Democratic primaries in Colorado mark latest fight over party's direction amid push by insurgents

Democratic Primaries in Colorado Include Races Involving Incumbent Senators and Representative

Washington — One week after primary contests in New York, attention has turned to Colorado, where three Democratic races feature challengers to sitting officeholders Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Representative Diana DeGette.

Bennet, who has held his Senate seat since 2009, announced a campaign for governor last year. State Attorney General Phil Weiser has reduced Bennet’s earlier lead in polls by presenting his record of filing lawsuits against the Trump administration. Bennet, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, has focused his gubernatorial campaign on housing and other affordability concerns and on legislation he supported in Congress, including the expanded Child Tax Credit. In his announcement speech, Bennet stated that solutions to state issues would come from Colorado rather than from Washington.

Weiser has described Bennet as disconnected from state residents and has criticized his votes in favor of several Trump administration Cabinet nominees. In Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, attorney Melat Kiros is running against DeGette, who has represented the district since 1996. Kiros received more delegate support than DeGette at the state Democratic assembly in March, qualifying for the primary ballot; DeGette received just over the 30 percent threshold required. Kiros has argued that DeGette’s campaign contributions create conflicts with progressive policy goals. At a June candidate forum, Kiros stated that the party requires officeholders independent of large donors. DeGette responded that the district needs a representative with legislative experience and warned against selecting a candidate without prior service in Congress.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated on June 29 that DeGette is presenting her record to voters and that competitive primaries are expected in strongly Democratic districts during a Trump presidency. In the Senate primary, Hickenlooper, who has served since 2021 after terms as governor and Denver mayor, faces state Senator Julie Gonzales. Gonzales has described herself as offering a different generation of leadership from the current officeholders.

The Democratic nominees in these races are expected to face limited opposition in the November general election. Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002 and has not elected a Republican senator since 2014. DeGette received more than 75 percent of the vote in the 2024 general election in the 1st District.

The Colorado contests follow earlier primary results in other states in which candidates endorsed by national party organizations lost to challengers. In Maine, Graham Platner defeated Governor Janet Mills in the Senate primary. In New York, Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman lost to candidates supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who also endorsed a candidate in the open race for the seat held by retiring Representative Nydia Velázquez. Mamdani stated after those results that voters sought different approaches to representation.

The primaries will be held on June 30. Voter turnout and final margins will determine which candidates advance to the general election ballot.