Dem
47
GOP
53
Is it better to be a senator or a governor? Which job is more powerful? It is a question politicians ask themselves all the time. In general, being governor of a big state (like California, New York, Texas, or Florida) is a more powerful position than being one of 100 senators. On the other hand, being a national politician in the Senate is better than being governor of a low-population state with little money and little power like, say, Idaho or Vermont. The problem is most acute for the states in the middle.
Colorado is one of those. It's probably a toss-up there, though it is very rare for a senator to give up what could be a lifetime job to run for a job that is at most for 8 years. Still, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) is seriously thinking about running for governor of Colorado in 2026, when Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) will be term limited. Bennet is up for reelection in 2028, so if he runs for governor in 2026 and loses, he can continue as a senator and then run for reelection to the Senate in 2028. His run will not cost the Democrats a Senate seat since if he wins, he will resign from the Senate in Jan. 2027 and then as the newly sworn in governor immediately appoint his successor, who will have to run for a full term in 2028. If Bennet resigns from the Senate in order to spend more time campaigning, Polis will appoint the new senator, but senators run for other offices (typically for president) all the time without resigning.
Bennet is not some random school superintendent from Denver who decided to get into politics, he was appointed to Ken Salazar's seat when Barack Obama picked Salazar to be secretary of the interior. He is the son of Doug Bennet Jr., who was an aide to Sens. Thomas Eagleton (D-MO), Hubert Humphrey (DFL-MN), and Abraham Ribicoff (D-CT), and later assistant secretary of state. Michael Bennet's grandfather, Douglas Bennet Sr., was an economic adviser to FDR. So young Michael was well versed in politics from an early age. He even grew up in D.C. so he knows the city better than he knows Colorado.
Bennet (60) is popular and Colorado is a blue state, so he could stay in the Senate for another 25-30 years, eventually becoming chairman of the Finance Committee or Intelligence Committee, both of which he serves on. So why might he want out? He is frustrated that the Senate simply does not function anymore. He is also furious with Joe Biden's selfishness and the consequences thereof. If Biden had announced "I'm out" in Jan. 2023, Bennet might have run for president again in 2024, as he did in 2020, although his brand of moderate centrism got him nowhere then.
Another thing that bothers Bennet is that in the past, ordinary senators had real power. Now the majority leader calls all the shots and the other 99 senators are just there for decoration. For someone who wants to be a senator in order to pass laws, this is very frustrating, even more so since now, even Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has no real power. He is just there to execute whatever orders Donald Trump gives him. This makes the Senate a pointless place, even for senators in the majority party.
One other thing that might have influenced Bennet is that although his father was never a senator, he was a powerful player behind the scenes in the Senate. Nevertheless, he quit and later ran NPR and was president of Wesleyan University. In other words, Bennet knows there is more to life than the Senate.
Going from senator to governor is unusual. Usually it is the other way. Bennet's Senate colleague from Colorado, John Hickenlooper (D-CO) was Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) for 8 years before running for the Senate.
If Bennet jumps in, that would be a huge shock. AG Phil Weiser is already running. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is thinking about it. There are also a couple of representatives who are thinking about running for governor. Bennet's entry would shake up everything. He would be the instantaneous front runner and he might even clear the field, with everyone else sticking with their current jobs. (V)