Sen. Michael Bennet expected to announce bid for Colorado governor

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is ready to announce he’s working for Colorado governor as quickly as Friday, in line with two sources briefed on his plans.

Bennet, a Democrat, has served in Washington, D.C., since 2009. His intentions had been additionally reported by a number of media shops Thursday afternoon as his marketing campaign workplace suggested of a deliberate “announcement” by Bennet on Friday morning.

If he wins the brand new workplace, he would succeed Gov. Jared Polis, who’s term-limited from working once more within the 2026 election. A spokesperson for Bennet declined to remark Thursday. For weeks, Bennet has been rumored to be exploring a possible run for governor.

Bennet’s title recognition and lengthy historical past in Colorado politics — and the political reshuffling that an open Senate seat would set in movement — might assist clear the sector of different main potential Democratic candidates. Colorado has not elected a Republican to guide the state since 2002.

Bennet was appointed to the Senate in 2009. He’s been elected to the workplace thrice since then, and every time with wider margins. His present time period lasts by early 2029.

He beforehand served as superintendent of Denver Public Faculties and as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s chief of employees; Hickenlooper now occupies Colorado’s different U.S. Senate seat.

To this point, solely Legal professional Normal Phil Weiser has formally introduced his candidacy for the governor’s workplace on the Democratic facet — and he wasted no time criticizing his potential rival.

In an announcement despatched to media shops quickly after stories of Bennet’s doubtless entrance into the race, Weiser described himself as “the Individuals’s Lawyer,” working in Colorado whereas Bennet was serving in Washington.