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Longtime Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is said to be eyeing a run for Colorado governor in 2026 as he considers how he can best position himself to push back against President Donald Trump’s new administration.
That’s according to a new report in The Colorado Sun, which added that the move is one that Bennet, who entered the Senate in 2009, is reportedly “very, very seriously” considering.
The Colorado lawmaker – a staunch critic of the Trump administration who recently made waves for his grilling of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his confirmation hearing – has been busy fielding calls with political and civil leaders in his home state as he contemplates his decision, two senior staffers told the publication.
Bennet jumping into Colorado’s gubernatorial race would represent “a massive shakeup” in the election that has already attracted top-tier Colorado Democrats, including Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), the state's attorney general Phil Weiser, and former Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, also a former U.S. senator who served as the Obama administration’s interior secretary, the Sun reported.
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But Bennet has at least one reassurance if he decides to make the leap from Capitol Hill to the Centennial State’s governor’s mansion. His recent reelection in 2022 means he doesn’t have to resign from his Senate seat – and could return to Washington if his gubernatorial ambitions fail.
“If Bennet decides to resign from the Senate as he campaigns for governor, current Gov. Jared Polis would appoint a replacement who would serve at least until the next general election in 2026,” the report said of Colorado's Democratic governor.
Bennet launched a brief presidential run in 2020, before abandoning his campaign for the Democratic Party nomination after the New Hampshire primary.