Weiser wins Colorado Democratic primary for governor

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, defeating U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in an upset after a campaign dominated by questions over which candidate would more forcefully oppose President Donald Trump.

Weiser, who is term-limited as attorney general, will advance to the November general election to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. He entered the race as an underdog against Bennet, a three-term senator who had been widely viewed as the frontrunner when he launched his bid for the state’s highest office.

With more than 80% of the expected vote counted, Weiser led Bennet by 10 percentage points, NBC News reported.

Speaking to supporters late Tuesday, Weiser said voters “made it clear that we need a leader who will fight back, never bend the knee.”

“From every corner of Colorado you made it clear that when we show up, when we listen to one another and we work together, we can win and make life better for all of us,” he said.

Weiser also invoked past Colorado governors in his victory speech, citing Billy Adams for helping drive the Ku Klux Klan out of Colorado politics, Roy Romer for standing up for LGBTQ rights when it was unpopular and Ralph Carr for opposing Japanese internment camps during World War II.

“To all who voted today, thank you for making a critical point clear, that in America, and in Colorado, we believe in a government of the people, by the people and for the people,” Weiser said.

The race exposed sharp disagreements over anti-Trump strategy even as the candidates shared many policy priorities, including affordability, housing, environmental issues and opposition to Trump’s immigration agenda. Weiser, who has filed or joined at least 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration, framed Bennet as a Washington insider and criticized him for voting to confirm several Trump Cabinet nominees.

At a debate this month, Weiser said Congress “should be a check on a lawless, bullying administration. It hasn’t been.” He also said, “The Democratic Party doesn’t show up, listen and fight.”

Bennet pushed back by saying he supported Trump nominees when it was “the right thing to do for Colorado.” During Trump’s second term, Bennet voted for eight Cabinet nominees and against 15, according to NBC News.

Bennet also accused Weiser of overstating his record as attorney general. “The attorney general says he’s really tough but was completely missing in action in Donald Trump’s first term when more than 20 Democratic attorneys general across this country filed a lawsuit against the administration because they were separating kids from their parents at the border,” Bennet said at a debate. “It’s not about the lawsuits he brought. It’s the lawsuits he didn’t bring.”

The primary featured heavy advertising on both sides. Since Jan. 1, 2025, Bennet’s campaign and allied outside groups outspent the pro-Weiser side on ads by nearly 2-to-1, according to AdImpact, NBC News reported. CBS Colorado also reported that attack ads questioned both candidates’ anti-Trump credentials.

After the loss, Bennet called for unity. “We have had our disagreements. That’s obvious to anybody who’s been watching this race, and no doubt we will have healthy disagreements in the future — but we agree on what the problems are,” he said. “We agree on what our goals must be, and we all know that the future of Colorado depends on what we build from this time forward.”

Weiser will face the Republican nominee in November. Colorado’s GOP primary was too close to call Tuesday night, with state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer narrowly leading Victor Marx, a Marine veteran and ministry leader, and state Rep. Scott Bottoms in third place, according to NBC News. Former Congressman Greg Lopez, who left the Republican Party in January, is also running for governor as an unaffiliated candidate.

A Democrat has held the Colorado governor’s office for the past 20 years. Election Day is Nov. 3.