Colorado attorney general who has sued Trump 67 times wins Democratic nomination for governor
Phil Weiser enters November’s general election as the favorite to succeed Jared Polis
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the primary election held Tuesday in the state to determine the candidate who will seek to succeed Governor Jared Polis, who is ineligible for re-election due to term limits. His fellow Democrat, Senator Michael Bennet, lagged in the race. In this predominantly Democratic state, the debate among the party’s gubernatorial hopefuls focused on who was best prepared to confront the policies of the Donald Trump administration, and, in the end, the winner was the man who has sued the president 67 times.
Weiser enters the general election as the favorite in a state where Democrats have long dominated state politics: since 2007, every Democratic candidate has won the governorship. With 80% of precincts reporting, Weiser had received 349,318 votes, or 55% of the total, while Senator Bennet had garnered 286,372 votes (45%).
On the Republican side, the race was close among the frontrunners. With 75% of ballots counted, state Senator Barb Kirkmeyer was leading with 165,379 votes (41.1%). She was followed by pastor and U.S. Navy veteran Victor Marx with 156,623 votes (38.9%), while state lawmaker Scott Bottoms had 80,433 votes in his favor (20%). Whoever prevails will face the Democratic nominee in the general election.
During the Democratic campaign, much of the sparring between Bennet and Weiser centered on whether they had done enough in their respective offices to stand up to Trump.
Weiser criticized Bennet for voting in the Senate to confirm several of the president’s Cabinet nominees, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose nomination was approved unanimously. “You’ve made some mistakes; you didn’t stand up the way you should. I know you can shape up, use your seniority,” Weiser told Bennet during a debate.
Bennet, for his part, accused Weiser of failing to join several lawsuits brought by other Democratic attorneys general during Trump’s first term to challenge White House policies. “The attorney general says he’s really tough but was completely missing in action in Donald Trump’s first term,” Bennet said in a recent debate.
The Democratic contest was also closely matched financially. Attorney General Weiser raised about $6.5 million, compared with roughly $4.8 million raised by Senator Bennet.
Among the Republican candidates, veteran Victor Marx drew the most attention. He had raised about $2.8 million, and outside groups backing his candidacy spent more than $400,000 on television and digital advertising. But he also became the target of a wave of ads funded by organizations supporting his rivals.
8th District
Two congressional districts contested in Colorado’s primaries drew particular attention. The 8th District, which includes Denver suburbs and rural areas in the northern part of the state, has become a key Democratic target in the party’s effort to reclaim control of the House of Representatives during the final two years of Trump’s second term. The seat is currently held by Republican Gabe Evans, who was seeking reelection. Since its creation in 2021, the district has alternated between representatives of both parties in different election cycles.
In the Democratic race, state lawmaker Manny Rutinel was projected as the presumptive winner following the preliminary count. State Representative Shannon Bird appeared to fall short, receiving just 34.4% of the vote with 86% of ballots counted.
As in congressional contests in other states, the Democratic primary pitted establishment figures against candidates from the party’s progressive wing. In Colorado, Bird, regarded as a moderate, was backed by Democratic leaders. However, progressive Manny Rutinel appeared better positioned to challenge Evans, in part because of his Latino background in a district with a large Hispanic population.
He also held an advantage over his fellow Democrat in voter preference, according to a poll sponsored by the Latino Victory Fund. His campaign likewise enjoyed a financial edge, raising about $4.1 million — nearly double the amount raised by Bird.
1st District
A similar dynamic has emerged in the race for the 1st District, which has been represented for nearly three decades by Democrat Diana DeGette. When she first took office, her main challenger, Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, had not yet been born.
The contest between the two remained close. With 73% of votes counted, Kiros had received 53,395 votes (48.6%), while DeGette stood at 48,518 votes (44.2%).
The trend had already been evident at a Democratic assembly held in Colorado in March, which determined the candidates who would appear on the primary ballot. At that gathering, Kiros won twice as many votes as DeGette. Likewise, a poll sponsored by two Democratic organizations found Kiros leading the congresswoman by five percentage points.
The 1st District encompasses much of the city of Denver, including downtown, Capitol Hill, Five Points, Highland and other urban neighborhoods. It is widely regarded as one of the most solidly Democratic strongholds in the state.
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