Colorado primaries test Democratic divides before November midterms

Colorado voters are casting primary ballots Tuesday in races that Al Jazeera and The Associated Press reported could shape the state’s November midterm contests. The ballot includes contests for governor, US Senate, US House seats and statewide offices, with several races drawing national attention.

Polls opened at 7am local time and are scheduled to close at 7pm, according to Al Jazeera and AP. The primaries will decide which candidates represent their parties in the general election.

Governor’s race draws major names

The most closely watched contest is the Democratic primary for governor, where US Senator Michael Bennet is running against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Al Jazeera and AP reported. The winner will seek to replace outgoing Democratic Governor Jared Polis in November.

Bennet has represented Colorado in the Senate since 2009 and briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, according to Al Jazeera and AP. If he wins the primary and then the general election, he has said he would keep his Senate seat until his gubernatorial term begins and choose an interim replacement himself.

Weiser is running to Bennet’s left and has criticized him as aligned with the Democratic establishment and corporate interests, Al Jazeera and AP reported. If Bennet loses the primary, he would remain in the Senate for the rest of his term, with his seat next scheduled for the ballot in 2028.

Republicans are also choosing a nominee for governor. Al Jazeera and AP identified state Representative Scott Bottoms, state Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer and pastor and military veteran Victor Marx among the Republican candidates.

Senate challenge from the left

First-term Democratic US Senator John Hickenlooper faces a primary challenge from state Senator Julie Gonzales, described by Al Jazeera and AP as a community organizer and progressive. Gonzales has criticized Hickenlooper from the left on corporate power and Israel and Palestine, according to the report.

The Democratic winner will face Republican state Senator Mark Baisley, who is the only candidate in his party’s Senate primary, Al Jazeera and AP reported.

Polling in the Democratic governor’s race has shifted. A Public Policy Polling survey funded by a political action committee supporting Weiser put him at 45 percent and Bennet at 36 percent, with 19 percent undecided, according to Al Jazeera and AP. An earlier survey by the same pollster had Bennet ahead by six points.

In the Republican governor’s primary, Marx entered election day with more than double the contributions and available funds of his rivals, Al Jazeera and AP reported. In the Senate race, polls cited by Al Jazeera and AP showed Hickenlooper still ahead of Gonzales, though his lead had narrowed from 32 points in a February Data for Progress survey to seven points in a late May Colorado Community Research poll.

Gaza policy becomes a campaign issue

Al Jazeera and AP reported that Israel’s war on Gaza has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries, including in Colorado. Progressive candidates have called for changes to US support for Israel and have criticized the role of pro-Israel groups in elections, according to the report.

A 2025 Quinnipiac poll cited by Al Jazeera found that nearly 80 percent of Democratic voters believed Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza. The same issue has surfaced in Gonzales’s campaign, where she has promoted support from Track AIPAC, a group that monitors spending by pro-Israel organizations, according to Al Jazeera and AP.

In Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, Democratic US Representative Diana DeGette faces a primary challenge from Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist and critic of Israel, Al Jazeera and AP reported. Politico reported that outside groups spent about $3m in recent weeks in that race, mostly to support DeGette, while Kiros has been endorsed by US Senator Bernie Sanders.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.