(Corrects defeated senator’s name in headline to Bennet, instead of Hickenlooper)
June 30 (Reuters) – Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser beat U.S. Senator Michael Bennet for the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday, U.S. media projected.
Weiser outraised and outspent Bennet in a race that was largely about who was best positioned to defend Colorado against President Donald Trump, who froze federal funds to the state and vetoed a major drinking water project in Colorado, which has trended Democratic in elections over the last 20 years.
The attorney general argued that he stood up to the administration in court, where he fought against the funding freeze and the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Weiser is expected to be elected governor in November. Democrat Kamala Harris won the state by 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Despite losing as a sitting senator, Bennet will not have to give up his seat, which isn’t up for reelection until 2028.
(Editing by Michael Learmonth and Cynthia Osterman)
