Sen. Michael Bennet is expected to launch his bid for Colorado governor Friday, according to two people familiar with the Democrat’s plans, granted anonymity to discuss private decisions.
Bennet, a former Denver Public Schools superintendent who was first appointed to the Senate in 2009, immediately becomes the de facto frontrunner to succeed Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in a solidly blue state.
Before Bennet’s expected entry, the state’s two-term attorney general, Phil Weiser, had been the top candidate in the field, raising $1.9 million in the year’s first quarter.
Bennet now joins a wave of Democratic senators who are leaving Washington, including Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who all announced their retirements earlier this year.
