Michael Bennet Bails on the Swamp to Run for Governor of Colorado

Who is jockeying for position?

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) has decided he’d rather fight Donald Trump from the governor’s Boettcher Mansion instead of mudslinging from the upper chamber. Being one out of a body of 100 isn’t nearly as appealing as being “the one” in the Centennial State. If Bennet succeeds, a replacement will be appointed by the governor to finish rest of his term. That Senate seat becomes either a liability or an asset – depending on how Coloradans view the political circus these early days of 2025.

Both of Colorado’s senators, Bennet and John Hickenlooper, have been politically attached to the hip for over 20 years. Hickenlooper was a successful brewpub owner/operator and restaurateur whose rise to the top came with a self-descriptor: “Science, beer, compromise, and Giddy Up!” Bennet was a college bud from Wesleyan University and rode into the administration as Hickenlooper’s chief of staff.

But now the state’s Swamp buddy system is taking a break. The Rocky Mountain electorate has been through several of these political appointments before – and the only people in a frenzy are those who want a Senate appointment, however premature, and the editorial board of the Denver Post who prefer that the good senator step down to run for office. The outlet said: “If Sen. Bennet wants to  show voters he truly cares about Colorado, he should resign now to run for governor.”

That denouement likely came after hearing Bennet describe his day, “I have run for office before while I’ve been in this job. To be really honest, my schedule doesn’t change very much when I’m running for office versus when I’m not.”

Michael Bennet and His Frenemies

Before rising in Democratic politics, Bennet worked for the conservative billionaire Phil Anschutz. He inherited a fortune, which he then built even bigger through various ventures, including oil, railroads, telecommunications, real estate, and entertainment. They are still close, and Anschutz donates to Bennet’s political coffers on a regular basis.

But Bennet also joins a list of Democratic leaders unhappy with where the party seems to be headed. He was the first Senate Democrat to step from the whisper campaigns and go public with fears about President Joe Biden’s age and physical ability. He also hinted at new leadership in the upper chamber’s Democratic caucus after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) decided not to block a government funding bill. “It’s important for people to know when it’s time to go,” Bennet told voters at a town hall in March.

But Bennet’s distrust of his own party is most evident in that he will not allow the current governor to make the appointment – rather, he wants to wait until after taking office should he win.

And who is on deck if the senator becomes the governor? Obvious choices would be any of Colorado’s US representatives, including Democrats Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen. Ironically, Colorado has never had a Black senator (Neguse is Black) or a woman senator. The biggest threat, however, is the current governor, Jarod Polis. A nice job swap would be an easy sell.

Republican Blues in Colorado

Before major city influencers from California, New York, and all points in between descended upon the Rocky Mountain state, it was a conservative haven filled with cattle ranchers and farmers. That life is mostly eradicated in the buildout of cities like Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder. It’s now a hard-core blue state that has not elected a Republican governor since Bill Owens handily defeated a Democrat in 2002.

But so far, two GOP folks are hopeful: State Sen. Mark Baisley of Woodland Park, claiming the political left has tightened its grip into the passage of radical bills, some of which are “blatantly unconstitutional,” and Rep. Scott Bottoms of Colorado, a second-term lawmaker, pastor, and Navy veteran.

Clearly, this race is Bennet’s to lose, and he hasn’t said much about a possible successor – but it will be someone who will carry his torch. “I was appointed to this seat,” he told 9News, an NBC affiliate. “It matters a lot to me who’s in it.”