DENVER — Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser were never more than a few dozen feet from each other as they crisscrossed the Juneteenth parade route last weekend, stopping for selfies and shaking hands.
That physical reality reflects their political one — an uncomfortably close fight to be the state’s next governor.
The race, one of the most expensive gubernatorial primaries in the state’s history, is now serving up a midseason litmus test for how an incensed Democratic electorate is judging candidates who are defined less by their ideological differences than by their ability to fight President Donald Trump and their ties to a poisonous Washington brand. It could amount to a warning sign ahead of the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, when a slate of senators and governors are expected to run, all looking to tap into the base’s fury.