WASHINGTON – Like most Democrats in Washington, Colorado’s Sen. Michael Bennet has publicly criticized many of President Donald Trump’s actions since January. But unlike most Democrats, he has also publicly criticized – albeit less frequently and less loudly – the Democratic Party for its inability to respond to Trump or provide voters with a viable alternative.
His frustration with the Democratic Party has become increasingly apparent over the last year, especially when he became one of the first Senate Democrats to publicly say he didn’t think then-President Joe Biden could win reelection. This concern – that the party had lost support among voters and its ability to cohesively oppose Trump – contributed to his decision to run for governor and, if he wins, leave the Senate.
“I blame Donald Trump for many things, but getting elected is not one of those things,” he said in an interview with The Durango Herald. It’s a line he has repeated to other reporters, a nod to his dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.
Bennet said Democrats must reassess their platforms and refocus on rebuilding an economy that serves the middle class and answers the question of “how we leave a better country to our kids?”
“Pointing out the chaos itself is not enough,” he said of the Democrats’ current messaging. “Pointing out the corruption itself is not enough.”
That’s a key part of why he has made the unusual decision to run for governor as a sitting senator not up for reelection until 2028: He believes he can be more effective rebuilding the Democratic platform and challenging Trump from Denver, not Washington.
“He’s a climate denier who is incredibly corrupt,” Bennet said of Trump. “And yet he’s managed to win two national elections – I think because the Democratic Party has been repudiated, because we have not had a clear answer to the concerns of the American people who have been struggling in an economy where they feel like no matter how hard they work, they can’t get ahead. No matter how hard they work, their kids can’t get ahead.”
Bennet believes he can provide that alternative to voters in Colorado, ultimately making it a model for productive policies for the nation. But until then, he’s remaining in the Senate.
Being in the minority in both houses of Congress, with limited legislative tools at its disposal, the Democratic Party has found itself scrambling to respond cohesively to Trump.
Many members have taken to criticizing Trump’s every move on social media. Others have led protests and rallies at federal agencies and across the U.S., including in Denver. Some senators have sought to delay large numbers of Trump’s nominations. Judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, including Trump, have blocked or temporarily paused many of his executive orders.
Bennet has signed onto numerous letters to the administration and Republicans in Congress. He has delivered impassioned floor speeches denouncing the Trump administration, maintained a steady stream of strongly worded statements on social media, and engaged in fiery exchanges with Cabinet picks such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard during confirmation hearings.
He has also hosted a series of in-person town halls across Democratic and Republican areas of the state – something Colorado’s Republican members of Congress have yet to do this year.
Bennet said the “economic chaos driven by the lack of strategy around the tariffs that (Trump has) imposed” and the cuts to public lands agencies on the eve of fire season are two of his top concerns.
Like fellow Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, Bennet has supported a handful of Trump’s Cabinet picks, citing a desire to build productive relationships with people such as Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins or Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
To some, including Hickenlooper, this piecemeal strategy – involving court challenges, whistleblower accounts and public pressure – appears to be working, at least somewhat.
But Bennet says pointing out the “chaos” and the “corruption” is not sufficient.
“The American people know that Donald Trump brings chaos and that he brings corruption,” Bennet said. “But what they’re saying to us – what they’re yelling to the Democratic Party – is ‘You need to provide a better plan so that we can be confident that you’re going to pursue a set of policies that are going to make the lives better for working people and for our children.’”
He believes that the Democratic Party can provide that plan, but it won’t happen on its own and will require “tough conversations about how we got to this place to begin with and how we dig ourselves out.”
“We can’t keep doing the same thing we’re doing and expect to change the result,” he added.
Taking this rehabilitative mission to the governor’s mansion, he says he wants to make Colorado a model of productive policies and a thriving economy because he believes “economic opportunity is the antidote to Trumpism.”
Bennet didn’t outline specific policies he would pursue as governor to realize this economic opportunity but said creating economic mobility in Colorado and across the nation was key to “driving a stake through Trumpism.”
“There’s not a county or a neighborhood in our state where people aren’t worried that their kids aren’t going to be able to afford to live there, and that’s a terrible feeling for us to have,” he said. “And I think Colorado can answer that question. I think Colorado can be the best place in America to raise a kid and can create a model for the rest of the country – both in terms of the way we do our politics, but in terms of the way our economy operates.”
This lack of economic opportunity, he said, is “the biggest threat to our democracy,” adding that Trump’s rise is a symptom of the issue.
“In the meantime, we’ve got to stand in the breach and make sure that we are fighting – both in Washington and in Colorado – to preserve our institutions, to preserve the rule of law, to make sure that our courts are respected and that we stand up to Donald Trump’s complete lack of attention to these issues,” he said. “And stand up to the wrecking ball that he represents to our democracy and to our economy.”
When Bennet was appointed to the Senate in January 2009, Barack Obama was beginning his first term and Democrats held comfortable majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Since then, the country has become more polarized, bipartisanship less common and gridlock more regular. Trump has transformed the Republican Party, and the Democratic Party has lost the presidency to him – twice.
This year, Trump returned to office with more allies in Congress as several top Republicans willing to challenge him have either left or been voted out.
To enact several of Trump’s top domestic policies, Republicans in Congress are using a process called reconciliation, which requires a simple majority in both chambers instead of the 60 votes typically needed in the Senate. With majorities in each chamber, they don’t need Democratic support or input to pass legislation.
Changes to Senate procedure – initiated by Democrats in 2013 and expanded by Republicans in 2017 – removed the 60-vote requirement for executive nominations. Previously, that threshold often required bipartisan support to confirm nominees.
This term, with 53 Senate seats, Republicans have been able to confirm all of Trump’s nominees without needing Democratic support.
Bennet isn’t convinced meaningful bipartisanship is possible on issues such as immigration and energy policy in today’s Congress. Instead, he believes Colorado can become a model for bipartisan cooperation, which he sees as more likely to originate at the state level.
“This country will never address its problems with a permanent game of shirts and skins,” he said. “I think that Congress’ – that Washington’s – broken politics right now is dedicated to that permanent game of shirts and skins.”
Bennet pointed to his work as part of the 2013 “Gang of Eight” – four Republicans and four Democrats who authored the first major immigration reform bill in decades – as an example of the bipartisanship the country needs to rebuild. That bill passed the Senate with 68 votes – all Democrats at 14 Republicans – but never received a vote in the Republican-controlled House.
Given the Republican trifecta, some of Bennet’s longtime priorities – such as a permanent expansion of the child tax credit and protecting more of Colorado’s public lands through his CORE Act – are likely to remain unfinished if he leaves for Denver in January 2027.
He said he’ll continue to advocate for both from Denver.
Aside from those policies, he says there is still significant work to do in Washington, pointing to the House reconciliation megabill that includes major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
“We’re in the midst of this fight against the Republican reconciliation bill that is going to benefit the wealthiest Americans and cut health care for many people in Colorado in rural and urban parts of the state,” he said. “I think we’ve got to fight very hard against that.”
Bennet also said he will fight to restore clean energy tax credits, which were substantially cut in the House’s final version of the bill.
Bennet said he has also been working to establish regular meetings with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and a group of senators from other Western states to “ensure she understands what is happening on the ground in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain states as we prepare for fire season.”
He said meetings such as those are critical given the number of workers terminated from the public lands agencies typically responsible for fire preparedness and mitigation.
Beyond domestic issues, Bennet said he intends to continue advocating for U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
“Ukraine is not just a fight for Ukraine, but a fight for democracy and a fight for the West,” he said.
Of what could be his final year and half in the Senate, Bennet said, “Every day there’s work to do.”
Kathryn Squyres is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at ksquyres@durangoherald.com.
