries, including in central Denver, where incumbent Sean Camacho was dispatched by activist Iris Halpern. Camacho had unseated Elisabeth Epps in the last primary, when party centrists edged out their progressive rivals.

Even in defeat, Julie Gonzales’s 45% showing against the establishment pillar John Hickenlooper underscored the point.

The rules of politics are changing in real time

Were money and saturation TV advertising still the be-all, end-all of politics, Michael Bennet would not have suffered a 12-point loss. Consultants still love the TV screen because it is what they know best and they reap lucrative commissions.