Colorado Primary Results
Colorado Democrats Nominate Weiser for Governor and Hickenlooper for Senate in Primaries
Key Points
Weiser cast himself as the 'fighter' against President Trump, citing more than 65 lawsuits his office filed against the administration.
Bennet's Colorado campaign was hampered by his duties in Washington, with observers noting voters never really heard him answer why he left the Senate to run for governor.
Weiser gained momentum late by shifting to a more progressive posture, helping him overcome Bennet and win the primary.
Gonzales dominated the Democratic assembly, winning around 74% of delegates, but she lacked the fundraising and campaign infrastructure needed to translate that activist support into statewide traction.
AP called the Weiser-Bennet governor race with Weiser holding a roughly 57.3% to 42.7% lead.
Colorado Democrats picked their nominees for governor and U.S. Senate on June 30, 2026, with two clear winners emerging by the time polls closed. Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet to win the governor's race, and incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper held off progressive challenger Julie Gonzales to win the Senate nomination, according to AP News.
Weiser led Bennet 57.3% to 42.7% in the final unofficial count. Hickenlooper beat Gonzales roughly 55% to 45%. Both winners now advance to a November general election in a state that leans Democratic statewide, according to CBS News.
Weiser Beats Bennet by Framing Fight Against Trump
Weiser built his entire campaign around one message: he fights Trump. His office filed more than 65 lawsuits against the Trump administration. He told supporters, "When you're dealing with a lawless bully whose actions are harmful, there's only one response. You stand your ground and fight," according to The Colorado Sun.
Bennet tried to flip the script. His campaign called Weiser a career litigator with no executive vision, saying "Colorado needs a leader, not a lawyer" and that the state "can't sue our way to more affordable housing." But voters didn't buy it. Bennet's campaign was also hurt by his absence. Analysts noted he was stuck in Washington and "never really answered" why he left the Senate to run for governor, according to The Colorado Sun.
Hickenlooper's Money Machine Held Off Gonzales
Hickenlooper outspent Gonzales by more than ten to one. That money paid for ads, staff, and name recognition across a large state. He ran as a centrist with a steady record on healthcare, housing, and public lands, according to Axios Denver.
Gonzales won 74% of Democratic State Assembly delegates — a massive show of activist support. But delegate support at assemblies doesn't always equal votes statewide. She also had to compete against Colorado's 2.3 million unaffiliated voters, who can pick either party's ballot and tend to favor more centrist candidates. Hickenlooper was called the winner at just 7:36 PM, only 36 minutes after polls closed, according to AP News.
Progressive Wing Shows Strength but Falls Short Twice
Neither Gonzales nor Bennet won. But progressives didn't walk away empty-handed. Gonzales's 45% showing was seen as a sign that Hickenlooper's centrist appeal is fading with younger voters. Gonzales had pushed for Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and universal childcare — issues that energized activists but not enough of the broader electorate, according to Axios Denver.
Weiser's win told a different story. He started as a moderate but shifted to a more progressive posture late in the race. That shift helped him pull ahead of Bennet. The results suggest that in Colorado's Democratic primaries, moving left may now matter more than it once did, according to The Colorado Sun.
What the November General Election Looks Like Now
Weiser enters the general election as the heavy favorite. He will likely face Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer or Scott Bottoms. Colorado has leaned Democratic in recent statewide races. Governor Jared Polis could not run again due to term limits, which opened the seat in the first place, according to Ballotpedia.
Hickenlooper faces Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley in November. National Democrats view his Senate seat as safely blue and key to any path back to a Senate majority. Both Weiser and Hickenlooper now shift focus to the fall, with Colorado's electoral strength expected to hold, according to AP News.
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