Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has emerged as the projected winner in the Democratic primary race for governor in Colorado. As the results came in, with 77% of the votes counted, Weiser led with 54.7% compared to Sen. Michael Bennet’s 45.3%, according to the latest figures released in the evening before 8 p.m. MT.
Weiser, who is facing term limits in his current role as Attorney General, is making his inaugural run for the governorship. Similarly, Sen. Michael Bennet was entering the gubernatorial race for the first time. Weiser’s campaign strategy involved tapping into a wave of anti-establishment sentiment. He portrayed Bennet as a political insider, despite Weiser’s own eight-year tenure in public office.
This primary election cycle saw numerous attack ads, particularly in the Weiser-Bennet face-off. CBS Colorado Political Reporter Shaun Boyd highlighted how these ads questioned each candidate’s “anti-Trump credentials.” Additionally, Boyd noted that Weiser accepted significant campaign contributions from 68 lawyers whose firms had dealings with his Attorney General office, sparking conflict of interest allegations from Bennet’s campaign.
Looking ahead to November, the Democratic nominee will compete against the winner of the Colorado GOP primary, which features State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, State Rep. Scott Bottoms, and Victor Marx. They will also contend with former Congressman Greg Lopez, running as an unaffiliated candidate after leaving the Republican Party in January. Colorado has seen Democratic governors consistently for the past two decades. The election is scheduled for November 3.
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