Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet faced off in the state’s Democratic primary for governor on June 30, 2026, with Weiser holding a significant lead heading into voting day. A poll commissioned by a Weiser-supporting group and released five days before the primary showed Weiser at 45 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, compared to 36 percent for Bennet, with 19 percent undecided.
The race represents a broader test of Democratic voters’ appetite for challenging the party establishment. According to The Washington Post, the Colorado primary is gauging “the depth of Democratic primary voters’ antiestablishment fervor and what type of candidates they are seeking to fight with President Donald Trump.” Al Jazeera described the contest as one of several “fierce contests between the Democratic Party’s progressive and centrist wings” across the western state.
Weiser, who has served as Colorado’s 39th Attorney General since 2019, has built his campaign around his record as the state’s chief legal officer. Bennet, who has represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate since 2009, entered the race after incumbent Democratic Governor Jared Polis became term-limited. The two candidates have sparred over their respective records and vision for the state.
The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling on June 25-26 among 600 likely Democratic primary voters via landline and text message, carried a margin of error of 4 percentage points. Turnout for the primary had been running low as of mid-week, with county clerks expecting a surge of ballots over the weekend and on voting day itself, a typical pattern for Colorado elections. As of Wednesday night before the primary, 500,000 voters had cast ballots in Colorado’s primaries, with about 200,000 of those submitted by unaffiliated voters who chose the Democratic ballot.
Sources
- The Colorado Sun — Poll showing Weiser at 45 percent and Bennet at 36 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, conducted June 25-26
- The Washington Post — Description of the primary as a test of Democratic antiestablishment sentiment and voters’ choice for fighting Trump
- Al Jazeera — Characterization of Colorado contests as fierce battles between progressive and centrist Democratic wings
- Colorado Newsline — Confirmation that Weiser (Attorney General) and Bennet (U.S. Senator) are the two Democratic primary candidates for governor
- Ballotpedia — Confirmation of primary date (June 30, 2026) and candidates
