Live Results: Colorado midterm primaries

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-results-colorado-midterm-primaries Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Live Results: Colorado midterm primaries Politics Jun 29, 2026 6:05 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic voters in Colorado will decide in a state primary Tuesday which of two well-known statewide officeholders to nominate to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. Republicans will also choose a nominee for governor, while voters across the state will finalize general election matchups for U.S. Senate and U.S. House. The Democratic gubernatorial primary between U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and state Attorney General Phil Weiser will not only determine who might lead Colorado as President Donald Trump wages what Weiser has described as a "revenge campaign" against the state and its outgoing governor, but it could also create an opening in the closely divided U.S. Senate. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. If Bennet wins the nomination and the general election, he would need to vacate his U.S. Senate seat, allowing the governor to name a replacement until the next general election in 2028. Bennet has said that he would hold his seat right up until taking office and appoint his own replacement, rather than allowing Polis to make the pick. In a June 4 debate, Bennet said he would appoint a replacement under the age of 50. Of the four Democrats in Colorado's congressional delegation, three are under 50: Jason Crow, Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen. All have endorsed Bennet. One name Bennet already eliminated from consideration was Polis, saying his decision to commute the sentence of election conspiracy theorist and imprisoned former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was disqualifying. Peters' conviction over her role in a security breach of county election equipment after the 2020 election became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters. If Weiser becomes governor, Bennet would serve out the remaining two years of his term, a scenario that has prompted some Weiser supporters to brandish bumper stickers that read "Weiser for governor! Bennet for Senate." This is the second office Bennet has sought while serving in the U.S. Senate. In 2019, he briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination. This year, he is one of four sitting senators running for governor, which is the most in recent history. The winner will face either state Rep. Scott Bottoms, state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, or pastor and Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx as the Republican nominee. Marx leads the GOP field in fundraising, with about $2.8 million in contributions and about $200,000 in the bank heading into the campaign's final 20-day stretch. Marx more than doubled Kirkmeyer's and Bottoms' combined totals in each category. According to Colorado Secretary of State records, Marx is the beneficiary of more t