{"id":491651,"date":"2026-06-22T04:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T10:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/?p=491651"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:30:26","slug":"michael-bennet-senate-replacement-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/22\/michael-bennet-senate-replacement-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Who would Michael Bennet pick to replace himself in the Senate? He’s narrowed it down \u2014 to 500,000 people."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Democrat younger than age 50. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the only hint U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has provided as to who he would appoint to fill his seat in Washington should he be elected Colorado\u2019s next governor \u2014 which will effectively be decided in about a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Bennet beats Attorney General Phil Weiser in the Democratic gubernatorial primary June 30, he will in all likelihood be elected governor in November. Republicans haven\u2019t won a statewide race in Colorado since 2016, and the last GOP candidate for governor lost by nearly 20 percentage points in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Michael Bennet, Phil Weiser stand on the issues in Colorado\u2019s Democratic primary for governor<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u25b6 FULL STORY\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That basically means a vote for Bennet in the primary is also a vote for a new senator come 2027. But despite that political reality, Bennet has refused to shed light on how he would pick his replacement, who would serve until at least early 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Democrat under 50 years old but older than 30, the required minimum age to serve in the Senate, narrows it down to about 500,000 Coloradans, according to the state\u2019s voter registration statistics as of June 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is nobody on the shortlist,\u201d Bennet said<\/a> at a debate with Weiser in May. \u201cI think we have an incredible bench in Colorado of young talent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, Bennet\u2019s spokesperson said “Michael has not discussed a Senate appointment with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his unwillingness to discuss his thinking on a potential Senate replacement, Bennet \u2014 whose campaign declined an interview for this story \u2014 said from the moment he launched his<\/a> gubernatorial bid that he would pick his successor if elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a conscious choice. He could resign from the Senate should he win the governor\u2019s race and give Gov. Jared Polis the power to select Colorado\u2019s next senator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Polis is the only person Bennet has said he wouldn\u2019t appoint to the Senate<\/a>, after the governor commuted former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters\u2019 prison sentence<\/a>. Though at age 51, Polis wouldn\u2019t have met Bennet\u2019s criteria.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Bennet wants to handpick his successor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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